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Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) is an opportunity for eligible undergraduate research students to get paid for doing their research over the summer semester.


Students selected to participate in SURP can anticipate working approximately an average of 17 to 20 hours per week for 6 OR 12 weeks working on a research project under the close supervision of a faculty mentor. *Note: HMCSE students are only eligible for the 12-week participation option. This activity involves faculty and student collaboration in original research that should result in some tangible product (i.e., publication, presentation, etc.), but its most valuable contribution is the development of the student in ways not possible in traditional classroom settings.

To maximize the SURP experience, student participants are expected to work an anticipated approximate average of 20 hours per week on their designated research project. As a result, participants should not enroll in more than one summer course. Exceptions are occasionally made to this guideline when the faculty mentor has worked with the student previously and is confident in the student's ability to manage the high demands of the SURP program with an additional course.

All fellows must submit a formal report, write a thank you note to the sponsor, and present their results at the end-of-summer SURP Symposium. Participation in the UWF Student Scholars Symposium poster session, held every Spring semester, is also encouraged. Additional opportunities to present the result of the research at local, regional, or national scientific meetings may also be possible.

SURP Time Frame: 6 or 12 weeks over the summer semester

SURP Stipend: $1560 (120 maximum total hours at anticipated Florida minimum wage per hour) or $3,120 (240 maximum total hours at anticipated Florida minimum wage per hour)

*Note: HMCSE students working with HMCSE faculty are only eligible for the 12-week participation option.

SURP Program Detailed Description (link to shared document)

  1. Make consistent progress toward your research project until its completion.
  2. Attend professional development workshops hosted by OUR
  3. Present results at the SURP Symposium (end of the summer term)
  4. End of program survey
  5. End of program formal report (at the discretion of faculty mentor)
  6. Write a "thank you" note to sponsor

Interested students must identify one or more potential faculty members who have agreed to serve as the mentor for this summer research project before applying.

SURP student applicants will fill out/complete all information on the SURP application besides the mentor endorsement and acknowledgment of program requirements. Once the student has completed their part of the application, the application will be electronically routed to their Faculty Mentor.

Anticipated Application Opens: January 6, 2025

Anticipated Application Deadline: March 7, 2025

Anticipated Notifications Sent to Students: March 24, 2025

*Accepted students must formally "accept" their award by April 4, 2025.

**Participants of the SURP program will be required to submit all hiring paperwork & documents by April 25, 2024, for local students.

***All dates are tentative.

Join us for the SURP Symposium!

You are invited to the 2025 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium on Friday, August 8, 2025! The SURP Symposium is an opportunity for the summer undergraduate research program students and other campus research students to present their scholarly, research, and creative work completed during the summer term.

Location: Anticipate at the Science and Engineering Building (Pensacola Main Campus, Building 4)].

10 am to noon—SURP Poster Presentations. Walk the halls of Building 4 during the poster session as eighty research groups/individuals share their summer work (check in at the first-floor lobby for a map of posters).

This is an open event, and the Argo community is invited to join us to celebrate and learn about the students' work.

Parking permits are required for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Please stop by the Visitors Center (Building 81) to obtain a visitor's parking permit and information about where to park. The Visitors Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. After hours, visitor parking permits may be obtained at the UWF Police Station (Building 94).

Contact OUR with any questions about the event at our@uwf.edu or call 850.474.2298.

Term 1

  • 5/12-8/8 - 12 Weeks
  • ~240 Hours
  • Anticipate at least Florida minimum wage
  • $3,120 Total Stipened

Term 2

  • 5/13-6/24 - 6 Weeks
  • ~120 Hours
  • Anticipate at least Florida minimum wage
  • $1560 Total Stipened

Term 3

  • 6/25-8/8 - 6 Weeks
  • ~120 Hours
  • Anticipate at least Florida minimum wage
  • $1560 Total Stipened

Application

SURP Application Guide

To apply to this and other OUR programs, within MyUWF, simply search for "OUR" or "undergraduate research" and select "OUR Program Applications," and you will already be signed in when you access the portal.