University of Houston Honors College - Office of Undergraduate Research

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships - UH

Overview
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program at the University of Houston (SURF-UH) seeks to provide funding for rising UH sophomores, juniors and seniors to participate in a focused, full-time, 10-week research experience under the direction of UH faculty. Current freshmen that will be sophomores in fall 2008 are eligible to apply for the fellowship. However, students graduating in spring and summer 2008 are not eligible for this program. No course credit will be offered for participation in this program, and students who have previously participated in the SURF-UH program are ineligible to reapply.

This fellowship is open to students of all disciplines, including research proposals in the social sciences, humanities, business, engineering, and the natural sciences. The online application is available at the bottom of this web page.

Specifics

Application Deadline	Wednesday, March 26, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. (CST)
Program Dates	June 2 - August 8
Disciplines	All
Eligibility	Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors
Minimum GPA	3.0 (at time of application) or 3.5 if total hours from UH is under 12 hours
Stipend	$2800**
Research Expense Support for Faculty Mentor	$500
Faculty Sponsors	All full-time UH faculty (this precludes adjunct faculty)
Requirements	Full-time participation Students who have previously participated in SURF-UH program are ineligible to reapply; Only applicants who have never participated in the SURF-UH program before will be considered Students are expected to participate in the SURF program full-time for 10 weeks, and we ask that participants do not enroll in a summer course during this time. If there is an extenuating circumstance, petitions within this spirit may be accepted on a case-by-case basis by completing a petition form. The petition form is due to the Office of Undergraduate Research by March 26th. Attend orientation meeting on Thursday, April 24th at 4:30 p.m Attend weekly brown bag lecture series on Wednesdays from noon - 1 p.m. Completion of final online survey, which assesses research experience - DUE August 8, 2008 Participation in 2008 Undergraduate Research Day on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008, which includes creating a research poster and developing a 200 word abstract for event

**stipend does not include housing

How to secure a research opportunity for the SURF program?

Talk to current and past professors (during their office hours) from courses you have done well in and have enjoyed. Even if the professor is not currently seeking an undergraduate researcher, he or she may know of colleagues that are seeking research assistants within your discipline.
Consult an academic advisor from your department to inquire about faculty members currently conducting research in your discipline.
Here is a listing of UH faculty members seeking undergraduate researchers to assist them in ongoing research projects. THIS IS NOT A COMPREHENSIVE LIST. There are many other faculty members on campus conducting research. If you are interested in any of these positions, get in touch with the contact person to discuss the potential of working with them over the summer for the SURF program.

Applications
The deadline for receipt of all applications will be 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26th. The online application will include (i) a statement of research objectives and goals not to exceed 500 words (ii) three short answer questions about your academic and research experience, (iii) a letter of recommendation from the faculty sponsor including a description of how the proposed research relates to their on-going research; an electronic copy of the faculty letter should be submitted to Office of Undergraduate Research at kweber@uh.edu.

The statement of research should:

be composed in consultation with the faculty sponsor
written in your own words—not in your faculty sponsor's words
be written in first person
discuss the relative importance of the proposed research within its discipline
state the specific tasks to be accomplished during the 10-week program
define the scope and goals of the proposed research
check for any spelling or syntax errors before you submit your statement

Competitive applications generally include:

Demonstration of strong student academic record
Research proposals that are clear, thorough, within the 500-word limit, free of errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax, and in the student’s own words
Research proposals with clear, realistic goals that help the student focus and indicate that the project will lead to a substantive research experience for the student
Descriptive and informative faculty letter of recommendation (1-2 pages in length), especially addressing the prospects for results in the project time frame, the value of the research project and the ability of the student to undertake it

Please be aware this is a competitive program with finite funding, and the Office of Undergraduate Research receives many more strong proposals than they are able to fund. The staff of the Office of Undergraduate Research is unable to share specific information about the assessment of individual applications after the decisions have been made.

How to Apply:

Students who wish to apply for this program must first identify a UH faculty mentor.
The student must fill out an application form online. Please see online application below.
The UH faculty member must submit a letter of recommendation that describes the student's qualifications; identifies the area of research, creative, or scholarly activities in which the mentor will engage the student; and describe the faculty member's role as a mentor to the student. The faculty letter of recommendation should be submitted to Karen Weber at kweber@uh.edu. If you prefer to mail a hardcopy of the letter, please mail it to:

Office of Undergraduate Research
ATTN: SURF-UH Program M/C 2001
211 MD Anderson Library
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-2001

Please contact Karen Weber at 3-3367 or at kweber@uh.edu or Stuart Long, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research, at 3-4445 or at long@uh.edu if you have any questions or if you require additional information. Applicants should be notified of their status in the SURF 2008 program by Tuesday, April 8th.

Deadline has passed for SURF 2008