Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) - Gaithersburg, MD

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks undergraduate students for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. This vacancy announcement is for in-person fellowships in Gaithersburg, MD. An additional vacancy announcement is open for in-person fellowships in Boulder, CO (vacancy #SURF-2027-0002). Applicants may apply to both vacancies and use the same documents for all applications. Learn more at https://www.nist.gov/surf.

Clarification from the agency:

Current full-time undergraduate (first-year, sophomore, junior, or senior) degree-seeking students enrolled at accredited 2-year or 4-year colleges or universities in the U.S. or U.S. territories. Note: First-year and graduating seniors (defined as seniors participating in the Summer, Winter or Spring Commencement) are encouraged to apply to the program.

Duties:

The SURF program provides research opportunities for students to work with internationally known NIST scientists and engineers, to expose them to cutting-edge research and promote the pursuit of advanced degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). SURF gives students an opportunity to:

• Gain substantive career experience related to academic interests
• Acquire lifelong leadership, management, and analytical skills
• Learn about a career in public service
• Build professional relationships, contacts, and networks
• Observe the daily operations and working environment of a premier federal laboratory

Imagine Yourself in the NIST Laboratories

NIST welcomes students from a broad range of STEM disciplines, including but not limited to biochemistry, biology, biophysics, chemistry, computer science, engineering, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron research, physics, and statistics. Students work under the guidance of a research mentor in one of the participating laboratories or program offices. The following laboratories and offices participate in the SURF Gaithersburg program: 

• Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL)
• Engineering Laboratory (EL)
• Information Technology Laboratory (ITL)
• Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) in partnership with the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)
• Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML)
• Other offices occasionally host SURF participants: Office of Advanced Manufacturing (OAM), Communications and Outreach Office (COO), Research Data and Computing Office (RDCO), Technology Partnerships Office (TPO), Standards Coordination Office (SCO)

As part of the application process, all applicants must identify and select first and second-choice host laboratories/offices for placement consideration. Applicants should carefully choose host laboratories/offices because the completed application is considered primarily by the first-choice host laboratory. 

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of NIST's research, we encourage students to look through the different laboratory websites to discover interesting project areas. For example, a computer science student may find project opportunities in CTL, PML, and EL in addition to the logical choice of ITL. Similar opportunities exist for those in other disciplines. For a detailed description of SURF projects in each NIST laboratory and prior acceptance rates, students are encouraged to review laboratory descriptions and acceptance rates at  https://www.nist.gov/surf/surf-gaithersburg/research-programs. 

All students must work at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, MD for the entire appointment.

While duties and responsibilities may vary by laboratory, all students must:

• Attend Orientation
• Work with their mentor on a designated research project
• Attend the SURF seminar series
• Compose and submit an abstract halfway through the program summarizing research accomplishments
• Deliver an oral presentation during the final week of the program