SURF 2020 program moves to remote platform

Based on recent decisions by Purdue leadership, the Engineering Undergraduate Research Office (EURO) has finalized plans for the 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program to be delivered online.

SURF was originally set to commence on May 27, but the coronavirus pandemic placed the program’s feasibility into question. SURF, mainly interactive in ideal circumstances, matches undergraduates with a Purdue faculty member and a graduate student mentor who introduce research tools used in cutting-edge science, engineering and technology. The program is open to undergraduates not only at Purdue but also at other U.S. colleges and universities.

In an April 21 letter to the Purdue community, President Mitch Daniels outlined his intention to accept students back on campus in the fall and outlined possible steps to face the COVID-19 challenges and difficulties and “tackle and manage them aggressively and creatively.”

It was this can-do attitude, as well as the ability to accommodate the SURF program through existing remote teaching capabilities, that spurred the College of Engineering to proceed, said John Howarter, EURO director.

Before the pandemic’s ensuing safety restrictions were realized, a record-high 709 applications were received, and a total of 170 fellowships were offered. Currently, 71 students have signed on for this virtual opportunity, and the program will now begin on June 1.

Research projects not able to be completed remotely will be conducted at a later term when reasonable campus activity can resume, Howarter said.

“Further, EURO is also partnering with engineering schools to create mentored team-based or individual research opportunities for those students who, due to COVID-19, lost internships, co-op work sessions, study abroad, and full-time employment scheduled for summer 2020,” Howarter said.

In a time when many SURF and Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs across the country were forced to cancel, Purdue officials worked tirelessly to improvise.

“The remote-research summer program is not anything I would have predicted, but it gave our team a chance to make some adjustments and innovations to how we can connect undergraduates with the great research that is still ongoing at Purdue,” Howarter said.

Source: John Howarter, howarter@purdue.edu