You belong at Stanford University.
Join us this summer for 8 weeks of fully funded mentored research and graduate school preparation. SURGE is a program for undergraduate students who are new to research and want to explore the field of sustainability in a community that celebrates inclusion. SURGE is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Application window: December 1, 2026 – January 10, 2027
Program dates: June 18 – August 14, 2027
Eligibility
- Current sophomores, juniors, and non-graduating seniors or second-year community college students enrolled in a U.S. institution. Note: community college students must be in their transfer year
- Demonstrated interest in pursuing graduate study toward a master’s or PhD in the Earth sciences, oceans, environmental sciences, energy sciences, or engineering
- Not yet accepted to a graduate program
Overview
Each SURGE scholar is matched with a faculty member from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability to work on a research project during the 8-week summer period. Scholars join a cohort of summer researchers and participate in an educational field trip, career panels, academic seminars, and workshops on science communication and graduate school applications. The program culminates with a research symposium where scholars present their summer projects to the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability community.
Dustin Schroeder
SURGE mentor, associate professor of geophysics and of electrical engineering
“My goal is to provide the students with the opportunity for the same kind of transformative experience that undergraduate research was for me. I am deeply indebted to many people who took time to mentor me as a first-gen college student, scientist, engineer, and researcher.”
Support
- $4,800 stipend
- Round-trip travel expenses from home to Stanford
- University housing and meal plan
- Access to Stanford University facilities
- Health insurance, if needed
Professional development and training
- Mentored research training
- Coding bootcamp course
- Graduate school preparation
- Academic seminars
- Introduction to sustainability careers
- Networking
Social connections
- Community building activities
- Field trips around the Bay Area
- Housing on the Stanford campus
- Diverse cohort from around the country
Research topic areas include:
Earth: ecology, evolution, agriculture, oceans, planetary science, biology
Climate: hazards, extreme weather, energy, emissions, adaptation
Society: engineering, cities, technology, sustainable development, environmental justice
SURGE 2027 projects will be posted the first week of December and will continue to get updated through mid-December.
At the end of my internship, my mentor suggested I apply to present my summer results at the Stanford Geothermal conference. After that presentation, I was filled with so much unexpected confidence that it made me want to explore more, ask more questions, and become a better researcher.
– Lauren Abrahams, SURGE 2016, University of Wisconsin – Madison, now a scientist at Lawrence Livermore Lab
SURGE is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site. Funding is provided in part by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Earth Sciences located in Alexandria, VA. Award Abstract #2243686. The NSF contact for this program is Aisha Morris. NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly for application information.