Want to get involved with the BEACH Lab?
Do you want to learn more about the role of the built environment in health and wellness, gain valuable research experience, and bolster your resume for grad school or job applications? The Built Environment and Community Health (BEACH) Lab within the Arnold School of Public Health has a number of exciting learning opportunities for students at all stages of their education journey (undergraduate, Master’s, doctoral).
Students can work with the BEACH Lab in a number of different ways. These include:
- Volunteer internships (about 5-10 hours per week)
- Independent study courses such as HPEB 399 or HPEB 790 (about 10-12 hours per week)
- Student practicums (up to 20-30 hours per week)
What can you help us with?
- Environmental audits and assessments (e.g., parks, neighborhoods, GIS)
- Data entry and cleaning (e.g., surveys, census data, BMI data)
- Coordinating and leading workshops and trainings with youth and adults (e.g., audits, surveys, etc.)
- Analyzing research questions that can improve public health (e.g., what is the relationship between having quality parks and childhood obesity; what are the key elements of neighborhoods that promote physical activity and healthy eating; how does technology enhance youth engagement in building healthy communities, etc.)
- Preparing reports, manuscripts, and presentations for both academic and professional conferences and publications
- Building partnerships and working with neighborhoods and communities to improve health
What can we do for you?
- Learn skills in data entry, processing, and analysis (e.g., Excel, SPSS, Stata)
- Develop connections and collaborations with local and state organizations on issues related to policies, environments, and health
- Present your research at local, state, and national conferences
- Recommendation letters for graduate school and job applications
- Work with and learn from a fabulous group of undergraduate and graduate students!
To find out more about some of the BEACH Lab’s current projects, please visit our current research page. We are always submitting new grant proposals and looking for new ideas, so we would also love to hear your thoughts and interests related to the built environment and health.
If joining the BEACH Lab sounds like a great fit for you, please contact any member of our team. Make sure to let us know where you are in school (i.e., grade level, program), the type of experience (i.e., volunteer, independent study, practicum) you are interested in, any prior research experience you have, and what skills or experiences you are looking for.
Thanks again for your interest in the BEACH Lab. We look forward to meeting you soon!