The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) enables students to conduct extended, focused research in close cooperation with a Pomona faculty member. Research projects, which receive funding from Pomona and from public and private foundations, take place both on campus and in the field. Although the natural sciences account for the largest number of projects, the humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary disciplines are also well represented.

The strength of our program lies in its rigor, accessibility, and strong and active participation of our students and faculty on faculty-driven projects (faculty research) and student-driven projects (independent projects). Although the latter are usually carried out beyond Claremont's borders, these participants are actively mentored by Pomona College faculty. The summer is an excellent time for students to focus on experiential learning in the laboratories and in the field for a sustained period of time. The lack of interruption from our usual college activities gives students and faculty the luxury of time and the opportunity to ponder great thoughts, plan intricate studies and disentangle the many variables that affect our scholarship/research.

SURP engages about 200 students each summer. A large number of students carried out research in the laboratories of their faculty mentors and a significant number of students also participated in projects away from Claremont in various locales such as Oregon, Maine, Colorado, Illinois and international sites such as Botswana, Ghana, Russia, Tanzania, Egypt, Pakistan, France and the Cook Islands.

As a culmination of of their efforts, students make a presentation of their work to the College community at the Pomona Summer Poster Conference each September and may apply for College support to present their project at a national conference. While projects are rarely completed in the summer, they have laid the critical groundwork for continuing study. For many of our seniors, these projects often “morph” into senior theses. Research work may also result in co-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Participate in SURP

• View past SURP research through 2007. Use the navigation on the left to view projects by year and discipline. Some 2010 projects also include videos of information student presentations of their research.
• Alumni: Tell us where your project led you. If you are curious where SURP research leads our students, visit our "Where Are They Now?" section. To contribute your own SURP success story, visit our Facebook page or email Laura Tiffany.
• Students: Apply for a project. For information on how students can participate in a summer research project, please visit the Academic Dean's website.
• Help support future projects. Visit the SURP section on our Campaign Pomona: Daring Minds site to learn how.

Sample Projects

Asian Studies
Influence of Ethnic Policy on Chinese Middle School History Curriculum since 1949

Biology
The Role of Birds in the Regeneration of Native Forests: A Case Study from the Mariana Islands

Chemistry
The Surface Activity of Organic Films on Atmospheric Aerosols

Interdisciplinary
Hydraulic Features of Engineered Log Jams and their Influence on Salmonid Behavior

International Relations
Analyses of U.S. Global Democracy Promotion and the Growing Rift Between the U.S. and Latin America

Mathematics
Microarray Data Analysis: Finding Life’s Music through Statistical Noise

Neuroscience
Psychological Stress, Hormonal Contributions and Brain Activity

Politics
Challenging the Constitutionality of the Senate Filibuster

Psychology
"If at first you don't succeed...I love you less: Parent conditional regard and Children's Self-Worth"

Sociology
Complications of Privilege: The Effect of Stereotype Threat on Black/White Biracial Individuals

Theater
Juxtaposing Justice: Performance Studies in the Memorial of the Rwandan Genocide and Oscar Grant III

Thank You to...

All this wonderful work would not be possible without the generous support of our longtime benefactors such as the Beckman, Brian Stonehill Memorial Fund, Elgin Fund, Evelyn B. Craddock-McVicar Memorial Fund, the Faucett Family Foundation, Fletcher Jones Foundation, Freeman Foundation, Hart Institute for American History, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NAS, NIH, NSF, the Norris Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation, Paul K. Richter and Evalyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Fund, Dale N. Roberston Fund, Aubrey H. and Eileen J. Seed Student Research Fund, and the Schulz Fund for Environmental Studies.

To learn more about SURP and why the program needs your support, visit the SURP page on our Campaign Pomona: Daring Minds site.