The Office of Nationally Competitive Awards will host two separate informational meetings on the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) application process. The first meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 in the Poultry Science Auditorium. The second meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 in Silas Hunt Hall. Students are encouraged to attend the Aug. 30 meeting if possible, since the auditorium will hold more people. Research mentors are encouraged to attend as well.

The SURF program is administered by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and offers funding for undergraduate students performing research in the state. There will be updates to the application and evaluation processes this year and these changes, as well as application tips, will be discussed in the meetings.

SURF awards provide a student stipend, as well as $750 in travel costs for research-related travel, and $750 for the research mentor. In order to apply, students must have a research mentor, be enrolled full-time at the time of application and for the duration of the grant, have at least 30 hours completed on campus, and have at least a 3.25 GPA. Last year, 39 University of Arkansas students received  SURF grants. More than 900 U of A students have received SURF grants to date.

If you are unable to attend either meeting, or if you have questions about SURF, please contact the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards at 479-575-2716 or awards@uark.edu.