Short Term Educational Experiences for Research in Environmental Science for Undergraduates

Program Description

This program is traditionally an on-campus, in-person experience. 

Interest in environmental health and the need for increased research in this field has steadily grown during the past decade. To address this need, the University of Pennsylvania has received an NIEHS award for summer internships for selected undergraduate students (the Short Term Educational Experiences for Research or STEER grant). Ten weeks of summer activities will expose students to the field of environmental health science through mentorship, coursework, and field experience. Click on the link to the left to read about our recent scholars. This program represents a collaboration between the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, the Center for Public Health Initiatives and multiple schools and faculty at Penn.  The program provides didactic experiences in environmental and public health, as well as research mentorship opportunities in a variety of areas of environmental exposures and health effects.  Each summer, five to seven internships will be awarded to undergraduate students who will work one-on-one with faculty mentors on projects that they choose and design. Each intern will receive $4,000 for the ten-week internship.

Program Highlights

Research Opportunities

Faculty in the Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology and the Center for Public Health Initiatives have active research programs in many topic areas relevant to Environmental Health Science, including but not limited to:

Applicants are encouraged to read more about the research programs of CEET and CPHI faculty on their web pages, and to discuss potential summer projects and interest in the summer internships with faculty.

How to Apply

Please visit the STEER Application section for more information on eligibility and the application process.