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Award at a Glance

Award amount: $4,000 stipend, up to $1,300 in American Physiology Summit travel expenses and a one year complimentary APS membership

Application deadline: February 2

Questions? Contact: Awards Department

Who can apply: Undergraduate students with no more than nine calendar months of research experience.

 

Past Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows


View the APS Job Board.
Award Description

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), allow students to participate in hands-on research in the laboratory of an established researcher and APS member for 8-10 weeks. This opportunity allows fellows to:

  • Network with other APS Fellows interested in and conducting biomedical or basic research.
  • Explore the nature of research and the scientific process.
  • Investigate physiology career options, what it takes to find career success.
  • Learn about scientific writing and draft a meeting abstract.
  • Learn about common ethical issues in figure and text preparation.
  • Pose their career questions to members of the APS.

The SURF award consists of:

  • A $4,000 stipend.
  • Domestic travel expenses of up to $1300 for the awardee to attend the American Physiology Summit.
  • Up to $300 in reimbursement for lab supplies to the fellow's research host.

 

    Contingent on funding, the award is presented annually to as many as 12 students. APS reserves the right to put this program on hiatus at anytime prior to the announcement of awardees. The program will not be paused once awardees have been notified of their acceptance into the fellowship. 

    The governing criteria for The American Physiological Society’s awards and programs specific to underrepresented minority and diverse groups are defined by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH defines underrepresented minority group status in the institutes Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity, which can be found here. Review additional underrepresented minority group definitions from the National Institutes of Health Diversity of Extramural Programs webpage.


    Eligibility

    This is a full-time summer position for 8-10 weeks and must be worked consecutively. The applicant can not take summer classes, schedule travel or have a second job during their time in the research lab. Only one SURF application per research host may be submitted. There are no citizenship requirements for this award. The applicant must: 

    • Must locate and contact an APS member in good standing to serve as a research host.
    • Be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student.
    • Not have more than nine calendar months of research experience in a physiology laboratory.
    • Not have any peer-reviewed publications or abstracts submitted to national or international meetings.
    • Be working with an APS member in good standing.
    • Have an overall GPA of >3.0 (0-4.0 scale).
    Criteria

    Applications shall consist of:

    • A 500-word description of the student’s research project to be written by the student. If this is not written in the student’s own words, it will not be reviewed by the Committee.
    • A copy of the student’s transcript (official or unofficial).
    • One-page personal statement written by the student that describes the following: 
      • Background.
      • Achievements.
      • Interest in short-term goals.
      • How the research experience will positively influence their career development.
    • A statement concerning the student's choice of the APS member researcher who will host them in their lab.
    • Two letters of recommendation. One from the research host who the applicant proposes working with and one one from a faculty member at the student’s home institution.

    To the extent possible, these letters should rank the applicant in comparison to other students at similar levels. Both letters should address the student’s potential to pursue a career in physiology as a research scientist. The letter from the research host should describe the basis or factors that resulted in an invitation to work in their laboratory. Letters should also comment specifically on the student’s career aspirations and the stage of development of those aspirations. Final selection of the award recipient will be made by the members of the Career Opportunities in Physiology Committee.

    Host application instructions


    Applications are only accepted via online submission.

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