Introduction to the Program
Columbia University and South Bronx Unite have been working together to offer teens in the South Bronx opportunities to study environmental health science and climate justice. A summer program that gives South Bronx teens an opportunity to study environmental justice issues alongside Columbia University researchers is now in jeopardy after the Trump administration abruptly cut its federal grant.
The Grant and Its Impact
The Department of Health and Human Services pulled the plug on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant in mid-March, disrupting the Bronx Environmental Health Summer Training for Justice program. The initiative served students from The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, empowering them to explore environmental health issues affecting their community in the South Bronx. The roughly $130,000 five-year grant would have funded an eight-week summer program for 12 students, offering hands-on research experience through Columbia University and local advocacy group South Bronx Unite.
Program Details and Benefits
Students would learn about Environmental Health Sciences and field research through the university while advocates at South Bronx Unite teach them about organizing community-driven solutions to environmental injustice. The program aimed to prepare and inspire South Bronx students to pursue careers in environmental health sciences and provide them with the experience and skills to create competitive college applications. The grant-funded program grew out of an existing partnership between the high school, Columbia University, and South Bronx Unite, which taught students how to build and deploy their own air quality and noise pollution monitors throughout the South Bronx—an area with some of the highest rates of air pollution and asthma in the nation.
Reaction to the Grant Cancellation
Mychal Johnson, co-founder of South Bronx Unite, said the decision felt political. “We see what’s happening around the country right now with anything describing this type of work and we feel that it’s not appropriate.” Markus Hilpert, associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University and a lead organizer of the program, told the Bronx Times that it is highly unusual for funding to be pulled after a grant has already been awarded. “I’ve never had this happen in my life before, you know that a grant was cut,” Hilpert said.
Future Plans
The cancellation comes as the administration aims to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Despite the setback, both Johnson and Hilpert said they still plan on offering some version of the program this summer, although Hilpert noted that he thought it would be scaled down. Meanwhile, Johnson said that even without grant funding, Columbia and South Bronx Unite will search for solutions to support the students and their work in the community. “We’ll have to raise money, do fundraisers,” Johnson said. “We’ll have to bring some partners to bear that can help to facilitate it.”
Conclusion
The cancellation of the NIH grant for the Bronx Environmental Health Summer Training for Justice program is a significant setback for the community. However, the commitment of Columbia University, South Bronx Unite, and the students themselves to continue the program in some form is a testament to the importance of this work. The program provides valuable opportunities for South Bronx teens to learn about environmental health sciences and develop skills to create positive change in their community.
FAQs
Q: What is the Bronx Environmental Health Summer Training for Justice program?
A: The program is a summer initiative that gives South Bronx teens an opportunity to study environmental justice issues alongside Columbia University researchers.
Q: Why was the NIH grant for the program cancelled?
A: The Department of Health and Human Services pulled the plug on the grant in mid-March, citing no specific reason.
Q: What will happen to the program now that the grant has been cancelled?
A: Despite the setback, both Columbia University and South Bronx Unite plan to offer some version of the program this summer, although it may be scaled down.
Q: How will the program be funded without the NIH grant?
A: Columbia University and South Bronx Unite will search for alternative solutions to support the students and their work in the community, including fundraising and partnering with other organizations.
Q: What is the goal of the program?
A: The program aims to prepare and inspire South Bronx students to pursue careers in environmental health sciences and provide them with the experience and skills to create competitive college applications.
