Sustainability Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering Program
Are you interested in climate change research? Using the latest technology to monitor crop yields in Tanzania? Creating computer simulations of tsunamis?
The Sustainability Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering (SURGE) program provides undergraduates a mentored research experience at Stanford University. Students from any U.S. institution interested in Earth and environmental sciences, energy, ocean sciences, or civil and environmental engineering are invited to the Stanford campus for eight-weeks in the summer to gain skills in research and science communication. Students are also immersed in a curriculum designed to demystify graduate school. The SURGE 2025 program dates are June 20 to August 16. If you’re a STEM major starting to explore fields related to Sustainability, we invite you to apply to SURGE! We especially encourage students who are seeking a formal research experience for the first time to participate.
SURGE is the only undergraduate research internship available at the Doerr School of Sustainability for non-Stanford students. Please click here to learn more about all Doerr School summer programs.
SURGE 2025 applications open December 1, 2024 and close January 12, 2025.
SURGE 2025 projects will be posted starting on November 25 and updated through December 20. For examples of last year’s research projects, please check out the SURGE 2024 projects.
SURGE supports diverse perspectives in sustainability, energy, engineering, and the Earth sciences. Because we all live on this planet.
SURGE aims to train students by creating a supportive and rigorous work environment at Stanford. We set high expectations for our scholars to prepare them for a potential career in the field of geoscience and engineering. We are committed to advancing a culture of inclusion, respect, and access for all the program participants.
Each SURGE scholar is matched with a faculty member from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and has the opportunity to work in a research group or laboratory. The scholar is matched to an interesting and challenging project from a broad range of Earth science and engineering topics within the eight-week summer period. SURGE also includes workshops on applying to graduate school and understanding geoscience and engineering careers. The program culminates with a research symposium at Stanford, where scholars present results from their summer projects to faculty, mentors, and colleagues. SURGE is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site funded by the National Science Foundation and the school.
Benefits
- $4,800 stipend with additional benefits amounting to $13,000 value
- Paid round trip travel expenses from home to Stanford
- Paid University housing and meal plan
- Mentored research training
- Coding bootcamp course
- Academic seminars and professional development
- Community building activities in the beautiful Bay Area
Funding for this REU site is provided in part by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Earth Sciences located in Alexandria, VA. Award Abstract #1852022. The NSF contact for this program is Aisha Morris. NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly for application information. More information about the NSF-REU programs
Because we all live on this planet
The opportunity to work under a mentor and make meaningful contributions to his research was one of the greatest benefits for me. One of the most important lessons that I learned was to continue on in the face of difficult challenges. More specifically, learning MatLab will be an invaluable asset to me in both my academic and professional career.
~ SURGE Scholar
