NIST fellowship open to undergrads

Undergraduate students will receive a $4,000 stipend to work for 12 weeks in the Information Technology Laboratory with NIST scientists as their advisers.

The Information Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is accepting applications from undergraduate students for its 2006 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Students will receive a $4,000 stipend to work for 12 weeks with NIST scientists as their advisers.

Undergraduates accepted into the program will participate in research on projects suitable to their education and interests, according to program officials. The laboratory conducts research in many areas including computer forensics, software quality, statistical and mathematical modeling, data mining, machine learning, language and speech processing, virtual reality, information security, biometrics for computer access and security, and health care informatics.

Near the end of the 10- or 12-week program, students will have an opportunity to present their research results to NIST scientists and other students in the SURF program.

The program pays for students’ travel and housing in the Washington, D.C., area for the summer with funding from the National Science Foundation. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15. More information is available on NIST’s SURF Web site: www.surf.nist.gov/surf2.htm.