SproutingPath

Sprouting Path aims to be an innovative educational initiative that bridges the gap between the research practiced in laboratories at universities, government laboratories, industry, public health departments and the communities that they serve. Specifically, we do this by developing project-based curricula for university students and other partners to learn about pathogen testing from environmental sources such as air and wastewater. This is a grass-roots program aimed at teaching others about environmental surveillance to build awareness of these tools for the larger community. 

We prioritize:

• Creating an educated workforce ready to tackle future public health challenges through skills-based and hands-on undergraduate curriculum
• Innovation through education - we believe that students are key to developing novel solutions to environmental surveillance methods and public health outreach efforts 
• Creating educational opportunities for the public to learn more about science and implications of environmental surveillance 
• Publishing education resources for use across disciplines and educational avenues 

Environmental surveillance is becoming increasingly more important for the security of our communities, and training the next generation of scientists for pandemic preparedness is paramount. Furthermore, improving communication between scientists and the general public is critical to ensure effective pandemic responses in the future.