This year's research projects have titles ranging from "Dust Devil Analysis across the North Polar Region of Mars" and "Identifying Land Level Changes of the Andaman Islands Caused by the 26 December 2004 Sumatra Earthquake Using High Resolution Satellite Imagery" to "Sensorimotor Skills and 'Cognitive' Learning Algorithms for the Fujitsu HOAP-2 Humanoid Robot."
Now in its 27th year, the Caltech SURF program offers this year's 412 undergraduates the opportunity to conduct independent research and to work on a close, one-to-one basis with faculty members. Students collaborate with potential mentors and write proposals that, if accepted, are funded with a summer stipend of $5,000. The mentor pays research costs and provides lab space and equipment. Approximately 228 Caltech faculty members, Jet Propulsion Laboratory technical-staff members, off-campus academicians, and small-business entrepreneurs are participating this year. In all, about 4,200 students have participated in the SURF program since its inception.
In addition to conducting research, SURF participants attend weekly seminars led by Caltech faculty and JPL technical-staff members. Students learn public-speaking skills as well as techniques for delivering a technical talk and for creating visual aids. Workshops are held regularly on issues students will face as they prepare for their professional careers. Workshop topics include the role of communication in scientific careers, applying to graduate school, and career planning.
At the end of their projects, the students present oral reports at a one-day conference modeled after a professional technical meeting. SURF Seminar Day this year will be held on October 16.
This year's SURF program is funded by more than 196 donors, approximately 57 individual endowments, two corporations, three private foundations, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.
Founded in 1891, Caltech is located on a 124-acre campus in Pasadena. The Institute also manages the nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory and operates other off-campus astronomical, seismological, and marine biology facilities. Caltech has an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students, more than half of whom are in graduate studies.
U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Caltech's undergraduate and graduate programs as being among the nation's best. The average SAT scores of members of recent incoming freshman classes have been among the highest in the nation.
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Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu
Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
Written by Deborah Williams-Hedges