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Student applicants should identify their mentor and discuss their research project plans with them before applying. This will ensure that students and mentors have a shared understanding of the project goals and timeline. Furthermore, this will allow the mentor to prepare a letter of recommendation (described below).
Project Proposal (Submitted by the Student). The project proposal includes a title, abstract, description of the project and its purpose, methodology, timeline, a summary of relevant coursework and experience, and a budget.
To complete the proposal, please DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT PROPOSAL SHEET HERE (you must sign in with your SMCM credentials). This document also has the link to the Google Form where you'll upload the project proposal as a PDF.
Transcript (Submitted by the Student; unofficial transcript will suffice).
Mentor Recommendation (Submitted by the Mentor). In lieu of a standard letter of recommendation, mentors are asked to complete the Mentor Recommendation document. This document contains a series of prompts requesting mentors to reflect on the mentee's academic and research potential, their understanding of the mentee's proposed project, and their mentoring plan for the eight weeks of the project. The mentoring plan should discuss the frequency of their direct involvement with the mentee (as opposed to phone or email), their general mentoring style, and the agreed-upon goals to be met at various points during the two-month program. All in all, the mentoring statement should attest to the mentor's commitment to the SURF ethos of one-on-one direct mentorship and that the student and mentor have comparable expectations of project goals.
To complete the recommendation, please DOWNLOAD THE MENTOR RECOMMENDATION SHEET HERE (you must sign in with your SMCM credentials). This document also has the link to the Google Form for the mentor to upload their recommendation as a PDF.
All application materials are due no later than 5:00 pm, Friday, February 27, 2026
Please direct questions to the 2026 SURF co-directors,
Prof Jerry Gabriel (gdgabriel@smcm.edu) and Dr. Sarah Latchney at selatchney@smcm.edu