Apply to SURE-EH

Program Summary

The SURE-EH program provides up to two years of hourly employment to UW students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to conduct research in areas relevant to the environmental health sciences and the mission of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Students can work up to 40 hours per week over the summer, and up to 15 hours per week during the academic year.

Current Application Period

Applications will open on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 9:00am and close on Friday, April 28, 2023 at 5:00pm.

After a short review period, top applicants will be contacted to set up in-person interviews during the week of May 8, 2023.  Offers will be made before the end of May.

Available Positions

We are now accepting applications for the following projects. Please read and review as you will be asked to rank up to three choices in the application (you also have the option of choosing only one). You should also note the specific desired qualifications for each position.
 

Project # 1: Community exposures to traffic related air pollution

Description: Communities in Seattle are exposed to varying concentrations of traffic and aircraft outdoor related air pollution. The impacts and spatial distribution of these pollutants are not well captured by the small number of regulatory air quality monitoring sites operated by air quality agencies. Mobile monitoring campaigns, using high-end instruments and a low-emission vehicle, have been conducted by DEOHS researchers within the Puget Sound region to develop spatially resolved air pollution estimates and identify relative importance of sources. The Austin lab is interested in pursuing additional research to better capture the importance of outdoor exposures to traffic related air pollution across King County, particularly on schools and communities facing environmental disparities. This project will include the opportunity to develop both quantitative skills and communication skills to answer this question. The student will be expected to directly participate in research activities, attend weekly lab meetings and schedule bi-weekly mentoring calls with Dr. Austin. The student will have the opportunity to develop a self-directed project that will lead to a research presentation and written report.

Desired qualifications: Undergraduate coursework in health, physical sciences, engineering or computer science would be well suited to work within the Austin lab. Experience of interest in learning one or more of the following skill areas is critical for the position: data analysis and modeling using the R Statistical Monitoring Package, Air Monitoring Methods and Sampling, Qualitative Analysis and Sentiment Analysis. 


Project # 2: Smoke Signals: Examining the connection between wildfires, disaster exposures, and perinatal health disparities across the US

Description: We are seeking an undergraduate student data analyst to assist with analyzing spatiotemporal data related to wildfire smoke and disaster exposure from 1987-2019. Evidence has linked air pollution exposure to adverse birth outcomes, but less is understood about transient, but extreme, wildfire particulate matter exposure. Further, living close to a wildfire may disrupt communities, creating stress, financial loss, and threatened or actual evacuation among pregnant persons. Further, we will use these data to understand whether climate events might be a driver of birth disparities in the US. For example, non-Hispanic Black birthing people have 2x the risk of giving birth preterm compared to non-Hispanic white birthing people.  Do wildfire smoke, disaster, or other climate-driven events contribute to the observed disparities? The project will provide opportunities for a student to work with spatial data using R statistical software, assist with writing manuscripts, and learning about theory behind climate-related events and perinatal health. 

Desired qualifications: Undergraduate at junior level with completed course work in statistics or biostatistics.  A statistics or related major preferred.  Knowledge of the R statistical package. Ability to work independently and as part of a team.


Project # 3: Microbiome - a novel therapeutic target for metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases

Description: Gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as our “second genome” that regulates various complex human diseases including metabolic syndrome (e.g. obesity and type-II diabetes) and neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease). Exposure to environmental toxicants such as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals is linked to increased disease risks, impacts individuals of different socioeconomical status differently, and is a critical environmental justice issue. Our lab utilizes mouse models, human biospecimens, second generation sequencing, metabolomics, and integrative bioinformatics technologies to strategically investigate how environmental toxicants and gut microbiome interact to modulate the pathogenesis of liver diseases (i.e. the “gut-liver” axis) and Alzheimer’s Disease (i.e. the “gut-brain” axis), and importantly, how gut microbiome can be targeted therapeutically to mitigate the toxicity and disease progression. 

The SURE-EH trainee will work with the mentoring team led by Dr. Julia Yue Cui (Principal Investigator) and director day-to-day mentors to learn various research techniques related to the project, including mouse handling and tissue dissection, genotyping, DNA and RNA extraction and sequencing, microbial metabolite extractions and LC-MS based targeted metabolomics, as well as using R and Python based packages for big data analysis and visualization. The trainee will also have the opportunity of presenting their research at the Mary Gates Undergraduate Student Research Symposium, Pacific Northwest Association for Toxicologists (PANWAT) annual research conference, or other related conferences. The trainee will meet with Dr. Cui at least weekly during the routine 1:1 meetings, attend the bi-weekly lab meeting journal clubs (and sign up to present either a research article related to their research project, or present their preliminary data and obtain advice from the group).


Project # 4: Using high-throughput chemical screening to discover environmental risk factors for autism 

Description: The Geng lab is seeking an undergraduate student to assist with a high-throughput chemical screening project which uses zebrafish as a model to discover environmental chemicals that can potentially increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder in humans. This is achieved by exposing zebrafish embryos to a chemical library containing over 4,000 common environmental chemicals and examine effects on zebrafish social behavior. Social behavior is used as a readout because its deficit is a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder. We use a custom build state-of-the-art behavioral imaging station and custom written codes to analyze social behavior in fish. Chemicals discovered in the screen that inhibit the development of social behavior in zebrafish will be further validated in rodent models and studied for downstream molecular pathways using various experimental techniques. The student is expected to participate in all aspects of this study under supervision of a research scientist and graduate students. As the project progresses and after the student gains more experience, some aspects of the study can be assigned to the student as an independent sub-project.

Desired qualifications: Undergraduate coursework in biology related subjects, or planning to take key biology courses such as cell biology and biochemistry. The Geng lab is biology heavy, so interest in studying the biological mechanisms of environmental toxicants is desired.


Project # 5: Study of the particulate matter-induced activation of oxidative stress and inflammatory pathways leading to cardiometabolic toxicity and neurodegeneration in adult mice.

Description: Air pollution is one of the world’s largest environmental threats to public health. The Marsillach lab is seeking an undergraduate student interested in gaining research experience in traffic-related air pollution and the development of cardiometabolic syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases in a mouse model of cardiovascular disease. We have obtained a variety of tissues from mice chronically exposed to diesel exhaust or ambient ultrafine particles while fed a high-fat diet. The undergraduate student would prepare and analyze these tissue samples using a variety of techniques (including but not limited to—gel electrophoresis, Western blot, high-pressure liquid chromatography, histological and immunohistochemical stainings, and ELISA) to dissect how inhalation of particulate matter leads to systemic effects in the vasculature and the brain. The student would also be able to assist with data analyses, and with upcoming animal exposures and neurobehavioral testing if interested. This project is a unique opportunity for an undergraduate student to gain research experience alongside collaborators from two other institutions (UCLA and UC-Irvine) involved in this project.

Desired qualifications: We are looking for junior undergraduate students who are/have:

  • Responsible
  • Committed
  • Completed Biochemistry/Biology coursework (desirable)
  • Interest in environmental health/toxicology research

 


Apply Now

The SURE-EH application consists of an application survey, several short (300 word) essays, and up to 3 faculty references (email addresses).  The application portal will open on April 10, 2023 at 9:00am. You can access it then and begin your application by clicking HERE.