SPARK connects Michigan State University students with community organizations, public health partners, and local agencies around meaningful, community-driven projects. If your organization has a public health research, evaluation, data, communications, or other health-related initiative that could benefit from student support, we invite you to share your idea with us.
Community Data Analysis
Analyze, organize, clean, or summarize community health data to identify local trends, patterns, and disparities.
Program Evaluation
Assess the effectiveness, reach, or impact of a program, service, or outreach effort.
Needs Assessments and Environmental Scans
Gather and review information to better understand community needs, resources, gaps, or emerging priorities.
Research and Best Practice Reviews
Review existing research, evidence-based practices, and successful approaches related to a specific health or community topic.
Reports, Dashboards, and Visual Materials
Create public-facing reports, dashboards, infographics, presentations, fact sheets, or other materials that make information easier to understand and use.
Survey and Data Collection Design
Develop surveys, interview guides, focus group questions, or other tools for collecting community input and research data.
A strong project submission includes a clear description of the community need, the type of student support requested, any expected timeline, and the skills that may be useful for the project. It is also helpful to identify what the student may produce by the end of the project, such as a report, presentation, dataset, literature review, evaluation summary, infographic, or other deliverable.