Carnegie Mellon University

Monday, June 4, 2012

SURP 2012

Summer Undergraduate Research Program Begins

On May 28th, 62 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) participants embarked on a journey of scientific discovery through research. The Department of Biological Sciences hosts the 10-week program.

Five Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)-supported Scholars from Carnegie Mellon University and 10 National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) students from outside universities and colleges are undertaking individualized research projects. With the guidance of faculty mentors, these undergraduates are formulating scientific questions, conducting experiments, and then presenting their findings at a poster session and symposium.

Twenty-five HHMI Researchers are working within faculty laboratories all across Carnegie Mellon’s campus and the Pittsburgh area. Nine rising sophomores are conducting research in groups with assistance from a team of departmental faculty members in the HHMI-sponsored Summer Research Institute (SRI). Three Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) recipients and four iGEM participants are working within Mellon Institute laboratories. Finally, six biological sciences students from CMU-Qatar are spending the summer studying in Pittsburgh and participating in SURP events.

SURP students not only have the ability to conduct research throughout the summer, but also to attend professional development and social activities organized by the Department of Biological Sciences and the Carnegie Mellon-wide summer research program, Go Research!