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

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

SUMMARY. Objective: The objective of “Research Opportunities for Undergraduates: Training in Environmental Health Sciences (ROUTES)” renewal is to build on a decade of success to inspire and develop undergraduate students from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds to pursue careers as scientists, engineers and other related researchers in environmental health (EH) fields. We are driven by the importance of EH outcomes for disproportionately affected URM communities, the lack of representation of URMs in EH fields, and the complex, collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of EH research. Specific Aims: (1) Identify and build relationships to attract students to EH research opportunities at NU and beyond, (2) Engage and train Northeastern undergraduate students in EH research through co-operative education experiences on-campus in faculty research labs, and in external partner research settings, and (3) Promote mentoring and build community among ROUTES student participants and faculty mentors through a robust program of EH-related training activities. Approach: ROUTES provides basic and translational research experiences in EH disciplines that leverage Northeastern’s (NU) well-known cooperative education (co-op) structure. Our program’s participating faculty and external partners provide mentoring and research experiences in health sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, and environmental justice and policy fields through: (1) full-time, paid co-op research experiences for six months for selected URM students (ROUTES Scholars), (2) targeted mentoring and support services to assist URM student participants in pursing graduate studies and research careers, and (3) cohort building and professional development. We have increased the number and types of supported experiences through the addition of off-campus research partners in addition to on- campus EH faculty, and cost-sharing with faculty mentors for student salary. We will develop an accompanying credit-bearing course on research methods and EH careers specifically designed for our ROUTES Scholars. ROUTES will build upon connections to campus URM affinity groups and existing NIH-funded programs for robust and meaningful recruitment and networking. The program evaluation plan includes well-designed assessment and continuous improvement to maximize efficacy. Expected Results: ROUTES will enlarge the pool of undergraduate URM students that are interested in exploring EH research careers and create opportunities for up to 60 students over five years to participate in paid hands-on research experiences, mentoring, and complementary activities. Through these methods, ROUTES will continue to continue its long history of encouraging URMs to pursue research careers in EH, thus addressing a critical national need.