Science and Engineering Scholarships and Fellowships Blog

Recently ASEE had the opportunity to visit The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to talk about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. While there ASEE meet with a hundred or so students who are part of an REU opportunity called (SURF) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation. Our guide explained that the SURF program was the brain child of scientists at NIST who wanted to reach out to undergraduate students involved in research. SURF provides an opportunity for students to work directly with scientists in their field. Researchers at NIST are very passionate about the program and thrilled to work with the students, who do not necessarily have to have 4.0 to be part of the fellowship. SURF is about careful guidance taking place in a unique environment and giving students a chance to be part of some really cool research.

The research students do at NIST depend on the student’s field but are inline with NIST’s mission statement, which often revolves around the testing and standardization of common things used by scientist or consumers. NIST is responsible for things like developing, maintaining and advancing the nation’s chemical measurement system to testing the life of house paint under varies environmental conditions. Past work credited to NIST is particularly remarkable, like the discovery of the super conductor or atomic clock.

Other fascinating things, a graft of Newton’s original apple tree in their courtyard, an award winning library, cafeteria and museum located on the research facility.