Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) program is one of the "crown jewels" of Caltech. For over 45 years, Caltech students have had the opportunity to conduct research under the guidance of experienced mentors working at the frontier of their fields. Students experience the process of research as a creative intellectual activity from beginning (defining and developing a project) to end (presenting their results at SURF Seminar Day). While SURF is mainly a program for Caltech undergraduates, visiting students can apply if they have found a supportive faculty mentor.
Undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in the development of gravitational-wave astronomy through LIGO - the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory . This intensive summer program takes place each year at Caltech or one of the LIGO observatory sites, funded in part through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program of the National Science Foundation. Undergraduate students from all institutions (both U.S. and foreign) are invited to apply. Research awards include a summer stipend and some funding for travel to the research site as needed.
Students have the opportunity to conduct research with the scientists and engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) through this 10-week summer program. JPL is federally funded by NASA and managed by Caltech. SURF@JPL is open to both Caltech and visiting students who are US citizens or permanent residents. Students at JPL will also have the opportunity to participate in a number of enrichment activities, including tours, lectures and career advisement, arranged by the JPL Education Office.
In order to support the LIGO-India project, LIGO Laboratory at Caltech has graciously agreed to host a few talented and motivated undergraduate students from Indian institutions, pre-selected by LIGO-India Science Collaboration, as part of this program. Multiple job opportunities within the LIGO-India project and associated nodal institutions would be coming up over the next few years at various levels of the organisation.
Caltech students may apply to do a SURF at an off-campus location with a mentor at another college or university. Students considering an off-campus SURF are REQUIRED to attend an Off-Campus SURF Information Session held during fall and winter terms.