Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

surf diver in water

Program Details:

2023 SURF Awards

SURF projects are ten-week, intensive summer immersion research experiences for an FAU undergraduate student and faculty mentor. Each SURF award allocates $4,000 in support of each chosen project. These funds are primarily used to support the student researcher during the summer ($3,100), with $900 for materials and supplies for the project, and for the faculty to use at their discretion (i.e., a supplemental faculty stipend, faculty professional development, travel support for the SURF fellow, or an additional stipend to the SURF fellow).

The SURF program is open to all FAU colleges/disciplines and while priority will be given to those faculty who team with a lower-division student (FTIC Freshman or FTIC Sophomore) or with an AA Transfer Junior, it is anticipated that there will be at least one SURF award per college. Either the faculty or student can initiate the team partnership, but the application must be submitted by the faculty member. Faculty interested should have a potential student fellow identified before applying (please find student eligibility and requirements information here - Appendix F).

NOTE: In partnership with the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and the College of Engineering and Computer Science, additional SURF fellowships may be awarded, if funding is available. These SURF awards may follow a slightly different budget model as determined by the two colleges. To apply to these and the OURI SURF funding models, please see paragraph above.

Program Timeline:

  • December 1st - Application Opens
  • January 15th - Application Deadline
  • Mid-March - Notification of awards
  • Mid-May - SURF program begins
  • Mid-August - SURF Student Summer Showcase poster presentation

*Should any of these dates fall on a weekend day or holiday, the deadline will become the next business day.

Application Process:

The SURF program accepts applications from faculty for faculty/undergraduate student teams for summer research projects. To submit your project for consideration, Faculty please complete the online application through Survey Monkey Apply (click here for instructions) by January 15th. NOTE: Remember to use your FAU Net ID and password to log in to Survey Monkey Apply. For questions on Survey Monkey Apply, email ouri@fau.edu.

Program Resources and Archives:

2023 Summer Student Showcase

SURF's Up Student Showcase

Summer 2022

Summer 2021

Summer 2020

Summer 2019

Summer 2018

Summer 2017

Summer 2016

Summer 2015

Questions related to the SURF program should be directed to jsoberon@fau.edu.