USM Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF)
2008 Guidelines and Application Information
Application Deadline: April 25, 2008
Program Information:The USM Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship support undergraduates who conduct Research, Scholarly, or Creative Projects with a faculty mentor for a period of eight weeks during the summer. The purpose of the SURF program is to provide promising students with an opportunity to work on an independent project with a USM faculty member, gaining new skills and/or a more in-depth understanding of an academic discipline. Eight summer fellowships will be awarded for 2008.
Eligibility Requirements:Student must be a sophomore, junior, or senior graduating in December 2008 or after. Student must be enrolled at USM full- or part-time (minimum 6 credits) for the fall semester 2008. Student cannot be the recipient of a prior USM SURF award. Only one proposal per faculty mentor will be accepted. Students from all academic disciplines and majors are eligible.
Stipends: Students selected for the program will be designated USM Summer Undergraduate Fellows and will receive a stipend of $2600 for a full-time project over a period of eight weeks. Faculty mentors will receive a $500 stipend.
Project: The project is guided by a supervisor, chosen by the Student from those faculty members who are available for the summer and agree to serve. The project should be based at USM, but may involve off-campus activities.
Expenses: Participants may apply for up to $400 to cover the costs of supplies, field work, document retrieval, mailings, etc.
Group Activities: Participants will share their progress in joint gatherings on Thursdays at 12:30p.m. on June 5, 12, 19, 26 and July 10 and 17. There will be a welcoming social event at the beginning of the fellowship period on June 5, and a dinner for fellows and their faculty mentors at the end of the project which will be determined with the Fellows, Mentors and the Facilitators of the SURF Program.
Reports: Brief weekly or bi-weekly progress reports will be submitted. Each fellow will give a final presentation and is expected to make at least one presentation, on or off campus, during the following academic year.
Selection criteria: Criteria used in evaluation of proposals will include
- Clarity of the project/creativity activity description and appropriateness of the approach/method;
- Student´s potential for success in research or independent study as demonstrated by relevant previous experience, academic record, fit to the student´s career goals, and letter of recommendation from the faculty mentor.
Application procedures: Interested faculty should invite students to participate with them on a project. Applications are submitted by students, working closely with the faculty supervisor to prepare the application. Application forms can be found below:
Adobe PDF Application Download
Microsoft Word Application Download
Click here to see our 2007 recipients.
Contact: For more information or questions about the program contact
Renee Gravelle,
rgravelle@usm.maine.edu, 228-8040