The R25 education grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) entitled “First-Time Research Experience in Environmental Health Science” has been renewed for five years. This grant, co-directed by Dr. Jim Luyendyk, professor for the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation (PDI), and Dr. Bill Atchison, professor for the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, has an annual direct cost of $100,000. It also provides opportunities annually for nine undergraduate students to come to Michigan State University during the summer and participate in hypothesis-directed research in the labs of NIH-funded investigators with a special emphasis in toxicology or environmental health science.

The grant has been responsible for launching the careers of many young investigators into PhD programs, both at MSU and elsewhere. Several students in MSU's CMIB PhD program started research through the initial iteration of this award, which is now starting its sixth year of continuous funding. The grant emphasizes first-time experiences for rising sophomores or juniors at a point in their education where they have not yet committed to a specific career path. In particular, students from underrepresented minority groups are recruited, especially in Puerto Rico, but also in the US mainland. Additionally, preference is given to students from small, private universities which lack significant research opportunities on campus. The program is housed out of the Institute for Integrative Toxicology, which, along with the College and PDI, has been an important contributor to institutional support for this award.