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. 
• 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

Anthropology
Trafficking Terror: Illicit Networks Forces in Opposition

Art and Art History
Making an Exhibition -- Marking/Remarking: Aerial Photographs by Marilyn Bridges 

Biology
Biomimicry in Architecture and Engineering: Innovation From Nature

Chemistry
pH Effects on Solid Support Lipid Bilayers

Classics
Honor and the Status of Women in Democratic Athens

Computer Science
Anonymity in Online Communities

Economics
Parks and Preserved Open Space as Real Estate Amenities

Environmental Analysis
Sustainable Fisheries: Considering Community-Based Management

History
Publication Trends in the Enlightenment

Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Well, This is Awkward: Taboo and Sociolinguistic Awkwardness in Arrested Development 

Media Studies
Writing for Democracy: Independent Journalism During Nigeria's Military Dictatorships

Molecular Biology
Cheese as a Model Microbial Ecosystem: Iron in Rind Community Dynamics

Neuroscience
An Intervention and Evaluation Method for Mental Illness Stigma

Physics and Astronomy
Lasers Cool: Seeking a Bose-Einstein Condensate

Politics
Greece 2012, Creation, Crisis: A Documentary Film

Psychology
Do I Belong Here: Impact of Racial Microaggressions Within the Classroom

Public Policy Analysis
The Effects of HIV Exposure and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food Supplementation on Infant Growth

Sociology
A Past Still Present: An Exporation of Women's Reproductive Rights in the Puerto Rican Birth Control Movement

Thank You to...

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program is supported by many funding sources. We are particularly grateful to the donors whose ideals and generosity make it possible to sustain and nurture our diverse research talents. Thanks go to the Berliner Holocaust Studies Award, Class of 1971 SURP Fund, Kenneth Cooke Memorial Fund, Elgin Fund, Evelyn B. Craddock-McVicar Memorial Fund, Faucett Catalyst Fund, Fletcher Jones Foundation, Corwin Hansch and Bruce Telzer Fund, Hart Institute for American History, Koe Family Fund, Linares Family SURP for Chemistry, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Pomona Alumni SURP Fund, Paul K. Richter and Evelyn E. Cook Richter Memorial Fund, Dale N. Robertson Fund, Rose Hills Foundation, Schulz Fund for Environmental Studies, Aubrey H. and Eileen J. Seed Fund, Sherman Fairchild Foundation, and the Brian Stonehill Memorial Fund for Media Studies.

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