Preprofessional Opportunities

Boston University - Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Details

Category: Summer
Type: Research
Location: Boston Massachusetts
Deadline: Mid February

Eligibility

- Rising Juniors and Rising Seniors are given preference - US Citizen or Permanent Resident - Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above - Online application, two letters of recommendation, and an unofficial transcript

Description

Boston University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program takes place over 10 weeks each summer. It consists of the following:

  • Full-time research with a BU faculty member (approximately 40 hours per week)
  • Weekly seminars on topics related to career preparation and current research. For instance, in the Summer of 2019, SURF participants attended seminars on scientific ethics, resume and abstract writing, oral presentations, and select research talks by leading professionals.
  • Weekly informal meetings in which they meet with faculty from pre-professional advising and current graduate and PhD students.
  • Final presentation on your summer research
  • Return to BU for participation in BU’s fall Undergraduate Research Symposium

All participants receive the following:

  • A $5,500 stipend
  • A $500-600 supplies allowance for the lab
  • Up to $500 in travel expenses
  • Housing in a BU apartment-style dorm
  • Travel & lodging during the weekend of the October Undergraduate Research Symposium

Each summer, 10-12 outstanding students conduct full-time research in a BU lab. Normally, 2-3 positions are reserved for Boston University students, who act as peer mentors to the other participants. The remaining positions are offered to students from other colleges and universities, particularly those without plentiful research opportunities. SURF is designed to encourage graduate education in the sciences for talented undergraduate students, especially those from minority groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences: African-American, Hispanic, Native American/Native Alaskan, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian/Polynesian or students with disabilities or from institutions with limited research opportunities.

The SURF program is open to students who are conducting research in the following areas:

  • Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Environmental Sciences