Viterbo University is proud to host an eight-week, student-faculty collaborative research program involving research teams from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Viterbo's SURF program affords undergraduates an opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor to develop meaningful research questions and/or ideas for creative work, hone their research and presentation skills via the SURF Brown Bag Seminar Series, and learn and grow within a tight-knit community of faculty and student scholars. Send questions about the program to Dr. Charlie Lawrence, Coordinator of Undergraduate Research, rclawrence@viterbo.edu.
2024 SURF Program Information
Applications are available for the VU 2024 SURF program. Applications are due Monday March 25th and the research term will begin May 13th and run until July 5th.
2024 SURF application
More resources are available for both student researchers and faculty mentors by clicking on the "Resources for Students" or "Resources for Faculty" tabs on the menu.
Undergraduate Research Assessment
Questions? Contact Dr. Charlie Lawrence, Undergraduate Research Coordinator at rclawrence@viterbo.edu.
2024 Brown Bag Schedule - Coming Soon (Zoom link)
Previous Brown Bag Materials
Interdisciplinary Research:
Dr. Beth Marzoni's Powerful presentation on the power of interdisciplinary research: This Is America
Poster Presentations:
Dr. David Saunders-Scott's presentation: How to Give an Effective Poster Presentation
Oral Presentations:
Dr. Chris Mayne's presentation: How to Give an Oral Presentation
What Students and Faculty Say About SURF
"This research opportunity provided me with extensive knowledge in the areas of qualitative research and program evaluation, and has been invaluable to my understanding of my field and the research process. It also has enhanced my understanding of the quality of education at Viterbo University. I believe this opportunity provided me with the skill set and knowledge to complete my undergraduate career at Viterbo and jumpstart my professional career. Thank you for this incredible opportunity!" —Student
"Before I began my summer research experience, I was not confident in what I had learned through my courses. Now that I am at the end of my research, I realize that I remember much more from my classes than I thought. Performing research allowed me to brush up on some of the old concepts I have learned while learning a lot of new information. While my knowledge of biology was greatly expanded through this experience, I also was able to get to know the Viterbo science faculty, staff, and research students a little better. Thanks for allowing me to have this wonderful opportunity. It allowed me to grow in many different ways, and I would recommend it to any of my fellow classmates." —Student
"The summer research internship at Viterbo was a great learning experience for me. I learned how to work with other students and was able to work in a professional manner with my research mentor. It helped me develop my research skills as well as my interpersonal skills. The best advice I can give to future undergraduates would be to take this opportunity and definitely do summer research. It will help you learn more about yourself, help with networking and getting to know other students in your major, and you'll have a lot of fun with whatever research you're doing." —Student
"This summer research project pushed me outside of my scholarly comfort zone. The resulting expansion of my knowledge will enhance my teaching in several of my upper-level courses. In addition, it has opened up at least a couple new avenues of scholarship development for me." —Faculty
"Each student contributed significantly to advancing research in my lab and I am very grateful that Viterbo provided assistance for me and a beneficial experience for the students. I hope this program continues as a mechanism to make valuable research opportunities available for our students and faculty." —Faculty