Announcement of the 2026 CVS-ACS SURF Award

James Walsh
22 hours ago
2 min read

CVS-ACS announces its eleventh annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (CVS-SURF) competition. A Fellowship will be awarded to fund a student for a full-time 10-week summer research experience in a college or university laboratory within the ACS-CT Valley Section area. The fellowship consists of a $6,000 stipend awarded directly to the fellow. Fellows may not hold a CVS-SURF concomitantly with a similar fellowship from any other source (examples: the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry SURF, another university or NASA fellowship). The CVS-ACS will award one SURF scholarship this year. 

The applicant:

must be a chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, or related major 
should have completed a minimum of two years at a college or university before beginning the fellowship 
must graduate by Spring 2027 or later 
will be required, along with their research advisor, to attend the 2027 CVS Undergraduate Research Symposium and present their research 
preference will be given to students who would be unable to participate in summer research projects without this fellowship; one award may be reserved for a student who shows financial need as defined by the ACS SEED program (see below)

Students from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. 

To apply, follow the instructions below and send the completed application to nicolaedwards@cvs-acs.org by April 20, 2026 at 11 p.m. Fellows will be notified by email on or before May 7th, 2026.

The applicant must provide the following information as a single .pdf document with the filename in the following format: LastName_HostInstitution_CVS-SURF.pdf:

A resume/CV.  
An unofficial transcript, including a list of spring 2025 courses.  
A brief personal statement describing the importance of a SURF to their career plans (≤250 words). If the applicant meets the Project SEED definition, this should be mentioned explicitly in the personal statement.  
A description of the proposed research project authored by the applicant in collaboration with the research advisor (12-point Times font, 1” margins, ≤2 pages). Figures and schemes can be included in this project description.  
A letter of support from the hosting institution’s Department Chair/Head indicating that the department will provide the necessary equipment, space, and administrative support to the project. 
A separate email from the research advisor must be sent recommending the applicant. The message should address the qualifications of the student to carry out the project successfully.

Family Income Requirements for Project SEED 

You must be recognized as economically disadvantaged to be considered for Project SEED. Preference is given to students whose maximum family income does not exceed 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines) based on family size. 

For further information or queries: email Education Sub-Committee member: Nicola Edwards (nicolaedwards@cvs-acs.org) 