Program Description | Eligibility Statement | Application Information | FAQ | Interview Guidelines | Proposal Guidelines | Announcements of Opportunity
Caltech Students/Non-Caltech Students
Caltech Students
Requirements
Upon receiving a SURF award, students sign an agreement to fulfill the following requirements:
- To devote full effort to conducting the SURF project (Fellows are strongly discouraged from taking courses or holding a job).
- To submit progress reports signed by their mentors
- To submit an abstract of their project
- To submit a written technical report approved by the mentor
- To give an oral presentation on one of the scheduled seminar day symposia
Compensation
SURF Fellows are considered Caltech student employees and
will receive $600/week. Wages will be subject to state and federal taxation.
International students may qualify for federal tax treaty exemption. For further
information on payroll tax issues, please contact sfp@caltech.edu and
we will forward your question to the SURF payroll coordinator.
Payments will be distributed in equal installments on
the first business day in July and August.
Funding
SURF payments are funded from a variety of sources including individual, corporate,
and foundation donors; income from an endowment; JPL; and faculty grants. Mentors
pay all research-related costs and provide space. Caltech and off-campus mentors
generally pay half the amount. JPL mentors pay the full amount plus an administrative
fee.
Proposals are reviewed on their merit, not on the mentor's ability to contribute funds.
Named SURFs
Each year a number of students are selected to represent SURF to special donors.
These students are carefully chosen by matching their research interests, fields,
and activities to those of the donors. Students will be notified in early July
if they have been designated named SURFers. Named SURFers may be invited to
meet their benefactors and will be required to write a "thank you" note.
SURF Activities
To enrich the research experience, SURF offers:
- Weekly seminars by Caltech faculty and JPL technical staff. Lunch is provided.
- A participatory discussion series on developing a research career, graduate school admissions, and other topics of interest to future researchers.
- Social and cultural activities coordinated by the SURF Student Advisory Council (SURFSAC).
- Weekly SURFSAC Suppers give small groups of students the chance to get together with two to four faculty members for informal conversation at local restaurants.
- Special field trips.
Non-Caltech Students
Requirements
Upon receiving a SURF award, students sign an agreement to fulfill the following requirements:
- To devote full effort to conducting the SURF project (Fellows are strongly discouraged from taking courses or holding a job).
- To submit progress reports signed by their mentors
- To submit an abstract of their project
- To submit a written technical report approved by the mentor
- To give an oral presentation on one of the scheduled seminar day symposia
Compensation
SURF Fellows are considered Caltech student employees and
will receive $600/week. Wages will be subject to state and federal taxation.
International students may qualify for federal tax treaty exemption. For further
information on payroll tax issues, please contact sfp@caltech.edu and
we will forward your question to the SURF payroll coordinator.
Payments will be distributed in equal installments on
the first business day in July and August.
SURF has extremely limited funding for non-Caltech students.
In most cases, mentors will have to pay the full amount.
Housing
Students may live in Caltech housing during the ten weeks of
SURF. Non-Caltech students cannot move into Caltech housing before the first
day of SURF. Rates will not be finalized until late spring, and there is no
board contract. For more information on Caltech housing, click
here.
SURF Activities
To enrich the research experience, SURF offers:
- Weekly seminars by Caltech faculty and JPL technical staff. Lunch is provided.
- A participatory discussion series on developing a research career, graduate school admissions, and other topics of interest to future researchers.
- Social and cultural activities coordinated by the SURF Student Advisory Council (SURFSAC).
- Weekly SURFSAC Suppers give small groups of students the chance to get together with two to four faculty members for informal conversation at local restaurants.
- Special field trips.
