This is a paid 10-week summer environmental internship for undergraduate students who are passionate about the environment, interested in human health, and curious about how they are linked.
A healthy environment should sustain a healthy population; however, with over 7 billion people on the earth, there is a need for more sustainable interactions between humans and the environment. Environmental issues such as overpopulation, air pollution, food shortage, natural disasters, water contamination, and exposure to toxic substances provide challenges to human health. Human influence on the environment is the main focus of environmental studies; however there is a growing need to evaluate the effect that the environment has on human populations.
Harmful environments can increase the risk of many health conditions: asthma, heart disease, cancer, neurological disease, infections, endocrine dysfunction, injuries, and more. Healthy environments, on the other hand, can promote good health in many ways-protecting people from toxic exposures, providing safe water and clean air, and encouraging healthy behaviors such as outdoor recreation.
The link between the environment and health is aptly referred to as "environmental health." Environmental health as a discipline focuses on the interrelationships between people and their environment, promotes human health and well-being, and fosters safe and healthy living. This branch of public health is concerned with all aspects of the natural and built environment that may affect human health.
Environmental health professionals engage in a broad and exciting range of activities-basic and applied research, surveillance and tracking, direct health protection efforts such as disaster preparedness and response, health education, patient care, policy support, and more. For students interested in the environment, health, or both, few fields are more fascinating.
Interns will be placed in environmental health programs at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Environmental Health<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh> and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry<http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov> (NCEH/ATSDR) at CDC in Atlanta, GA (please note, the CDC has multiple locations in Atlanta and CLEH interns will be reporting to CDC's Chamblee Campus<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh/faq.htm#chamblee> and not CDC's Roybal campus (the main CDC campus)). Over the course of the summer, interns will be exposed to a broad overview of environmental public health issues at the federal level.
Interns will participate in a comprehensive program including environmental health project assignments, interaction with federal officials and scientists, and visits to important environmental health sites in and around Atlanta. Other activities include "brown-bag" lunches with CDC staff, as well as attending lectures from prominent environmental health leaders in the Atlanta area. In addition, interns will be able to attend the many seminars offered by CDC during the summer.
[2009 group photo of interns]
"I was first intrigued by this internship because I saw the word "environmental" in it. Although I knew of public health, I never saw the relationship between environment and public health or considered public health a career option for me. Through lectures given by environmental and public health professionals, and just working at the CDC, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the term "environmental health." (2009 Intern - Becky Lyons)
Application
The application period for the 2016 Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health internship will open in mid-October; please stay tuned for more details.
* Application opens: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
* Application deadline: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
* Notification to intern of acceptance: Friday, March 4, 2016
* Acceptance of internship offer by student and initiation of paperwork: Friday, March 11, 2016
* Internship dates: Wednesday, June 13, 2016 - Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Note: CDC has partnered with The Department of Energy (DOE)/Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the implementation of this program. CDC will review applications and make final award selections.
Eligibility Requirements
1. US citizenship or Permanent Resident with a green card
2. Full time enrollment at a college or university as a rising junior or rising senior by fall 2015
3. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and
4. An academic major or demonstrated coursework concentration in environmental studies, environmental, physical, biological chemical and/or social sciences (if applicants are not majoring in one of these areas they can make the case for why their major or interests are applicable to this internship in essay #2<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh/application.htm>)
Note: Seniors graduating in Spring 2016 will not be accepted to this program.
If you are an undergraduate student majoring in environmental health in a program accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC)<http://www.ehacoffice.org/accred-prog/under-prog.php> you should apply for the Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH)<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/supeh/>.
Stipend
Interns will be provided a stipend of approximately $600 per week. Please note this stipend is delivered on a monthly basis, at the end of each month. Therefore, you will not receive your first paycheck until the last day of June. Travel to Atlanta will be the student's responsibility. Potential housing options will be provided in advance, though interns will be expected to make their own arrangements for housing and transportation. For potential housing options please visit program's housing and housing and transportation page.
Other Important Information
1. Commitment on the part of the participant, CDC, or ORISE with regard to later employment is neither implied, nor should it be inferred by the offer or acceptance of an award
2. Health-insurance is a prerequisite and mandatory for all participants
3. Deferrals of the internship will not be allowed
4. All participants are considered guest researchers and are subject to CDC regulations governing visiting scientists, engineers, other professionals, and students to determine their access to the hosting venue and eligibility for an internship
5. As a guest researcher, each participant is responsible for payment of income taxes and is advised to become familiar with the relevant sections of the current tax codes
6. Participation in the program is contingent upon the individual's ability to obtain the proper security clearance
7. All applicants will be subject to a criminal records check and other background investigations conducted by the U.S. Government. These inquiries are conducted to develop information to assess various factors about the applicant, including reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, character, conduct and loyalty to the United States
Please read the required application materials carefully. Applications open on October 21st, 2016. All application materials should be submitted by email to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> and are due by Wednesday, January 27, 2016.
Applications will only be accepted electronically. If you are not able to submit your application electronically, please contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> for additional assistance.
IMPORTANT: Include your email address in the subject line of all application materials submitted, including your letters of recommendation; this is your "unique identifier". Without it, we will not be able to process you application.
1. Application: (all documents will be available Oct 21st)
2. [2009 Interns] Current resume or CV: No longer than four pages.
3. Two letters of recommendation: At least one from a faculty member. Please remind your recommenders to also include your email address in the subject line when submitting their recommendation on your behalf.
4. Essay 1: Describe your interest in environmental issues (Typed, 1000 word suggested length, attach to application - please put your name on the top and in the file name).
5. Essay 2: What makes you a strong candidate for the internship program? Feel free to discuss academic, extracurricular, or life experiences that have qualified you. If you are a non-environmental major, be sure to make the case for why your major or interests are applicable to this internship and environmental health (typed, 1000 word suggested length, attach to application - please put your name on the top and in the file name).
Note: An official transcript is required upon acceptance into the program.
To improve our recruitment process, please fill out an optional demographic form. It is a voluntary form and will in no way affect your application. We use information from these forms to improve recruitment for our program. To fill out this optional demographic from, please download this Word file[108 KB]<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh/docs/demographic_form.docx> and email it to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>*
*[NOTE: You will only be sending the optional demographic form to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. All of your application material should be sent [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
2015 Application Timeline
* Application opens: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
* Application deadline: Wednesday, January 27, 2016
* Notification to intern of acceptance: Friday, March 4, 2016
* Acceptance of internship offer by student and initiation of paperwork: Friday, March 11, 2016
* Internship dates: Wednesday, June 13, 2016 - Wednesday, August 17, 2016
|
