Undergraduate Diversity Program

Our program includes:

• Full summer research and mentorship program (40 hours/week) and a school year research opportunity (10 hours/week)
  
• Research opportunities include environmental causes of kidney disease and cancer, climate and environmental justice, effects of chemical threat agents and inhaled pollutants, effects of climate-related exposures (e.g. wildfires), exposures to PFAS and pesticides, biomonitoring of environmental exposures.
• Mentoring on careers in environmental health sciences, applying to graduate or professional schools, responsible conduct in research
• Weekly presentations during the summer portion on many areas of environmental health sciences such as environmental justice and equity, environmental carcinogens, microbiome and environmental health, environmental exposures in kidney disease, and PFAS and health effects.
• Field trips during the summer, such as Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a former EPA superfund site for chemical weapons development. 

Our 3-pronged approach to developing student commitment and interest in environmental health sciences research:

The following selection criteria will be used to select the diversity students who will become trainees for our program:

(a) Individuals who are underrepresented in health-related sciences. 

The following racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in biomedical research and will be candidates for our program:

​African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Hawaiian Natives, and U.S. Pacific Islands Natives.

Individuals with disabilities including a physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities, and/or

Individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who come from a family with an annual income that is below established low-income thresholds and/or from a social, cultural, or educational environment have demonstrably and recently directly inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop and participate in a research career.

(b) Individuals who are currently undergraduate science majors in their Junior or Senior year at the DTC or other local undergraduate institutions. There will be no preference on prior research experience, rather, we will base selection upon their interest in environmental health sciences.

(c) Individuals who have an exceptional academic record and potential as evidenced by:

(i) High School and College GPA ≥ 3.0,

(ii) SAT ≥ 30,

(iii) Stellar non-academic achievements records, and

(iv) Additional criteria - We recognize that some attractive candidates might not exactly meet all of the aforementioned substantial credentials. Therefore, each applicant will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the selection committee with a consultation. For example, some underrepresented and diverse individuals may be the first in their family to pursue this type of higher education and where appropriate that information will be considered as part of the application. Regardless, of this latter consideration, we will only enroll individuals who will be competitive for acceptance into a high-quality EHS graduate programs or professional schools and have a clear interest and aptitude for conducting research in the future.

(d) Individuals who have a desire to pursue a career in environmental health sciences research as evidenced by their application, the assessment of their teachers and advisors and/or any prior research experience.

(e) Individuals who are United States Citizens, non-citizen nationals of the United States or individuals who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e. in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Card I-55 or some other legal verification of such status).