FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The number of University of Arkansas students receiving State Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) has increased to a record high, from 33 last year, to 39 this year.

"I’m proud to see our undergraduates taking full advantage of the growing opportunities for research at the university," Chancellor John A. White said. "Last year, more than 130 students submitted applications for consideration, 60 more applications than in 2002. It’s encouraging to see students and their faculty mentors work together to produce award-winning research so early in the student’s academic careers. As these young men and women approach new challenges in their futures, I believe the experiences in programs such as SURF give them the intellectual maturity to reach for further remarkable achievements."

Intended to foster active student/mentor relationships, the SURF program was created in 1992 with a start-up grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). After two years, funding for the fellowship shifted from the NSF to the state of Arkansas. Awards range from $1,200 to $2,900 for the student. The student’s faculty mentor receives $1,000. Undergraduate students with a 3.0 GPA from any discipline planning a research or artistic project for the coming year are eligible to apply.

"It’s remarkable to think about how far the SURF program has come in such a short time," said Collis Geren, dean of the UA Graduate School and longtime member of the state SURF committee. "In 1993, the first year these fellowships were awarded, the university had six recipients, three in Fulbright College and three in the College of Engineering. In just more than one decade, the university now has close to 40 recipients in a variety of fields."

To be considered for this fellowship, a student must be nominated by a faculty mentor. Nominees submit a five-page project/research proposal and additional letters of recommendation. According to Suzanne McCray, associate dean of the Honors College, the university began encouraging students to apply for the grant in 1994.

"These SURF researchers have gone on to be Rhodes, Marshall, Barry Goldwater, Morris Udall and Fulbright Scholars, as well as National Science Foundation Fellows. Also, many of these students have gone on to prestigious graduate, medical and law school programs," McCray said. "The SURF program has really provided critical support to the students of this state, helping to make them contenders for national and international programs."

The SURF program grant is administered through Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Ark., and the annual Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference is held at Henderson State's campus where most UA SURF recipients present their research. A journal of student papers is published from those proceedings.

For more information on this year's conference, scheduled for April, visit www.hsu.edu/dept/unr/index.html.

For more information about these UA students, their proposals and their faculty mentors, contact the UA Honors College at 575-7678.

2003-2004 State Undergraduate Research Fellowship Recipients

Student Mentor Department

Ashley V. Altom William F. Oliver Dept. of Physics

Erin Bednarz Louise Montgomery Dept. of Journalism

Lindsey E. Bell Cynthia L. Sagers Dept. of Biological Sciences

Hilary Morris Rembrandt Wolpert Dept. of Music

Michael Bridges Carol Reeves Dept. of Management

Bethany Brown David S. McNabb Dept. of Biological Sciences

Leah Bullard Ingrid Fritsch Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Don Burrows David Fredrick Dept. of Foreign Languages

Benjamin Carlyle Doug Rhoads Dept. of Biological Sciences

Katrina Collins Doug Rhoads Dept. of Biological Sciences

David Deitz Neil T. Allison Dept. of Chemistry

Kristin Fitzgibbon Glen S. Mattioli Dept. of Geosciences

Scott Fry Beth Kegley Dept. of Animal Science

Crystal Garner Charles Rosenkrans Dept. of Animal Science

Sarah Gilbert Mark E. Cory Dept. of Foreign Languages

Daniel Hazman Andrew Horowitz Dept. of Economics

Charla Hickey Charles Riggs Dept. of Health Science,

Kinesiology, Recreation & Dance

Elizabeth Heisler Fiona Davidson Dept. of Geosciences

Jonathan Hubbard Ralph Henry Dept. of Biological Sciences

Shireen Husain Mark E. Cory Dept. of Foreign Languages

Taneem Ibrahim Amy Apon Computer Science & Computer Engr

DeAnna Mitchell Edgar Garcia-Rill Dept. of Anatomy & Neurobiology

Amber R. Murray Ethel S. Goodstein Dept. of Architecture

Kimberly R. Payne Mary C. Savin Dept. of Crop, Soil and Environ. Sci.

Elizabeth Phillips Jennifer Webb School of Human Environmental Sci.

Nick Rowell Jeff Ryan Dept. of Political Science

Ryan Scott Janine Parry Dept. of Political Science

Teresa M. Scott Patricia Amason Dept. of Communication

Leigh Shirey D. Mack Ivey Dept. of Biological Sciences

Camille Smiley Robert Cochran Dept. of American Studies/English

Edward Tennant George Sabo Dept. of Anthropology

David Terry Evan Bukey Dept. of History

Amber Tripodi William Etges Dept. of Biological Sciences

Christopher Vaught R. Panneer Selvam Dept. of Civil Engineering

Elyse M. Warford Lynne M. Webb Dept. of Communication

Henry Wendel John Norwood Dept. of Accounting

Matthew Whitley Judith Ricker Dept. of Foreign Languages

Thomas Witkowski Daniel Sutherland Dept. of History

Eric Wright Mark S. Parcells Dept. of Poultry Science