Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

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 seven NIST laboratories which are the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), 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).  The SURF Program is administered at the Boulder, CO and Gaithersburg, MD locations.  U.S. Colleges or universities (not individual students) must submit applications for participation in the SURF Program. Note:  Only U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents are eligible to participate in the SURF Program.