Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences in Environmental Health (SURE-EH)

Paid research opportunity for UW undergraduates

"If you want to learn about the health of a population, look at the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the places where they live." 

- Hippocrates


Our department has a funded research opportunity for underrepresented undergraduate students called Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences in Environmental Health (SURE-EH).

You read about environmental health problems every day: diseases spread through unsafe drinking water, cancer-causing toxins, poor air quality leading to respiratory disease, deadly foodborne illness outbreaks.

Have you ever thought about being part of the solution to these problems? In environmental health science, you can, by studying the link between the environment and human health.

Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences in Environmental Health (SURE-EH) provides underrepresented students at the UW with a meaningful opportunity to work with experienced faculty on a research project addressing the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. 

Administered by the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), SURE-EH trainees work as paid student researchers for up to 2 years: up to 40 hours per week during summer and part-time (up to 15 hours per week) during the academic year. SURE-EH trainees will also be given the opportunity to present their research every spring at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium.
 

  • Read about the projects current trainees are working on here.
  • You can read about former trainees here.
     

Participant eligibility

SURE-EH trainees are selected on a competitive basis.

Students may apply any time during the second half of their sophomore year through the beginning of their senior year. (It is possible that some research projects will give priority to students who will remain at UW for two more years.)

This program in open to students in all majors. Students who are a good fit for available projects will be the most competitive.

All SURE-EH students must come from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. To be eligible for competitive consideration, an applicant must:

  1. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. 
  2. Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate at the University of Washington, or be a transfer applicant. Transfer students can apply to SURE-EH while their general application to UW is under review.
  3. Has at least 1 full year of undergraduate studies left before graduation (i.e. will NOT graduate before Spring 2024)
  4. Meet at least one of the following requirements:
    • Be a low-income student (come from a family with an annual income below established low income thresholds). Students are required to provide documentation of taxable income.
    • Be a first-generation college student (neither parent or legal guardian has a Bachelor's degree).
    • Be a member of a group that is underrepresented in graduate education (African American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Hispanic/Latino or Native Hawaiian, Native Pacific Islander). 


Apply now

The application process for three (3) spots in the 2024-2025 cohort will open in April 2024.

Information/description about the available position and the link to application form are available HERE.

Questions? Please contact: sure@uw.edu


SURE-EH is funded by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), whose research uses state-of-the-art science and technology to investigate the interplay between environmental exposures, human biology, genetics, and common diseases to help prevent disease and improve human health.