Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH)

Program Description

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH) is a 10-week internship for students majoring in environmental health. Interns participate in activities with the Environmental Health Services Branch of CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).

Over the summer, interns explore many aspects of environmental public health. Interns gain environmental health experience and an understanding of environmental health work at the local, state, regional, tribal, and federal levels.

Interns will collaborate with federal employees working in the environmental health field and develop mentoring relationships. Interns also shadow senior officials and scientists, spend time in a local public health agency, and travel to important environmental health sites in the city of Atlanta and beyond. Interns may also host brown-bag lunches with CDC staff to discuss environmental health topics and make presentations at CDC staff meetings. CDC’s extensive lecture and seminar program is available to interns as well. SUPEH interns and interns in the Collegiate Leaders for Environmental Health (CLEH) program attend field trips and other activities together. (Note that eligibility for the CLEH program differs from that of SUPEH.)

SUPEH interns receive a weekly stipend of $500 for living expenses. This internship is facilitated through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. All interns are responsible for the cost of travel to and from Atlanta and for housing during the internship. Information about student housing options at local universities can be found on the CLEH Housing and Transportation page.

Information about things to do in Atlanta can also be found on the CLEH Web site.

Eligibility

SUPEH interns are selected according to the following criteria:

• Environmental health major in a program accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC). Participants in the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (JRCOSTEP) are also eligible.
• U.S. citizenship or Permanent Resident with green card.
• Full-time enrollment at a college or university as a rising junior, senior, or graduate student. Students must be returning to school to complete degree requirements at the end of their internship OR the internship must serve as needed academic credit to complete degree requirements.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Other Important Information

• The internship must be accepted in the summer it is offered. Internships cannot be deferred.
• Participation in the summer internship program, or an offer or acceptance of an award/stipend in connection with such participation, neither commits nor infers commitment to later employment by the participant, CDC, or the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), which administers this program.
• All summer interns are considered guest researchers. As such, interns are subject to CDC regulations governing visiting scientists, engineers, and other professionals. These regulations determine access to CDC campuses and confirm an applicant’s eligibility for the internship.
• Participation in the program is contingent on the applicant’s ability to obtain the proper security clearances.
• All applicants are subject to a criminal records check and other background investigations conducted by the U.S. government. These inquiries develop information to assess various factors about the applicant, including reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, character, conduct, and loyalty to the United States.
• As a guest researcher, each intern is responsible for payment of income taxes and is advised to become familiar with the relevant sections of the Internal Revenue Code and other applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
• All interns must have current health insurance coverage acceptable in the State of Georgia.
• All applicants must be fluent in the English language.

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