The University of Michigan is home to a research institute whose focus is health inequalities. To view some enlightening figures that illustrate the connections among race, class, and health, visit the Michigan Initiative on Health Inequalities in Health (http://www.sph.umich.edu/miih/index2.html) and link to "Working Papers and Publications."

1. Select "Some New Observations on Social Class and Health." Read the article.
2. In what way does the community in which one resides affect health?
3. In what way does your community affect your health?
4. How does the lifecourse approach view socioeconomic health inequalities?
5. How do you think that health inequalities might be eliminated?

The Earthwatch Institute strives to protect the environment by organizing volunteers to participate in environmental research. To learn about the issues that concern this group, go to their Web site (http://www.earthwatch.org/default.aspx) and click "Expeditions" on the upper-right portion of the homepage and then click "Expedition Search." Use the limiter options on the left (region, months, type of research) to choose a particular expedition and then click on the links in order to read about some of the volunteer opportunities.

1. What expeditions would you choose to participate in? Why?
2. What are some of the places where the Earthwatch Institute sponsors expeditions?
3. At the top of the webpage, select "About Us" and read through the information you see. What are the primary objectives of Earthwatch?
4. How does Earthwatch differ from other environmental organizations?
5. At the top of the webpage, select "Get Involved" and select "Student and Educator Opportunities." Did your high school promote such environmental fellowships for high school students? In what ways as a college student could you participate in such environmental volunteer opportunities?