SURF Rose Hills Independent

What is SURF Rose Hills Independent?

SURF Rose Hills Independent provides juniors and graduating seniors with $5,000 stipends to undertake STEM-oriented, independent research projects over the summer. For juniors, this funding, generously provided by the Rose Hills Foundation, supports research culminating in a senior honor thesis or capstone project; for seniors, this fellowship allows further development of research that may lead to publication. Former SURF Rose Hills fellows may reapply.

ELIGIBILITY: 

Eligibility for SURF Rose Hills Experience Independent is contingent on the following criteria.  You must:

  • be a matriculating student at UC Berkeley. Visiting and Extensions students are not eligible to apply.
  • have a minimum 3.0 GPA at UC Berkeley
  • have standing as a junior or graduating senior. Juniors will be planning to graduate Fall 2022; seniors will intend to graduate in May 2022
  • be a U.S. citizen with permanent residence established in one of the following counties in Southern California:
    • San Diego County 
    • Imperial County
    • Orange County 
    • Riverside County
    • Santa Barbara County
    • Ventura County
    • Los Angeles County 
    • San Bernardino County
  • intend to enroll in course units for a research-intensive senior thesis or capstone project during the 2022-23 academic year
  • declared in one of the eligible majors (see next section) 
  • sponsored by a UC Berkeley, UCSF, CHORI, or LBNL faculty member or lab scientist / principal investigator. Juniors proposing independent projects and working in off-campus labs must submit proof that a UC Berkeley faculty member has agreed to sponsor their senior project

List of eligible majors:

There are majors in every UC Berkeley College – except the College of Environmental Design – that are eligible for SURF Rose Hills Experience. Read the below eligible major list closely:

Life Sciences Majors: Integrative Biology*, Microbial Biology, Molecular & Cell Biology*, Genetics & Plant Biology, Molecular & Environmental Biology, Earth & Planetary Science, Nutritional Science (including: Toxicology, Dietetics, and Physiology & Metabolism), Conservation & Resource Studies, Environmental Sciences, Marine Science, Planetary Science

Math/Physical Sciences Majors: Astrophysics*, Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mathematics*, Applied Mathematics*, Physics*, Statistics*, Geophysics

Engineering Majors: Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, EECS (or the Computer Science major within L&S*), Energy Engineering, Engineering Math & Statistics, Engineering Physics, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (or Operations Research & Management Science within L&S), Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Nuclear Engineering

*Students in these majors may also apply for SURF L&S if they are juniors who will be carrying out a senior thesis or capstone project during the 2022-2023 academic year

SELECTION CRITERIA:  

SURF Rose Hills awards will go to students who have an interesting research question, a well-conceived research plan, and clear faculty support. Successful applicants will show promise of a quick start and the potential to complete their project within the proposed timeline, though projects may be a subset of a larger project, such as the data-gathering part of an honors thesis, or a significant extension of a topic previously explored. 

Please note that this fellowship is for student-initiated research only. For a research fellowship supporting faculty research, apply for the Rose Hills Experience Fellowship. 

COMMITMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Fellows are expected to work full-time on their research projects for two months during the summer. However, SURF will not restrict summer session enrollment or student employment. 

All research fellows are required to:

  • submit a pre-SURF program survey, articulating particular skills that you would like to develop to support your research and future scholarship
  • submit a headshot and project description at the beginning of the summer to be posted on the SURF website.
  • attend orientation, four summer workshops, and three small group meetings
  • submit a mid-summer progress report
  • submit a final report
  • submit a post-SURF program evaluation, including a thank you statement to the fellow’s donor
  • enrolled in a senior thesis or other capstone research project that will be evaluated in a course during the 2022-23 school year.