SURF offers Randolph-Macon College students the unique opportunity to conduct ten weeks of full-time, original research during the summer months, under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Like professional scientists and scholars, Randolph-Macon students apply to the SURF program by writing a proposal and a request for grant money to fund their undergraduate research project. If the project is approved, SURF participants receive a modest stipend as well as free housing.
At the conclusion of the SURF program each year, students present their research in a conference keynoted by an esteemed academic or other nationally recognized leader. Students also submit a final written report and are encouraged to present their findings at a professional meeting in their discipline.
Former SURF participants who go on to graduate school find themselves particularly well prepared for the rigors and intellectual challenge of independent research, which many of their graduate-student peers are encountering for the first time.
For more information:
SURF guidelines and application process
SURF co-directors:
Professor Kelly Lambert (Psychology)
Professor Serge Schreiner (Chemistry )
Explore more SURF stories
Michael True '12: depression and effort-driven rewards
Cara Carne '12: migratory birds
Rebecca Johnsen '10: theatre, economics
Amy Northrop '15: Cellular biology and fertility
Lacey Berry '13 : Genetics research
Zachary Radeka '14: Rubens' Tube
Maggie Benson '13: Invasive marine species
Zachary Spaeth '14: Film studies
Lauren Wood '13: Children's summer reading programs