{"id":1700,"date":"2025-12-11T05:26:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T10:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/dwell\/?p=1700"},"modified":"2025-12-11T05:28:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T10:28:25","slug":"surf-26-summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/dwell\/surf-26-summer-undergraduate-research-fellowship\/","title":{"rendered":"SURF 26′: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In partnership with the RI NSF EPSCoR<\/a>\u2019s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program<\/a> at the University of Rhode Island, DWELL Lab is seeking students interested in collaborating on the North Woods Field Guide<\/a><\/em> project in Summer 2026 (see the project description below for details). Selected undergraduates will be paid a stipend of up to $6,400 (proportional to time worked, up to 40 hours per week) and up to $550 for research supplies. Students who cannot commit to the full 40-hour per week program should still apply for SURF Flex, at 20 hours per week with a stipend of $3,250 ($275 for supplies). Prospective students can learn more and apply on the SURF Website<\/a>, or reach out to Stephanie West-Puckett and Madison Jones with any questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deadlines<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Undergraduate application window<\/strong>: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 \u2013 Friday, Feb. 6, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Description<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Writing Wild: A Woodland Community Field Guide is a civic-science storytelling collaboration between the Digital Writing Environments, Location, and Localization (DWELL) Lab at the University of Rhode Island and ecoRI News. The project brings together environmental journalists, natural resource scientists, community members, artists, and undergraduate students to co-create a multimedia \u201cpeople\u2019s field guide\u201d to URI\u2019s North Woods, a teaching forest largely unknown to the wider public despite its ecological and cultural significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students will participate in field-based research and multi-media content creation, contributing to the development of field guide entries that integrate science communication and environmental storytelling. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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a poster calling for field guide entries about the North Woods at URI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Project activities include collecting field observations, conducting interviews with community partners and environmental scientists, developing multimedia content (short videos, sound recordings, sketches, photographs), and designing accessible digital field guide materials. Students will also manage community submissions and help to publish volume one of the North Woods Field Guide<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project directly aligns with RI-NEST goals by strengthening student pathways into the Blue Economy workforce through applied environmental communication and field-based ecological observation. This project catalyzes partnerships between the University, ecoRI News, and Rhode Island community groups to advance science communication that is accessible, inclusive, and grounded in place. Students will complete the SURF program with strengthened research skills, digital media competencies, and experience working with a multidisciplinary team at the intersection of environment, community engagement, and public communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SURF student will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n