Become part of the RISE Communities program

Applications to the Summer 2024 program are now open and are due May 1, 2024. The program will occur Wednesday, August 7- Friday, August 9, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Community-academic collaborations provide bi-directional benefits to both researchers and community partners whereby community members gain access to technical skills to inform their advocacy while researchers benefit from the firsthand knowledge and lived experiences of community residents.

Participation in RISE Communities typically requires a research team that includes at least one member from an academic institution and an environmental justice community partner. Research teams who are accepted into the program will receive instruction in research techniques, technical skills related to sensors, and gain access to team science resources that are specific to community-academic partnerships. During the intensive in-person short course, the research teams will participate in team-building activities designed to align goals and develop communication skills that will increase their trust in each other.

This program is aimed at both junior and senior level investigators who either:

1) have an established record of CEnR, sensor technology research, or environmental health and justice research, or

2) are pursuing new research projects in this space.

Each research team should be comprised of no fewer than two individuals: one whose primary professional role is faculty at an academic institution and one who has a community organization appointment or is a community member. Pre- or post-doctoral trainees may also be considered as a third member on a research team depending on funding availability. The faculty team member should have a terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MD, ScD, DrPH), but there are no minimum degree requirements for the community team member. The RISE Communities program aims to include approximately 5 research teams at each annual in-person training program.

Each year, RISE Communities participants will meet in Cincinnati, Ohio for 3-5 days during the summer for an orientation to the program and in-person instruction. In-person is ideal for the initial meeting, which will also facilitate research team-building and the establishment of a community of practice. The intensive summer session will provide the necessary hands-on training to equip participants with the technical know-how and community-based practice to take sensors back to their home communities for data collection.

Application requirements include:

• a description of the proposed project including what the goals and objectives of the project are, the methods on how the team will achieve the project goals and timeline for completion,

• CVs, resumes, or biosketches for the research team members,

• a description of the community under study, including the community concern, and zip codes of proposed project impact,

• a description of any funding currently received or applied for in relation to the proposed project,

• one letter of support from the faculty member’s academic institution, OR

• one letter of support from the community member’s organization (if applicable).