Student-to-Scientist Bridge Program in Environmental Health Science (S2S Bridge)

The Student-to-Scientist Bridge Program in Environmental Health Science (S2S Bridge) is an undergraduate research education program that responds to the need identified by NIEHS to increase the diversity of training programs for environmental health sciences and, by extension, the diversity of the environmental health science research workforce. Environmental health science addresses the relationship between human health and the environment, with a focus on the chemical, physical, and biological factors that affect human health and environmental quality. A partnership between California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Fielding School of Public Health, the S2S Bridge Program will leverage the diversity and student support resources of CSUN, together with UCLA's research expertise, to increase the number of URM students who apply to and succeed in gaining entry into masters and doctoral programs in the environmental health sciences. The S2S Bridge program will prepare 15 CSUN undergraduate URM students to enter and thrive in a research-intensive environmental health sciences graduate program. Specific aims are to: 1) Engage undergraduate CSUN URM students in an undergraduate research experience (URE) in UCLA environmental health science labs; 2) Develop a culturally responsive research education program in environmental health science for URM students based on their educational and research goals and provide academic and graduate school preparation and application support; 3) Provide formal mentoring by faculty members that is culturally competent to foster student success in the program and beyond; 4) Achieve a 100% application rate to graduate programs (masters or doctoral) in environmental health science among program participants; and 5) Achieve an 80% acceptance rate into a graduate program (masters or doctoral) in environmental health science among program participants. The S2S Bridge program will foster and enhance the early experiences of young scientists and increase the diversity of the future cadre of environmental health science researchers. It also supports the broader goal and significant focus of NIH to promote diversification of the biomedical research workforce. Ultimately, by engaging diverse research perspectives, the project will help develop a better understanding of the environmental contributions to health disparities so that these disparities can be addressed, reduced and finally eliminated.