RI NSF EPSCoR’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a 10-week introduction to research in marine-based sciences and engineering. Students who are RI residents and/or matriculate at a RI college or university are eligible to apply. Selected students receive hands-on training with faculty and graduate students at colleges and universities across Rhode Island, learning about everything from how diatoms in Narragansett Bay are responding to climate change to developing classroom materials that help middle and high school students understand basic engineering concepts.
2025 SURF Dates
SURF begins, student orientation: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
SURF ends, statewide symposium held: Friday, August 1, 2025
Selected undergraduates will be paid a stipend of up to $6,000 (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, an opportunity to receive intensive scientific research experience at 20 hours per week. SURF Flex students are expected to participate in all SURF programming, including the annual SURF conference and poster presentation, and will be paid a half-stipend for 10 weeks.
RI NSF EPSCoR is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Cooperative Agreements #OIA-2433276 and in part by the RI Commerce Corporation via the Science and Technology Advisory Committee [STAC]. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation, the RI Commerce Corporation, STAC, our partners or our collaborators.