Summer Research in Environmental Health Sciences

摘要

Abstract The overall goal of this proposal is to develop and implement a 10-week summer program (Summer Undergraduate Research in Environmental Health Sciences (SURES) that will immerse upper-level undergraduates in environmental health science research. The program is designed to introduce students to the highly interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of environmental health science research that is focused on solving key global health problems. An additional focus is preparing underprivileged and under-represented students for successful careers in relevant fields. The SURES program will leverage the substantial and ongoing efforts at the University of Kentucky driven to enhance the undergraduate experience with the robust environmental health science research programs of involved faculty mentors. Students will be recruited from the Commonwealth of Kentucky with an emphasis on those from the Appalachian region. The SURES program will commence with a week-long session that introduces students to research, laboratory safety and scientific ethics. The students will then experience hands-on research by performing experiments in the laboratories of their chosen mentors. Professional development and a sense of belonging to the environmental health sciences community will be built via student participation in weekly breakfasts, lunches, net- working opportunities, tours of research facilities and social activities including “movie nights” where films depicting environmental issues will be viewed and discussed. The SURES program will culminate in a poster session attended by the faculty, staff and students of the participating departments. Dissemination of the approaches used in this program and their outcomes will build upon the expansion of the traditional environmental health sciences research training from the graduate and post-doctoral level to the undergraduates at a national level.