Duke University Superfund Research Center Internship: Summer 2025

This internship program represents a collaboration between investigators at Duke University and North Carolina Central University (NCCU).

Students enrolled at Duke University and North Carolina Central University are the ONLY ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS for this internship. Please see “Internship Program Details & Requirements” for additional information.

The Superfund Research Program (SRP) is a network of grants funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) designed to seek solutions to complex health and environmental issues associated with toxic chemicals found at the nation's hazardous waste sites. The Duke University Superfund Research Center (DUSRC) focuses on early-life, low-dose exposures to toxins and their developmental impacts that may only become evident during later life stages. Our internship program is suited for students with a variety of backgrounds and interests, including environmental and exposure sciences, biomedical sciences and pre-med tracks, public health, chemistry, biology, neuropsychology, computer science, and statistics.

Meet the Duke University Superfund Research Center: https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/superfund

Descriptions of Currently Available Projects: (subject to change)

Project 2: Persisting Neurobehavioral Dysfunction Caused by Interacting Toxicant Exposures During Development: Mechanistic and Treatment Studies with Zebrafish and Rats

Project 2 focuses on understanding how early developmental exposure to toxicant mixtures cause persisting neurobehavioral dysfunction later in life. We use an effects-driven mechanistic investigation, working from the persisting neurobehavioral dysfunction in motor, emotional and cognitive function caused by early life toxicant exposures back to determine the critical mechanisms that caused the neurobehavioral toxicity. Interactions of two prototypic PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene and fluoranthene) and two heavy metals (lead and cadmium) producing persisting changes in locomotor activity, emotional dysfunction as well as attention, learning and memory impairments will be determined. Zebrafish will be used as a front-end model to assess detailed dose-effect interactions of PAH and heavy metal neurotoxicity, charting interacting dose-effect functions. Rats will be used to determine the detailed character of the neurobehavioral toxicity and mechanisms of effect.

Project 4: Neurobehavioral and bioenergetic consequences of evolving resistance to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a multi-stressor environment

The overarching goal of our project is to study pollution resistance. Exposure to chemical contaminants in aquatic ecosystems can have significant ecologically relevant fitness consequences such as mitochondrial dysfunction linked to adverse behavioral and bioenergetic outcomes. These effects may be exacerbated when exposed to multiple abiotic stressors such as changes in temperature and oxygen levels but remain poorly understood. Students will engage on projects associated with exploring these links using Atlantic killifish that have evolved resistance to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Project 5: Microencapsulation Delivery Vehicles for the Implementation of Precision Bioremediation at PAH-Contaminated Superfund Sites

Project 5 focuses on the development of bioremediation strategies for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination. Traditional bioaugmentation strategies utilize PAH- degrading microbial strains in their planktonic state, but during the transition from simple lab conditions to complex field conditions, we see the failure of augmented strains to establish in contaminated environments. Our goal is to develop strategies that provide protection to PAH- degrading strains for application to contaminated sites. We are currently investigating the encapsulation of bacteria and fungi in biodegradable sodium alginate microcapsules for improved microbial growth, survival, and viability to increase PAH degradation. The intern will work on projects relating to the growth and viability of candidate microbial strains, microencapsulation strategies, and biodegradation of PAHs.

Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC)

The Analytical Chemistry Core (ACC) of Duke’s SRC focuses on development and implementation of advanced chemical measurement technologies in support of the center’s component projects. The ACC intern will work with Core staff to develop and refine new methods for detection and quantitation of chemical pollutants and metabolites such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental and biological media, per-and-polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and polar pesticides in water, lead and other toxic metals in soils and biomarker samples, tracers of wastewater such as sucralose and extraction, and neurotransmitters from model organisms used throughout the Duke’s SRC. The work will focus on one of these topic areas, depending on the current needs of the Duke SRC research teams during the internship period. The intern will gain experience on sample processing methods and state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation (e.g., liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) as they apply to environmental chemical analysis. Trainees will gain hands on experience with bench chemistry, field work, and analytical instrumentation.

Community Engagement Core (CEC) / Research Translation Core (RTC)

The Community Engagement and Research Translation Cores (CEC & RTC, respectively) work together to share the research conducted by the Superfund Center with impacted communities in ways that are equitable and accessible. We are working to develop educational activities/curricula based around environmental health and exposure topics for communities in Durham and southeastern North Carolina. More specifically, our focus is on chemical contaminant exposures in soil, homes, and wild-caught fish and helping those communities who are impacted by exposures make safer choices for themselves and their families by building environmental health literacy. This often involves direct engagement with communities in the form of helping to facilitate workshops &

trainings, as well as participating in community events. In addition to helping to support work in the areas above, the summer intern will have the opportunity to attend monthly meetings with other CECs and RTCs from around the country, as well as weekly meetings with our Superfund team at Duke. For more information on our current and past work, please visit our website at https://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/superfundcec/.

Potential Experiences of Specific Internship Assignments (not guaranteed):

Project 2:

Vertebrate animal work: Yes Invertebrate animal work: No

Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No Off-campus field work: No

Project 4:

Vertebrate animal work: Yes Invertebrate animal work: No

Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No Off-campus field work: Yes

Project 5:

Vertebrate animal work: No Invertebrate animal work: No

Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No Off-campus field work: Possibly (limited)

ACC:

Vertebrate animal work: No Invertebrate animal work: No

Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: No Off-campus field work: Yes

CEC / RTC:

Vertebrate animal work: No Invertebrate animal work: No

Interaction with human subjects and/or community members: Yes Off-campus field work: Yes