Chronic Brain Injury

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

CBI Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF awards) support the training and development of outstanding Ohio State undergraduate students through participation in basic, clinical, and translational research. Through SURF awards, investigators mentor students on a research project during the summer semester. Successful applications will provide evidence for relevance and feasibility of the project, funds available for project expenses, and impact of the project on the student’s success

Please note - applications are now closed for the 2025 application cycle. We will re-open applications in Fall 2025.

Guidelines

Eligibility

One application per CBI-affiliated research mentor will be accepted. At the time of application, the Ohio State University undergraduate student must: 

  • be enrolled as a full-timestudent
  • be in good academic standing
  • have a CBI-affiliated Ohio State faculty advisor who has agreed to be responsible for overseeing the research project in its entirety; and 
  • document that they have support and supervision where the research project is to be carried out 

Award Details

Research mentors will receive $4,000.00 from the CBI program. Funds are intended to pay the SURF fellow’s summer stipend as they work on the proposed research project from May to August (Summer I and II terms). Mentors are expected to provide funding to support the costs of the research project. SURF fellows do not have to be enrolled for the summer semesters. If selected for funding, the student and mentor agree: 

  • That these funds will be used to pay a summer stipend for the undergraduate
  • To write and submit a summary report to the CBI Program by September 15, 2025, and 
  • To present results of the research project at a CBI- or university-sponsored research event during the following academic year. 

Applications

Full applications are due by January 15, 2025 @ 11:59pm. Applications must be submitted as a single PDF document including Part 1 (student application) and Part 2 (research mentor letter). Students should send completed Part 1 applications to the research mentor, who will add the letter and email the complete document to cbi@osu.edu. 

Part 1. Student Application 

  1. Write a personal statement (maximum of 1 single-spaced page) that tells the story of who you are, where you hope to go and how you envision the CBI Undergraduate Summer Research Award impacting your future. 
  2. Narrative (maximum of 3 single-spaced pages) including a) Project Title & Description and b) Overview of Student Project Responsibilities. The project description should include the following sections:

    Introduction/Background (including a project purpose statement)
    Methodology
    Expected Outcomes
    Dissemination Plan
    Description of role(s) and responsibility(ies) on the research project
  3. Description of Current, Previous, and Pending Research Project Funding Support (if applicable) 
  4. Description of Support and Supervision from the research mentor and lab team. 
  5. Attach OSU Advising Report and CV 

Part 2: Research Mentor Letter

Letters of support are required to be completed by the student applicant’s CBI Program faculty research mentor. Letters must be no more than 3 pages and must include responses to all questions listed below. 

  1. What is the significance of the proposed CBI Program summer project and what will be the student’s contributions? 
  2. Given a time period of the summer and the potential resources available, is this project feasible? Also, if applicable, please address if IRB or IACUC approval is needed (or has already been submitted orobtained).
  3. How well prepared is the student to undertake the project? 
  4. Are you willing to commit yourself to, and does your schedule permit, supervision of the project throughout the scholarship period? 
  5. Please address the issue of the relative independence of the project with regard to your own research. Will this be part of the undergraduate student’s senior thesis project?
  6. How is the research portion of this proposal to be funded? Do you have internal and external funding to support this summer project? 
  7. Please briefly discuss the undergraduate student academic record and their future as a researcher. 
  8. If for some reason on-campus activities including lab research are limited or barred, how would your undergraduate continue their research? 
  9. Please share any other relevant information on the undergraduate.

Review

CBI will convene a selection committee comprised of postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, led by the CBI Faculty Director. Applications will be reviewed and scored by committee members, followed by discussion and final selection by the full selection committee. SURF awardes will be announced in early Spring semester. 

Questions?

Contact cbi@osu.edu. 

Fellows