- S U R F -
- I M P O R T A N T   I N F O R M A T I O N -

  Eligibility:

Participation in SURF 2008 must be rising Juniors or Seniors in Summer 2008. In other words, current (academic year 07-08) Sophomores and Juniors can apply.

SURFers must be enrolled for Summer 08 or Fall 08 before their appointment can be processed. If you are accepted into the SURF 08 program, please meet with your adviser and register for at least one Summer or Fall class.

Mandatory Meetings:

Once accepted into the SURF 2008 program, you are required to attend the following  meetings:

• Introductory Meeting - meet your fellow SURFers, complete some paperwork, and get important information regarding the program. This meeting will be held during Spring 2008 term, and you will be notified in advance regarding the date and time.
   

• At least one Pizza Lunch - this is your opportunity to chat with the Dean of the College of Engineering and with your fellow SURFers.  These meetings will be held during the Summer term, and you will be notified by email regarding the date and time.
   

• Final Presentation - present your research findings to the students and faculty of the SURF program.  The presentations will take place in mid-August, on the day before the Fall 2008 term begins.  The date and time will be announced at the Introductory Meeting.

Assignments:
SURFers are required to complete three assignments.  Please click on the links below for guidelines and suggestions:

Research Journal
Each SURF scholar is required to keep a journal. The purpose of this journal is to reflect upon their research experience – from the interview, the objective of the project, the highs and lows of the work, and how the student is feeling about the entire experience. We expect each student to write at least 1-2 pages per week. We want this to be both creative and analytical – but what’s key is the writing process. We want this to be an exercise that helps students in the meaningful interpretation and analysis of the research.

Abstract
Each scholar is required to write an abstract at the end of the semester that includes a
clear succinct statement about what the research is about, any relevant background
information about the project, a brief description of the methodology, preliminary  results, anticipated relevance and applications and plans for future research. We strongly encourage research mentors to review their student’s abstract, to see that they have a clear understanding of the project.

Final Presentation
At the end of the summer, scholars give short oral presentations about their research
work. The presentations offer the students an opportunity to share findings with their
fellow scholars, get feedback on ideas, and share enthusiasm for the hard work they’ve
completed. The presentations are a step toward developing personal presentation styles and empowering a self-image of being knowledgeable about the research work.

 For more information:

   Please contact the SURF Coordinator at the College of Engineering Dean's Office:
                                         Robin Douglass
                                          douglar@uah.edu
                                          (256) 824-3590
                                          Engineering Building 102