Dr. Akram Alshawabkeh (PROTECT PI/PD and Project 5 Leader) together with Dr. Helen Suh of Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University received a prestigious National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) R25 program training grant to enhance diversity in research in the environmental health sciences.
Prof. Akram Alshawanbkeh with high school students Michael Wagner and Diana Abbas
The project “Research Opportunities for Undergraduates: Training in Environmental Health Sciences” (ROUTES) is focused on increasing the participation of underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students in Environmental Health (EH) research. ROUTES will recruit talented URM undergraduates and provide interdisciplinary training, with the long term goal of directing them toward graduate studies and lifelong EH research careers. Specifically, ROUTES will create opportunities for URM students to participate in paid hands-on research experiences, mentoring, and complementary activities.
Given that minority populations are disproportionately burdened by exposures to environmental contamination, ROUTES addresses an urgent need to increase awareness and participation of underrepresented groups in EH research.