ROUTES Scholars David Berroa and Lola Akingbade were both featured in the Spring 2016 issue of Northeastern Magazine for their exemplary work on campus and beyond.

                                                                                                                   David Berroa (Photo: Adam Glanzman)
                                                                                                 David Berroa (Photo by Adam Glanzman for Northeastern University)

The story “Returning to His ROUTES” highlights David’s journey as the first ROUTES Scholar during the summer and fall of 2015. David joined ROUTES Co-Director Akram Alshawabkeh’s lab to do research on solar technologies for remediating groundwater contamination in Puerto Rico. The work was not only illuminating from a scientific point of view, but also from an emotional one: David was born in the Dominican Republic and saw how water quality issues can affect human health. He also has ties to Puerto Rico, where his grandfather lives. He credits the ROUTES Co-op in Environmental Health with giving him an opportunity to have a voice in the community.

                                                                                                                      Lola Akingbade (Photo by Matthew Modoono for Northeastern University)
                                                                                              Lola Akingbade (Photo by Matthew Modoono for Northeastern University)

ROUTES is also excited to see a future Scholar highlighted in the story “Black Voices.” Lola Akingbade recently accepted a ROUTES Co-op to begin in July, working with ROUTES Co-Director Helen Suh to explore air pollution’s impacts on health. Lola, a Behavioral Neuroscience student, received a $4,000 independent research fellowship from Northeastern which she used to develop the Black Voices Project. She spent five months in St. Louis, MO, last spring conducting interviews and exploring the perspectives and stories of activists and community members in the city of Ferguson. The result is the Black Voices Project, which looks to give a voice to a community that has historically been voiceless. Lola created a website to profile her interviews, as well as an infographic highlighting the trends and themes she found.

ROUTES is pleased to see such exceptional work from alumni and future scholars, and we look forward to their future accomplishments. Congratulations to both students!

This website was supported by Award Number R25ES025496 from the National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences or the National Institutes of Health.