Sarah Chung
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UROP Fellowship: Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program
Research Mentor(s): Raquel Garcia, Maggie Striz-Calnin
Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision
Presentation Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 | DCERP Showcase
Authors: Sarah Chung
Abstract
Hello! My name is Sarah Chung (pronouns she/her). I’m a rising junior majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. My project was with Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV), which works to achieve environmental justice and to strengthen the local southwest Detroit community. The organization’s Healthy Air department focuses on clean diesel emissions reductions projects, and it’s Land and Water department advocates for clean environment safe-zones. I worked with the Healthy Air department, helping to organize and analyze over 10 years of data of their Clean Diesel Project. I discovered the immense need for environmental reform in the southwest Detroit area, which is one of the most polluted zip codes in all of Michigan due to all the industry in the area. I came to understand that helping my site quantify the environmental impacts for the public to view, I was helping to bring more clarity to the local community so that they can rise up against these injustices. Getting to know my supervisor and staff from SDEV and even some of the community members was extremely meaningful to me, despite the unusual circumstances of being completely remote. I hope to take the experiences I have learned at my site of staying alert of injustices around me and engaged with the local community to my future professional career in social work.
Research Disciplines
Social Sciences, Community-Engaged, Environmental Studies, Public Health
