Information for Non-Caltech SURF applicants

What is SURF?

Caltech's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program offers undergraduates the unique opportunity to carry out research projects over a ten week period, mid-June to late August, in collaboration with Caltech faculty or Jet Propulsion Laboratory technical staff members. A limited number of SURF's are open to non-Caltech students.

SURF follows the grant-seeking process. Students collaborate with a research sponsor to define and develop a project (usually a small part of the ongoing work of a research group); the student writes a proposal for the project; proposals are reviewed by a faculty committee; awards are made on the basis of recommendations of the reviewers and available funding; work is carried out during ten weeks in the summer; at the conclusion of the summer, students submit a technical report and give an oral presentation on SURF Seminar Day which is modelled on a professional technical meeting.

Identifying a Sponsor

It is the responsibility of the student to identify a research sponsor. The sponsor must be a member of the Caltech Faculty or JPL Technical Staff. The SURF Office does not match students with sponsors, although a notebook containing Announcements of SURF Opportunities is maintained in the SURF Office and on an electronic bulletin board (instructions for accessing the bulletin board follow below).

Often the academic network provides the most efficient method of finding a sponsor. The student may ask a faculty member at his/her institution to contact a colleague at Caltech or JPL in his/her behalf.

The Proposal

The proposal should be brief. It should be as technical and specific as you can make it. It will be read by people in the field. It must outline what you plan to do, and why it will be useful. It should contain an outline of the theoretical and experimental techniques. It should state where the work fits into the flow of the research in the field. Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the faculty sponsor and a SURF Administrative Committee member in the field. More detailed guidelines for SURF proposals are available in the SURF Office.

Criteria

Applications will be judged on the basis of:

Eligibility

To be eligible for SURF, you must

Responsibilities

Students will submit bi-weekly reports, an abstract, a final report, and give an oral presentation at SURF Seminar Day in August.

Stipend

SURF students receive a $3600 stipend paid in bi-weekly installments. Federal withholding tax, FICA, and State Disability Insurance are deducted from each check. Foreign students may or may not pay U.S. taxes depending upon tax treaties between the U.S. and the students country.

[ In the case of UK nationals full withholding is taken but will be rebated in April of the following year (1996) upon filling IRS tax returns - which must be obtain from the US embasy in London. The final figure is about $250 a week to live upon.]

Funding: Stipend funds

Funding for non-Caltech students working at the Caltech campus are extremely limited. There is more funding available for non-Caltech students working at JPL.

Housing

Students may live in Caltech housing during the ten weeks of SURF. The cost is approximately $11 per day although rates will not be finalized until late spring. [The figure I believe is now closer to $12] There is no board contract. [They don't force you to eat their food]

[English personel can pay in advance - and If you plan to perform more than one SURF this can be used to make a effective transfer of funds to the USA - For those of you who cannot afford the prepayment the SURF office may be able to arange an alternative payment method - this is entirely at their discretion and should not be relied upon]

Non-Caltech students cannot move into Caltech housing before mid-June and will have to make other housing arrangements prior to that date.

[Caltech housing are extreamly rigid in their enforcment of when a non-Caltech student can move in - if you plan to turn up early - ensure that you have a place to stay]

SURF Activities

To enrich the research experience, SURF offers seminars by Caltech faculty and JPL Technical Staff; opportunities for discussions between students and leadersin academia, industry, the national laboratories, and government; discussions ondeveloping a research career; and social activities.

Important Dates - SURF '95



Proposals become available: Late January Early February

Application Deadline        March 1

SURF's Awarded              April 3

SURF Program Begins         June 19

Summer Seminar Day          August 25

SURF Ends                   August 25
Awards will be made by the SURF Administrative Committee, and students will be notified by mail; letters will be sent April 3, 1995.

Getting to Los Angeles

There are a number of airlines that fly to LA - the most comfortable (I have found) is Virgin Atlantic. As most, if not all of you, will be considering the primary objective to minimise money I would advise talking to a 'Student friendly' Travel agency - this may vary for the individual.

Please reconfirm your flight - If you fail to do so you may not find out that the airline has move the departure time or changed the Airport.

Getting from LA International Airport (LAX) to Caltech, Passadena.

Don't Except lifts unless they are pre-aranged with the SURF staff or myself.

Don't get Taxis or the City buses - the first are too expensive the second too slow and dangerous for the unfamiliar.

DO get a shuttle bus. There are a number available at LAX, the one I usually get is the 'Super Shuttle' Service.

DO NOT expect the SURF Office Staff to 'come get you' ;-) !

General Tips

You will require a FULL passport - nothing else will do.

I would advise that any funds you bring to the USA be in US Travellers Cheques. Either VISA or American Express (cheques) are usually excepted as currency anywhere (I've bought a big Mac with $100 Travellers cheque).

If you are not a UK national and are a national of the former Eastern bloc you will find that Security checks will be required and may delay access to the JPL site.

You WILL require medical insurance - this can be only aranged through private Health Care companies - It will cost of the order of 20 pounds a month.

Once accepted onto the SURF program you will be set a Visa Form - this will be pre-filed out and will just require you to file it with the US Embassy. This form (IAP-66) can either be filed directly or on your behalf by a VISA Agency - a number of which are available in the Yellow Pages.

Costing



Accomodation: 70 days @ $12 a day = $840                        494

                        with the exchange rate of $1.7 to the pound

Travel: LA-London Return                                        ~500


Insurance: @ 20 pounds a month                                  60


                        Total Costs:                            1054

                                [Not including food]

                        Total Income:                           2117
However you have to allow for the vauguries of a) exchange rates b) When and how much Tax you recover from the IRS c) How much your food costs.

The current state of play at Caltech can be checked with the following URL: "http//www.cco.caltech.edu/~surf/".

SURF OFFICE
M/C 139-74, Pasadena, California 91125
Telephone: (818) 395-2885
FAX: (818) 449-9649
e-mail: clark_su@caltech.edu