Inaugural Shah Engaged Research Summer Interns

The Shah Engaged Research Summer Internship at the Netter Center will support approximately four students (undergradaute or graduate) per summer to pursue research projects focused on scholarship that advances university civic and community engagement. Students' research should focus on helping to solve universal problems (such as poverty, health inequities, environmental sustainability, and inadequate, unequal education) as they are manifested in the University's local geographic area of West Philadelphia and Philadelphia at large. The students could have the opportunity to connect to the Netter Center's regional, national, and global networks to share their research as well as learn from others.

The inaugural Shah Engaged Research Summer Interns at the Netter Center for 2020 include: Margaret Tebbe, a rising senior studying Sociology in the College of Arts & Sciences; Benjamin Semeao, a first-year medical student, Perelman School of Medicine; and Joshua Davidson, a PhD candidate in City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design. Margaret proposes to elevate the voices of parents and guardians of children in West Philadelphia by collecting their stories of how they and their children perceive and interact with their schools. Benjamin proposes developing a dual curriculum for the incoming first-year medical students and 7th-12th grade students in West Philadelphia schools focused on the impact of social determinants of health. Joshua proposes developing and teaching a graduate-level ABCS course in City and Regional Planning focused on spatial and social justice that will partner with SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transportation system, to make route and/or policy changes.