Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF)

The SURF program at UT Southwestern is an intensive summer research training experience designed for college students who are preparing for careers in biological research. Fellows spend ten weeks (beginning June 1, 2009 through August 7, 2009), pursuing individual research projects in the laboratories of UT Southwestern Graduate School faculty members. Fellows gain experience in modern research techniques, and have a chance to plan and execute an experimental strategy to answer a scientific question. The program introduces students to the sorts of projects encountered during postgraduate research training and leads to an understanding of the planning, discipline, and teamwork involved in the pursuit of basic answers to current questions in the biological sciences.  At the end of the summer, fellows present their research in a poster session.  In addition to laboratory research, fellows attend weekly seminars given by UT Southwestern faculty members. Informal discussions about careers in science and graduate training are also scheduled. Approximately fifty fellows participate in the summer research program.  Fellows are selected by the faculty mentors and assigned to a research project according to each fellow's previous training and research interests.

We have fellowships in the areas of:

Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in a natural science degree program at the undergraduate level and have completed the sophomore year.  Applicants must also be U.S. citizens or possess an F1 Visa.  Criteria used in selection of fellowship recipients will include college grades, relevant experience, and letters of recommendation from faculty who can assess the applicant's potential for advanced training and success in biological research.  If you are a mathematics, computer science, physics or chemistry major, you may be eligible for and interested in the Quantitative and Physical Sciences-Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (QP-SURF).

Stipend: The stipend for the ten-week program is $4,000.  Details on local living accommodations will be provided when fellows are notified of their acceptance.  The stipend for SURF fellows who require SURF housing is $5,250.  Stipends must be used to cover all travel and living expenses during the fellowship.

How to apply:  The SURF application is available on-line at SURF09. Completed applications should be submitted by February 9, 2009.  In addition to submitting the on-line application, official transcripts and reference letters must be received through the mail by February 9, 2009.

For additional information:  Contact the Nancy Street, SURF Director, Southwestern Graduate School, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9004, (214) 648-6708, SURF@utsouthwestern.edu.

Housing: Housing needs for SURF students are coordinated through the SURF office.  SURF participants with family or friends in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area are free to arrange their own accommodations.  SURF students requiring housing will stay in a local hotel and be transported to and from the UT Southwestern campus daily.  SURF students are responsible for hotel costs; SURF students staying at the SURF hotel receive an increased stipend to partially cover this expense.

Note: Undergraduates who intend to attend medical school with plans to pursue careers in medicine and research but who may not choose to pursue formal graduate (i.e. Ph.D.) training should apply to the UT Southwestern Undergraduate Medical Research Fellows Program, not the SURF program. All questions regarding UT-SUMR should be addressed to the UT-SUMR program, as this program is separate from the SURF program.  You can reach the UT- SUMR office by calling (214) 648-3465 or by mail at UT-SUMR, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Attention:  Dr. Michael McPhaul, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX  75390-8857.