2009 Deadline

All SURF Gaithersburg Program applications, paper and electronic, must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on February 17, 2009. However, since individual student applications must be submitted as a group by the University, your school may have a much earlier deadline. Check with the appropriate office as soon as possible.

For students - If you don't know where to turn, look at the list to see if your school has participated in the past to find your local contact person. If you do not see your school listed, you can still apply. It just means that we do not know the name of a person that will be able to help. A good place to start is to check with your counselor, COOP or internship office.

For school contacts - If you would like to be listed as a contact for your school, please contact Anita Sweigert (anita.sweigert@nist.gov) to be added to our list.

Application

Applications consist of two parts: (1) The student's university must submit a grant proposal that provides details about its academic program and must nominate one or more students. (2) Students must provide copies of their transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a letter of intent or personal statement. The letter should contain information that helps the review committee make an informed decision about the student, such as why the student wants to participate in the SURF program in Gaithersburg, Maryland and what areas of NIST research interest the student.

The FY 2009 Federal Register notice contains the official program announcement with application due dates and all other requirements applicable to the 2009 program. Another copy of the announcement can be found on the Grants.gov site

You may either apply for the SURF program using a paper submission or via an online Grants.gov submission process. Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit the application package and associated proposal information via the Grants.gov website. Applicants using the electonic submission process should follow the Application Instructions provided at Grants.gov when submitting a response to this funding opportunity. Applicants are encouraged to start early and not wait to the approaching due date before logging on and reviewing the instructions for submitting an application through Grants.gov. For those that want to use the paper submission process, you may download the application via this website. Applicant institutions must submit one (1) signed original and two (2) copies of the application.

The SURF Program is anticipated to run between May 26 through August 7, 2009; adjustments may be made to accommodate specific academic schedules (e.g., a limited number of 9-week (June 8 - August 7, 2009) slots).

You will find a list of frequently asked questions here:

http://www.surf.nist.gov/faqs.htm.

The Application Package includes the following documents that are downloadable PDF files readable with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Application checklist (to be submitted with the application)
  • Instructions for Filling out the Federal Forms
  • Sample proposals
• Student application information (one should be submitted for each student)
• Combination of all Federal Forms- can be filled and printed

The Information Package includes:

• 2008 Student Abstract Book
• a list of 2008 participants, research project titles, and NIST laboratories
• a list of the 2008 SURF Summer Seminars and Activities Series
• and the FY 2009 Federal Register notice which includes the SURF program.

To receive an application by mail, you may also contact:
Anita Sweigert
NIST
100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8400
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8400
Telephone: 301-975-4200
Fax: 301-975-3038
E-mail: sweigert@nist.gov