Faculty Advisor: Former Associate Professor, Yale University School of Medicine; SDG Publisher Compact Fellow, United Nations

What is Accelerated Research Practicum

Accelerated Research Practicum combines both recorded and live sessions with the Faculty Advisor and allows students to achieve tangible outcomes and potentially earn a letter of recommendation in a shorter period of time.

Practicum Introduction

In 2015, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) were set up by the United Nations to make the world a better and more sustainable place. They are meant to be achieved by 2030. The goals, which broadly aim to promote conditions of equity and sustainability around the world, are meant to be achieved by 2030.

While the 17 SDGs interconnect, students in this program will focus on SDG 3 and 13, which address climate and health. It is becoming increasingly clear that climate impacts directly on people’s lives, adversely affecting human health. There is a growing body of literature on links between climate and health, and significant risks are associated with failing to address these problems in a meaningful way. For instance, water shortage caused by climate change means that populations in some parts of the world face periods of sustained drought such that farmers can no longer feed their cattle or grow crops. Whole communities are then forced to migrate, causing additional risks to health and well-being.

Considerable amounts of research are focusing on these issues to try and avert some of the worst outcomes, and there is no shortage of evidence on what is happening. Finding solutions and putting them into practice, however, is perhaps more difficult, leaving plenty of room for new ideas.

Students will acquire transferable research skills, such as how to do a literature review, while expanding their knowledge on climate change and health. Students will learn from each other, from the faculty advisor, and from researching their individual projects, for example, by studying how these issues play out in cities, regions, and/or countries around the world.

Possible Topics For Final Project:

• Recovering from the public health crisis in Venezuela

• Reviewing the climate action plan for Livermore, CA

• The impact of climate change on cardiovascular health in Beijing

• Exploring links between opioid addiction and global warming

• Mental health challenges in Canada following natural disasters

• Consumption of ultra-processed foods and impacts on health and the environment

• The extent to which the USA is meeting SDG 3.3

• Or other topics in this subject area that you are interested in, and that your professor approves after discussing it with you

Program Detail

• Cohort Size: 2-5 students

• Duration: 4 weeks

• Target Students: Students in 7-12th grade who are interested in Sustainability, Public Health, Climate Change, and other related fields and wish to complete a research project with a prestigious professor rapidly to boost their research experience and obtain deliverables that can be used for college applications and other programs. 

Program Structure

• Week 1: Students and the faculty advisor will discuss in a live session the available project topics and agree on a set of goals for the project. 

• Week 1-3: Students will complete an extensive recorded video research program, including core videos that must be completed and optional advanced materials for students with higher aims.

• Week 4: Students will complete their research project and submit for review. They will also have a second live session with their faculty advisor to ask questions, discuss their findings, and conclude their research experience very positively.