Research Opportunities for Undergraduates: Training in Environmental Health Sciences (ROUTES)

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of "Research Opportunities for Undergraduates: Training in Environmental Health Science (ROUTES)" is to increase the pool of scientists from underrepresented backgrounds engaged in the increasingly complex field of environmental health research. It will do so through a focus on underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students, providing them with hands-on research experience in diverse topics in Environmental Health Sciences. The focus on environmental health is driven by the importance and relevance of this topic to disproportionately affected URM communities as well as the complex, collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of EH research. This team will establish a multidisciplinary undergraduate research program in environmental health sciences that draws from Northeastern's (NEU) strong base of funded research in this area and our environmental health-related programs in health sciences, engineering, and environmental sciences. The program will provide teaching, mentoring, and research expertise in environmental health sciences. To do so, a new, innovative program for URM students will be developed, including (1) engagement and recruitment opportunities through URM undergraduate outreach at NEU, (2) full- time co-op research experiences for six months for URM students with a symposium, (3) targeted mentoring and support services to assist URM student participants in pursing graduate studies and research careers, and (4) professional development for URM students through engagement with larger research communities. ROUTES will build upon a network of existing NEU programs, which have a successful history of recruiting and supporting URM students in STEM, to enrich undergraduate experiences in environmental health sciences research. These educational and training programs are complemented by an evaluation approach that allows for continuous assessment and improvement, faculty training in URM student mentoring, and recruitment of additional URM faculty mentors. ROUTES will enlarge the pool of undergraduate URM students that are interested in exploring EH research careers and create opportunities for up to 30 students over five years to participate in paid hands-on research experiences, mentoring, and complementary activities. Through these methods, ROUTES will encourage URMs to pursue research careers in EH, thus addressing a critical national need.