Summer Undergraduate Research Mentor–Mentee

The SURMM award is designed to allow undergraduate students to work on their own research project with a faculty mentor and/or for undergraduate students to conduct research for a faculty member. Faculty can receive up to $4,000 in research funding. 

Taft faculty apply for this award. Applications for SURMM are currently closed.

Taft faculty apply for this award. Each faculty applicant will mentor a designated student on a specific research project; this information should be included in the proposal. All Taft-affiliated undergraduates are eligible, including those pursuing a major, minor, or certificate from a Taft department. Preference will be given to majors, those previously enrolled in a course with the faculty mentor, and those near the end of their degree.

Faculty mentors and student mentees are asked to complete an agreement regarding the start date, approximate number of research/writing hours per week, and number of mentor/mentee meetings during the period of the award, as appropriate to the applicant’s home department expectations. The specific schedule may vary from week to week, but should be agreed upon prior to starting the wor

Awardees remain eligible for other awards.

Applications must be received through the online portal by the specified deadline. Applicants may not bypass any component of the system.

Applications are limited to one student per faculty, per project. Each faculty applicant will mentor a designated student on a specific research project; this information should be included in the proposal. The application should include:

• An outline covering the proposed research project, the student researcher's name and degree program, and the faculty member's proposed mentoring role in the project.
• A brief (500 words) statement from the proposed student outlining their qualifications as well as their research project goals, purpose, and timeline.
• A copy of the proposed student’s transcript(s).

This award will provide $1,000 to the faculty mentor and up to $3,000 to the selected student mentee. Undergraduate student mentees are expected to work 30-40 hours per week for about 10 weeks during the summer. The start date and the specific number of hours per week are flexible but must be agreed upon by both student and faculty member. The student mentee must complete the research project to the satisfaction of the faculty mentor.