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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science & Technology Policy Program (COPA-STEP), part of the Law, Policy and Engineering Initiative (LPE) in the College of Engineering, is seeking up to four Part-Time Civic SciTech Trainees to work on a project with the City of Allentown. These positions will include working with public servants, city constituents, and city youth in a remote work environment.

In 2025, COPA-STEP had a cohort of Civic SciTech Trainees work with the City of Allentown to conduct a landscape analysis of community-driven solutions that could engage underserved populations on heat and air quality data. Through this analysis, along with stakeholder interviews, the Trainees made recommendations that included the use of citizen science to address heat and air quality mapping through community-city collaborations. COPA-STEP is excited to once again partner with the City of Allentown to follow up on these recommendations.

Allentown, Easton, and the Lehigh Valley face persistent and well-documented environmental health challenges. Allentown has repeatedly been identified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America as one of the most challenging places in the country to live with asthma, and the Lehigh Valley consistently receives failing air quality grades from the American Lung Association. The Lehigh Valley’s topography traps pollution and particulate matter, compounded by significant regional freight movement, nearby industrial activity, and transportation corridors. At the same time, both cities are experiencing intensifying urban heat island effects. Highly developed neighborhoods with extensive impervious surfaces such as asphalt, rooftops, and parking lots and limited tree canopy absorb and retain heat, resulting in significantly higher daytime and nighttime temperatures compared to less developed areas. These elevated temperatures worsen air quality, strain infrastructure, and heighten risks of heat-related illness. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events, further compounding these localized disparities.

These burdens are not evenly distributed. The neighborhoods experiencing the highest surface temperatures and poorest air quality are predominantly low-income and historically under-resourced. Residents in these communities face disproportionate exposure to extreme