Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Number of Awards: 5

  • One of the Awards is designated at the SURF Humanities Award.  

Funding Amount: $5,000

Eligibility Criteria
CURE supports all students. Applicants are eligible to apply regardless of their immigration and FAFSA eligibility status.

  • Minimum 3.0 GPA, and in good academic standing
  • Full-time enrollment as an undergraduate student at UO in a degree-granting program
  • Students not enrolled full-time at the time of application (spring term) may be considered on a case-by-case basis
  • Enrollment during the summer term is not required. 
  • Preference will be given to those undergraduate students who are not in their final year of study, with plans to return to UO in fall term
  • UO faculty member who has agreed to serve as the mentor for the research/creative work
    • The faculty mentor must have an appointment as a tenure-related or career faculty of .50FTE or above
    • If research/creative work will be performed at another institution the UO faculty mentor will remain the primary supervisor/mentor
  • The applicant may not receive funds to conduct the same research supported through other internal UO research funding programs, during the same fellowship time period
    • Funds are intended to directly support the recipient (i.e. living costs) and expenses associated with the research project
  • The award will be provided only once during the student's academic career at the University of Oregon
  • The funds must be used during Summer 2024

Professional and Career Development Resources and Support
CURE will offer a range of workshops throughout the summer designed to strengthen academic and professional portfolios.  Topics may include resume development, maximizing use of LinkedIN, reinforcing faculty ties, exploring distinguished scholarships, and continued research experience development.

Award recipients are also welcome to meet individually with a CURE team member for any advising and guidance needed.

SURF Commitments and Responsibilities
Fellows are expected to:                                        

  • Work full-time (30-40 hours weekly) on their research or creative work for a minimum of eight weeks during summer
  • Participate in a brief pre-summer welcome orientation meeting
  • Award recipients will present the highlights of their research in an end-of-summer virtual symposium (a succinct 10-to-12 minute presentation outlining the key points of their project)
  • Submit a post-fellowship reflection and assessment survey within one month after the conclusion of fellowship that includes a one page reflection statement
  • Present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium the spring term following their summer research/creative work
  • Apprise CURE of any publications, conference presentations, or public performance/exhibits that are associated with the research/creative work
  • Acknowledge CURE and the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success in all work resulting from research and creative work during the fellowship
  • Adhere to the highest ethical standards of proposing and conducting research, as outlined by UO's Office of Research Compliance Services, to meet university, state and federal compliance standards.

Research Project Types

  • Independent, student-led projects under the mentorship of a UO faculty member.
  • Faculty-led projects where the undergraduate student contributes to the project developed by a UO faculty member as a research assistant.

Application and Recommendation Letter Deadline: April 30, 2024

  • Click here to preview the application form, and here to preview an example of the set-up for the upload document.
  • A single faculty recommendation letter will be required with the application. Forward this link to the faculty/instructor.
  • You can access the SURF application here.