OUR sponsors or co-sponsors five fellowship programs which offer funding for students to do mentored research in the summer and/or academic year:

• SURF: Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
  SURFs are major awards (at least $3000) to enable undergraduates to engage in research, scholarship or creative performance under the guidance of faculty advisors (and possibly also graduate student mentors) for at least 9 weeks (20 hours/week) during the summer. Applications for the SURFs are considered once a year in the early spring.
• SMART: Science and Math Achievement and Resourcefulness Track Program
  The SMART program provides an excellent, paid opportunity for rising sophomores to spend eight weeks during the summer doing 20 hours of research per week with a faculty mentor. SMART is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and is a part of its nationwide Alliance for Minority Participation initiative to increase the number of underrepresented minority students who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
• DEBS: Duke Energy BioSciences Scholar Program
  The DEBS Program provides the opportunity for students to conduct intense, but highly personal, research in the biological or biomedical sciences the summer before they enter UNC-Chapel Hill. Students do not apply for the program but are recruited based on their interest in expanding opportunities for underrepresented groups in biomedical research. DEBS is a collaborative effort between the Office for Undergraduate Research, Office for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, the Office for Student Academic Counseling and the Office of Admissions.
• Beckman Scholars Program
  Beckman Scholars receive $16,000 for research in Biology, Chemistry or Physics & Astronomy with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research for two summers ($6,000/summer) and one academic year ($4,000). In addition, each scholar receives funds to travel to scientific meetings and funds for research supplies (up to $3,300). Beckman Scholars and their mentors agree to submit research progress reports as required by the Beckman Foundation. Students cannot apply to become Beckman Scholars but instead are nominated by their faculty research advisors and selected by a faculty committee.
• UNC-Chapel Hill AGEP
  The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) encourages historically underrepresented minority students to pursue, research, the Ph.D. and ultimately research active academic careers. Students who apply and are chosen to participate in the undergraduate research component are designated as AGEP Undergraduate Fellows.
  The criteria for AGEP Undergraduate Fellows include interest in obtaining advanced degrees in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering , & Mathematics) or SBE (Social, Behavioral, & Economic) sciences and a desire to engage in an independent research project under the direction of UNC Faculty.

For other sources of summer support, please visit the Carolina Internal Funding Database. Twelve of these opportunities are highlighted in the Undergraduate Research at Carolina brochure prepared by 2007-2008 Student Government.