What is SURF Rose Hills?
SURF Rose Hills supports sophomores, juniors and seniors conducting STEM-oriented research during the summer months. Students may be either pursing a faculty-led project or an independent project of their own design. For juniors, this funding may be used to support research culminating in a senior honor thesis or capstone project; for seniors, this fellowship allows further development of research that may lead to publication. Generously supported by the Rose Hills Foundation, SURF Rose Hills fellows receive a summer stipend of $5,000.
ELIGIBILITY:
Eligibility for SURF Rose Hills is contingent on the following criteria. You must:
- be matriculating student at UC Berkeley. Visiting and Extensions students are not eligible to apply.
- have a minimum 3.0 GPA
- have a standing as a sophomore, junior, or senior according to your Cal Central profile. Juniors will be planning to graduate by Spring 2023. Seniors will intend to graduate in May 2022 or Fall 2022.
- be a U.S. citizen with permanent residence is 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 - have the sponsorship of a UC Berkeley, UCSF, CHORI, or LBNL faculty member or lab scientist / principal investigator
- have declared in one of the eligible majors (see next section)
- SURF Rose Hills fellows from previous summers are eligible to reapply
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. 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 will be carrying out a senior thesis or capstone project during the 2022-2023 academic year
SELECTION CRITERIA:
SURF Rose Hills will go to students with solid faculty support and who demonstrate in the application that they are motivated and well-qualified to take on the proposed research based on a track record of resourcefulness and responsibility.
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
- 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 donos