SURP provides funding for UCI undergraduates from all disciplines who are conducting summer research projects or creative activities under the guidance of UCI faculty members. The program offers students the opportunity to become immersed in a research topic for a full-time ten-week period or the equivalence of 400 hours. SURP Fellows will receive a maximum stipend amount of $3,000. SURP is administered by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP).
All non-graduating undergraduates who are in good academic standing and who have been involved in a faculty-mentored research project or creative activity for at least one quarter are encouraged to apply.
Proposals should be prepared by the student applicant and jointly submitted by the student and a faculty member.
SURP Fellowships will be awarded on a competitive basis. Funds will be awarded directly to the Fellows in the form of stipends. Requests can be for less than $3,000 if other funding sources are contributing to the student’s summer stipend. These funds are not intended to support such expenditures as the purchase of research-related materials and supplies. Requests for such items can be submitted in response to UROP’s regular Spring Call for Proposals. Students receiving adequate funding from departmental or other sources can submit an application for a SURP Honorary Fellowship.
Students who receive the SURP Fellowship can enroll in summer courses, upon receiving approval from their faculty mentors, and as long as they meet the 400-hour minimum requirement of the fellowship. For students who wish to enroll in an independent research course during summer 2008 (i.e. 199 or equivalent), a special negotiated rate will be charged by Summer Sessions. In this case, they will need to spend more than 400 hours so they are not receiving academic credit and stipends for the same level of time commitment. The number of
additional hours is to be determined by the faculty mentors.
Proposals are submitted online by providing appropriate information about the undergraduate researcher, her/his faculty mentors and additional details related to the proposed project. In addition, the undergraduate researcher will be asked to upload additional documents including the proposal, and a personal statement evaluating her/his research experience and its impact on her/his education. The research proposal should include background and objective of the research project, project design and feasibility, student’s specific responsibility and level of preparation based on prior research-related efforts, and the project’s timeline. If the research involves human subjects or the use of live vertebrate animals, the appropriate IRB or IACUC protocol number is required. Please refer to http://www.rgs.uci.edu/ora/ for guidelines and appropriate forms.
Complete proposals must be submitted online at the UROP Web site (http://www.urop.uci.edu/surp.html), by Monday, April 28, 2008.
A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the undergraduate researcher and faculty mentor(s) once the submission has been received. This confirmation will provide a secure Web link that would allow the student and her/his faculty mentors to access and update the submission. In addition, faculty mentors will be asked to upload one letter of recommendation per student, which would evaluate the student’s performance to date and capacity to complete the proposed activities.
Proposals will be reviewed by the UROP/SURP Faculty Advisory Board.
Standards for evaluation of funding requests include:
* Intellectual merit in the student’s proposed research activity
* Thoroughness and completeness of the proposal packet
* Level of commitment and support from the faculty
* Assessment of student’s UCI transcript
* Available funds
Successful applicants will be notified by June 2, 2008. SURP Fellows are required to present their research results and findings at the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium on May 16, 2009, and encouraged to submit a final paper for possible publication in The UCI Undergraduate Research Journal. They will also be invited to participate in a series of seminars on research-related topics and communication skills.
Students are encouraged to attend a SURP Proposal Writing Workshop on Thursday, April 17th from 4:00-6:00 PM in Student Services II, Conference Room 1010A/B. For more information, faculty and students may contact the UROP Office; Student Services II, Suite 2300; Phone: (949) 824-4189; E-mail: urop@uci.edu.