The SURF NIST Gaithersburg programs are soliciting applications in the areas of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Nanoscale Science and Technology, Chemical Science and Technology, Physics, Materials Science and Engineering/Neutron Research, Building and Fire Research,
and Information Technology.
The SURF program will provide an opportunity for the NIST laboratories and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to join in a partnership to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue careers in science and engineering.
The program will provide research opportunities for students to work with internationally known NIST scientists, to expose them to cutting-edge research and promote the pursuit of graduate degrees in science and engineering.
The NIST SURF Gaithersburg Program Directors will work with appropriate department chairs, outreach coordinators, and directors of multi-disciplinary academic organizations to identify outstanding undergraduates (including graduating seniors) who would benefit from off-campus summer research in a world-class scientific environment.
The objective of the SURF Programs is to build a mutually beneficial relationship among the student, the institution, and NIST.
NIST is one of the nation's premiere research institutions for the physical and engineering sciences and, as the lead Federal agency for technology transfer, it provides a strong interface between government, industry and academia.
NIST embodies a science culture, developed from a large and well-equipped research staff that enthusiastically blends programs that address the immediate needs of industry with longer-term research that anticipates future needs.
This occurs in few other places and enables the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Lab (EEEL), Manufacturing Engineering Lab (MEL), Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST), Chemical Science and Technology Lab (CSTL), Physics Lab (PL), Materials Science and Engineering Lab (MSEL)/NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), Building and Fire Research Lab (BFRL), and Information Technology Lab (ITL) to offer unique research and training opportunities for undergraduates, providing them a research-rich environment and exposure to state of the art equipment.