Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (S.U.R.F.)

The undergraduate research directors, Office of Institutional Advancement, and deans have collaborated to offer Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (S.U.R.F.) for students committed to a scholarly project over the summer.

The main goal of this program is to alleviate the economic pressures that can prohibit strong students from actively engaging in academic research opportunities. Each student applicant must have a faculty sponsor.

The range of supported activities is broad and includes bibliographic work, field surveys and laboratory research, among other areas. The research can be faculty driven, student driven, or even driven by a liaison from business, industry, government, etc., so long as there is a faculty member who sponsors the work.

This initiative will provide stipends of $4,000 for 10 weeks (20 hours per week on average) of summer research projects (hourly equivalent of $18-$20). This is a pilot program for 2022 to provide space for any constructive feedback from colleagues.

Selection Criteria

This is likely to be a highly competitive application process. Public presentation will be one of the criteria used to award fellowships. The Student Summer Research Committee will also take into account the following when selecting fellowship recipients:

• Quality of the student proposal.
• Level of faculty support for the student and the project, as expressed in the letter provided with the application.
• Student GPA and general academic standing.

Requirements

10-Week Summer Research Fellowships

Students receive a $4,000 stipend, which is equivalent to $20 per hour, 20 hours a week, over 10 weeks.

Expectations

• Students will work on their project for 20 hours a week over 10 weeks. The actual weeks during which this work will take place during the Summer of 2022 will be described during the application process. 
• Students must meet regularly – in person or via teleconference (Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.) – with the faculty sponsor during the summer.
• Students must present the results of the summer project in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and/or some other venue that the Student Summer Research Committee deems a valid substitute. Selection of an appropriate presentation venue will be made by the research adviser in consultation with the student.
• Three weeks into the project, the faculty adviser will submit an initial progress report that the project is underway. The student’s second paycheck will be withheld until this report is submitted. In particular, all research projects are considered to start their first week on a Monday, and so the initial progress report will be due on the third Friday of the project’s timeline. 
• Students must write a final paper summarizing the summer project, in a format approved by the faculty sponsor.
• Students must complete a survey about the summer research experience.
• Students must submit information about the project for use on the SJC website, in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Research. We will additionally ask students to fill out paperwork to allow us to use photo/video recordings to share with our community. 

How to Apply

Email [email protected] with:

• The student’s name.
• The project’s title. (this can be changed later)
• The SJC faculty sponsor.

You will receive an information/application document via email and your sponsor will receive a request for a letter of recommendation. The deadline for all applications is Friday, April 29 at 5 p.m. Decisions for recipients will be made on or around Friday, May 6 and projects will start on or around Monday, June 6.