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Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is designed to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through a unique research experience that supports the NIST mission.

Capitol hill tour

SURF Fellows visit Capitol Hill each summer to interact with congressional representatives  primarily on STEM initiatives.  This picture was captured during the 2018 visit.

SURF Application Q & A Sessions Scheduled February 5th  and February 10th (@ Noon E.T.)

The SURF vacancy announcement closes soon. If you wish to attend a virtual virtual session to learn more about the SURF Program and get answers to your questions, send an e-mail to brandi.toliver@nist.gov for details. Your e-mail must be received 24 hours before the scheduled session.

2021 SURF Announcement is posted.

The NIST SURF Program is going virtual for the 2021 Summer. To be considered for virtual opportunities sponsored by the Boulder and/or  Gaithersburg sites, applicants must apply at the following websites: 

-SURF Boulder: Click here
-SURF Gaithersburg: Click here

The announcement closes on February 19, 2021 at 11:59 PM (ET). If you have questions about SURF, please contact Dr. Brandi Toliver at brandi.toliver@nist.gov.

 

Welcome and thank you for your interest in SURF at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The SURF Program is designed to inspire undergraduate students to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through a unique research experience that supports the NIST mission. Since 1993, SURF students from across the country have had the opportunity to gain valuable, hands-on experience, working with cutting edge technology in one of the world's leading research organizations and home to three Nobel Prize winners.

Over the course of 11 weeks, SURF students contribute to the ongoing research of one of the six NIST facilities which are the Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL), Engineering Laboratory (EL), Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), and Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) (which now includes project in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology).  The SURF Program is administered at the Boulder, CO and Gaithersburg, MD locations.  Applications are required to be submitted through USAJOBS.

Note:  Only U.S. citizens and U.S. lawful residents are eligible to participate in the SURF Program. 

Just a Standard Blog

wood pendulum clock hung on a wood paneled wall

Everyday Time and Atomic Time: Part 3

This is part 3 in a series. Read part 1 and part 2. Oscillators and Clocks In the previous essay, I introduced the ideas that frequency and time interval are
pipe organ

Everyday Time and Atomic Time: Part 2

This is part 2 in a series. Read part 1. A short history of frequency Frequency was originally considered to be the province of musicians. The pitches or
NIST physicist Judah Levine with the NIST time scale, a digital clock face reading 14:33:34 and a bank of atomic clocks.

Everyday Time and Atomic Time: Part 1

As a physicist in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Time and Frequency Division, I have worked in the general area of operating atomic

Upcoming Webinars

NIST plans to schedule a webinar in January 2021.  Applicants  can view a link to a previously recorded webinar at https://www.nist.gov/news-events/events/2020/01/nist-surf-webinar-2020.

Application Deadline

This opportunity will close on February 19, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to apply ahead of the deadline.