Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program 2009

Program Outline
The Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (SUROP) at Kansas State University (KSU) gives undergraduates from under-represented groups a first-hand experience with the research process. This experience is designed to help students prepare for graduate school and other advanced study. Students spend nine weeks during the summer at K-State participating in the research programs of faculty mentors. The mentors are active researchers throughout the university and are committed to increasing participation of under-represented students in their fields. The program begins on May 31, 2009 and concludes on July 31, 2009. To be eligible to participate, applicants must be available for the entire time period of the program.

Stipend and Financial Support
The KSU Graduate School provides participants with a stipend of $2,500 paid in three installments. In addition, the program pays travel expenses (up to $300) and residence hall room and board. The student is expected to pay for personal expenses from the stipend amount.

Participating Departments

Agricultural Economics
Agronomy
Anatomy and Physiology
Animal Science (Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology)
Biochemistry
Biology
Chemistry
Clinical Sciences
Computing and Information Science
English
Entomology
Food Science
Genomics (Developmental, Ecological, Wheat)
Grain Science
Hospitality Management and Dietetics
Human Nutrition (Sensory Analysis)
Kinesiology
Mathematics
Pathobiology
Physics
Plant Pathology
Psychology (Cognitive, Behavioral/Animal, Social)

Eligibility
First-generation college students, members of ethnic minority groups and other under-represented groups are invited to apply for the KSU SUROP. Applicants must be American citizens or have legal resident alien status. Applicants should have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale, be majoring in a field listed here or a related field, and have a career goal that includes graduate-level education of at least two years beyond the B.S. or B.A. degree. Only students who will complete the bachelor's degree on or after December 2009 are eligible to apply.

Application Procedure
Completed applications must be received no later than February 14, 2009. Early applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis beginning November 1, 2008. Application materials also can be obtained from the KSU Graduate School.

The student should:

• Submit a completed SUROP application form (Word) (PDF).
• Submit a brief statement of purpose that includes: academic and career goals; research interests; and desire to participate in SUROP.
• Submit a current official transcript of their undergraduate work.
• Have a faculty member at their home institution complete and return the SUROP recommendation form. The form and recommendation letter can be faxed to 785-532-2983 or sent as an email attachment to gradinfo@ksu.edu.
  
• Send application materials to: The Graduate School - SUROP
  Kansas State University
  103 Fairchild Hall
  Manhattan, KS 66506-1103
  e-mail: gradinfo@ksu.edu
  

The Summer Research Experience
Students participating in the SUROP will work closely with faculty members as part of their research teams. Faculty members have on-going scholarly programs that continue through the summer. Students are expected to spend about 40 hours per week working with their research teams and to be contributing members of this group. By the end of the 9-week period, students should have produced tangible results from experimental research and will report the results in a special research forum. SUROP is excellent experience for students who plan to attend graduate or professional school. Participation in a program such as the SUROP provides a first-hand look at the process and excitement of discovery through research and such experience is viewed favorably by the admissions committees for graduate and professional schools.

Students selected to participate in the K-State program will be paired with faculty in research projects that match a student's interests. Faculty and other members of the research team are committed to working closely with the students to train them in research techniques as well as regularly discussing their projects and progress. Students may also attend summer classes on research ethics and compliance, and informal seminars and meetings of the research groups as part of the process of becoming members of the research team.

Students will attend weekly seminars with other SUROP participants to learn more about the demands of the graduate school experience. At the end of the program, students will be expected to present an oral presentation about activities at the SUROP Finale and, together with their faculty sponsor, have an opportunity to evaluate their summer experience.

For a list of previous participants and mentors, click here.

Kansas State University
Kansas State is the land-grant university in the state of Kansas. During the academic year, approximately 23,000 students enroll at KSU, including more than 3,000 graduate students. Manhattan, Kansas (population 45,000), is located in the rolling Flint Hills of Northeast Kansas, just south of Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Manhattan is two hours west of Kansas City and about 50 minutes west of the capital city of Kansas, Topeka.