SURF SMART 2022

SURF SMART is a summer program designed to encourage graduate student professional development and foster undergraduate research through mentoring. Each graduate student participant will receive a summer stipend of $5,000; each undergraduate participant will receive a summer stipend in the amount of $5,000. (Undergraduate students should note that this stipend may affect the amount of financial aid they are eligible for in summer 2022.)


Graduate Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for this program, you must be a UC Berkeley doctoral student in good academic standing. Students who are on filing fee in spring 2022, or who are not registered in spring 2022, or who will graduate in spring 2022 are not eligible for the SURF SMART program. SURF SMART participants must be able to enroll in and attend all class sessions of Graduate Student Professional Development Program (GSPDP) 301, Effective Mentoring in Higher Education, a one-unit course that will meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. during spring semester 2022. You will also be expected to attend all SURF SMART events during the summer program. In addition, the proposed research should represent at least 50% of your summer effort. More information about the course and program events are included in the Program Requirements section below.

Funding

Graduate student stipends will be $5,000.

SURF SMART Program Requirements

For graduate student mentors, the SURF SMART Program begins in spring semester 2022. Graduate student mentors are required to take and successfully complete Graduate Student Professional Development Program (GSPDP) 301, Effective Mentoring in Higher Education, a one-unit course that will meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. during spring semester 2022. Graduate student mentors must be available to attend all meetings of GSPDP 301. In addition, graduate student mentors will be required to attend a kickoff session on May 27, 2022 and a Mid-Program Check-in Session  on June 24, 2022.

SURF SMART Application Requirements

To complete the application, you will be asked to submit the following items:

  1. a research opportunity description;
  2. a research mentoring statement;
  3. a current curriculum vitae; and
  4. the name of the faculty adviser who will be overseeing your research. Your faculty adviser is required to complete a recommendation form by the application deadline. Please keep in mind that in order for faculty advisers to complete the recommendation form, they must have read the following documents: 1) your research opportunity description; and 2) your research mentoring statement. Please be sure to make these materials available to your recommender in advance of the deadline. Please provide your faculty adviser the link to the Faculty Adviser Recommendation Form.

Deadline for SURF SMART Graduate Mentor Applications: Monday, December 13, 2021, 11:59 PST.

To access the SURF SMART Graduate Mentor Application, please click here.