SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Foundations)

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The purpose of WCU-SURF is to:

  • Increase the interest in and opportunities for undergraduate research or creative activity in all disciplines.
  • Promote scholarly collaboration between students and faculty.
  • Promote critical thinking and prepare students for careers and graduate studies.

Quotes From SURF Students

  • "The most valuable part is working with the two greatest professors, we got to brainstorm and bring our ideas together. Even though I am new to this they made me feel included in every step, explained to me what I needed to accomplish, and made the research meetings fun and worthwhile."
  • "The most valuable part of the SURF experience was the ability to be able to get a better understanding of the means and methods to conduct a research project, such as financial data collection and R programming analysis."
  • "[The most valuable part of the SURF]: Getting real experience with research outside of a classroom setting."

2026 SURF Awardees

College of Arts and Humanities:

  • Mark Ensley
  • Cameron Gasior
  • Layla Handy
  • Geoffrey Martin
  • Luke Sammartino
  • Dane Teter

College of Business and Public Management:

  • Levi Lewis
  • Alexis Rambo
  • Ilizabeth Saboe
  • Ashley Vasquez Sanabria
  • Nathan Wernersbach

College of Health Sciences:

  • Pearl Budner
  • Alex Genova
  • Nakeeta Gordon
  • Ava Holloway
  • Emma Ruimy
  • Olivia Skaf
  • Mama Kadi Sore

Wells School of Music:

  • Seung Mee Baak
  • Caitlin Biddle
  • Alexander Fry
  • Liam Turnage

College of Education and Social Work:

  • James Bollinger
  • Layla King

College of Science and Mathematics:

  • Cecelia Bates
  • Ianna Burke
  • Ana Carlow
  • Juliet Gottlieb
  • Kaleb Hecksher
  • Maxwell Hutchinson
  • Jordan Kautzsch
  • Rowan Kelley
  • Sophia Kolivras
  • Mikaila Kornbau
  • Emma Lajeunesse
  • Parker Lane
  • Gianna Matos
  • Kadin Matotek
  • Chloe Mattie
  • Huy Nguyen
  • Luke Nowotnik
  • Healley Saltz
  • Henry Seymour
  • Indigo White
  • Sirwise Woodall-Lighty