Caltech’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program introduces students to research under the guidance of seasoned research mentors at Caltech and JPL. Students experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity. Click here for a full description with eligibility requirements.

SURF is modeled on the grant-seeking process:

• Students collaborate with potential mentors to define and develop a project.
• Applicants write research proposals for their projects
• A faculty committee reviews the proposals and recommends awards
• Students carry out the work over a 10-week period in the summer, mid-June to late August
• At the conclusion of the program, they submit a technical paper and give an oral presentation at SURF Seminar Day, a symposium modeled on a professional technical meeting

SURF Activities
To enrich the research experience, SURF offers:

• Weekly seminars by Caltech faculty and JPL technical staff.
• A participatory discussion series on developing a research career, graduate school admissions, and other topics of interest to future researchers.
• Social and cultural activities coordinated by the SURF Student Advisory Council (SURFSAC).
• Weekly SURFSAC Suppers give small groups of students the chance to get together with two to four faculty members for informal conversation at local restaurants.
• Special field trips.

Compensation
SURF Fellows are considered Caltech student employees and will receive $600/week. Wages will be subject to state and federal taxation. International students may qualify for federal tax treaty exemption. For further information on payroll tax issues, please contact sfp@caltech.edu and we will forward your question to the SURF payroll coordinator.

Payments will be distributed in equal installments on the next-to-last business day in June and July.

SURF has extremely limited funding for non-Caltech students. In most cases, mentors will have to pay the full amount.

Housing

Students may live in Caltech housing during the ten weeks of SURF. Non-Caltech students cannot move into Caltech housing before the first day of SURF. Rates will not be finalized until late spring, and there is no board contract. For more information on Caltech housing, click here.