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What is SURF? The UAMS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology sponsors the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program to introduce qualified, highly-motivated undergraduates to research under the guidance of seasoned research mentors. SURF students work with researchers in a broad range of areas including biochemistry; structural biology and chemistry; molecular, cell and reproductive biology; toxicology; aging; nutrition; and neuroscience. Students obtain hands on experience in an engaging research environment. SURF serves as an interactive model of our graduate program:
"I can honestly say that I have never done anything on this level before. I think the program provided insight on what type career a research background would involve." - SURF student
Important Dates
Application Deadline
March 1 Program Dates Late May to Late July
Publications of SURF-related Research
The UAMS Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology sponsors the Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellowship (SURF) program to provide qualified, highly motivated
undergraduates majoring in the life or physical sciences, an opportunity to
experience laboratory research and learn about a graduate level education.
We believe an engaging educational environment is essential for students to
appreciate the opportunities in research. Each year, outstanding college
sophomores and juniors are chosen from a large pool of applicants. SURF
students are matched according to their stated field of interest with
seasoned faculty mentors who volunteer to help design and supervise
individualized summer projects for their students. Students accepted into
the SURF program will receive a stipend of $4,000.00 for the 10-week period.
Abstracts are
compiled in the SURF Mid-Summer Abstract Book. Please follow these
abstract
writing requirements. Deadline 5 PM, Third
Friday of June. Oral Presentation The SURF Talking Points provides assistance in the preparation of the
oral presentation. The purpose of the book is not a speech textbook
providing useful information for all types of speaking presentations, rather
its focus is for undergraduate students presenting highly technical
information to a general audience. For guidelines, access the SURF Talking
Points (TalkingPts). Follow these final
report writing requirements.
Please read and follow them carefully.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program sponsored by the UAMS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology offers an excellent opportunity for you to learn about graduate level research through an interactive environment. Our program is highly competitive so please read over the application process carefully. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Good luck! Eligibility To be eligible for SURF, you must:
Applicants to the SURF program must submit
All materials must be sent as one complete application. The Office of Graduate Studies must receive the application on or before March 1. It is imperative that applicants provide contact information (preferably E-mail or telephone). You should receive a confirmation by mail and/or email that your application has been received by our department. Otherwise, please contact Dr. Grover Paul Miller by phone (501-526-6486) or email (MillerGroverP@uams.edu).
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 4301 W. Markham St, Slot 516 Little Rock, AR 72205
In order to match a students interest to on-going research programs, the
student chooses a potential mentor and project listed under the
Research Opportunities. Because they
may be multiple requests for projects, students must select three projects
in order of preference (see application form). If a student is selected to
participate in the SURF program, a mentor and the corresponding project will
be assigned to the student based on there qualifications and interests in
the particular area of study. Students are required to submit two letters of recommendation
from professors or mentors who can evaluate the applicant based on
performance in science courses or recent research projects.
Students are required to have an official transcript mailed in a sealed
envelope from the records office at their college or university. Applications are judged on the following criteria (in no particular order):
SURF Awards
Completed applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.
Final decisions will be made by early March.
Awards will be announced
on April 1 (unless it falls on a weekend in which case awards are announced
on the following Monday). The SURF Director on recommendation by the
Graduate Education Committee of the department of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology awards SURF fellowships. Students will receive e-mail notification
of the outcome of their applications. Awards will be posted on the website. SURF students receive a $4000 stipend. The stipend is taxable income and
will be reported on relevant tax forms. Students with friends and family in the Little Rock area are free to arrange
their own accommodations. Otherwise, students may live in UAMS housing
during the ten weeks of SURF; however, students will be responsible
for housing
costs. Rates will not be finalized until late spring, and there is no board
contract. For more information on UAMS housing click
housing. Please check out this FAQ sheet.
Edathara Abraham Ph.D. Professor Genetic and posttranslational modifications of a-crystallin/shsps in the eye lens Giulia Baldini, Ph.D. Associate Professor Molecular mechanisms of hormone release Timothy Chambers, Ph.D. Professor and Vice Chairman Cytotoxic signaling mechanisms of anticancer drugs Mari K. Davidson, Ph.D. Associate Professor Role of junctional adhesion proteins in endothelial barrier Alan B. Diekman, Ph.D. Associate Professor Structure and function of glycoconjugates in the mammalian reproductive tract Robert Eoff, Ph.D. Assistant Professor DNA damage tolerance and specialized DNA replication Masahiro Higuchi, Ph.D. Associate Professor Roles of mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA in apoptosis and cancer progression Fusun Kilic, Ph.D. Associate Professor Oligomeric nature of the serotonin transporter protein Grover Paul Miller, Ph.D. Associate Professor Metabolism of drugs and pollutants from individual reactions to metabolic pathways. Donald M. Mock, M.D., Ph.D. Professor Biotin nutrition Anna Radominska-Pandya, Ph.D. Professor Hepatic and extra-hepatic biotransformation of hydrophobic endogenous compounds and drugs Kevin D. Raney, Ph.D. Professor and Chair DNA replication Alan Tackett, Ph.D. Associate Professor The systems biology of unique chromatin structures Wayne P. Wahls, Ph.D. Professor
Chromosome dynamics in
meiosis; combinatorial bZIP dimers and cellular growth control
Congratulations on being selected as a SURF student! In case you need more information about the UAMS campus or Little Rock in general, please take advantage of these links.
You will not be assigned an email account; however, we use email to inform
students about issues related to the program. If your home university is not
accessible or you do not wish to use it in the summer, there are a number of
websites that offer free email accounts, e.g.
www.yahoo.com and
www.excite.com. Free parking is available at War Memorial Stadium, from which a shuttle bus serves the UAMS campus. Ride the shuttle around to the second stop on Elm St and walk to the Biomedical Research Building (bring a map!). War Memorial Stadium is located on the west side of campus and can be reached from Fair Park Blvd using either I-630 or W Markham St. The UAMS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has proudly sponsored the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program since 1992. Over the years, our highly competitive program has successfully recruited students from many colleges and universities across Arkansas as well as from other states.
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Publications of SURF-related Research
Although 10 weeks is not a long time in terms of research, there are SURF students who are able to produce enough work to achieve authorship on manuscripts. Here is a sampling of SURF-related publications. The students are highlighted in bold.
Jones DR, Kim SY, Guderyon M, Yun CH, Moran JH, Miller GP (2010) Hydroxywarfarin metabolites potently inhibit CYP2C9 metabolism of S-warfarin. Chem Res Toxicol. 2010 May 17;23(5):939-45. [Abstract]
Elbein, AD, Pastuszak, I, Tackett, AJ, Wilson, T, Pan, YT (2010) The last step in the conversion of trehalose to glycogen:A mycobacterial enzyme that transfers maltose from maltose-1-phosphate to glycogen. J Biol Chem, in press. [Abstract]
Ounpraseuth S, Rafferty TM, McDonald-Phillips RE, Gammill WM, Siegel ES, Wheeler KL, Nilsson EA, Cooney CA (2009) A Method to Quantify Mouse Coat-Color Proportions. PLoS ONE in press [Abstract]
Collom, SL,
Laddusaw, RM, Kuzmic, P, Burch, AM, Perry, Jr, MD, Miller, GP (2008) CYP2E1
Substrate Inhibition: Mechanistic interpretation through an effector site
for monocyclic compounds. J Biol Chem, in press.
Jamakhandi, AP,
Kuzmic, P, Sanders, DA,
Miller, GP (2007) Global Analysis of Protein-Protein Interactions Reveals
Multiple CYP2E1-Reductase
Complexes. Biochemistry
46,
10192-201.
Brenner, B,
Harney, JT,
Ahmed, BA,
Unal, R, Ahmed, BA, Jeffus, BA, Harney, JT, Lyle, CS,
Wu, Y-K, Chambers, TC, Reece, EA, and Kilic, F (2006) At diabetes-like
concentration, glucose down-regulates the placental serotonin transport
system by abolishing its homo-oligomerization.
J Neurochem
101, 937-948.
Collom, SL, Jamakhandi, AP, Tackett, AJ, Radominska-Pandya, A, and Miller, GP (2006) CYP2E1 active site residues in Substrate Recognition Sequence 5 identified by photoaffinity labeling and homology modeling. Archives Biochem Biophys, 459, 59-69.[Abstract]
Upreti,
M, Lyle, CS, Skaug, B,
Du, L, and Chambers, TC. (2006)
Vinblastine-induced apoptosis is mediated by
discrete alterations in the subcellular distribution,
oligomeric structure, and activation status
of specific Bcl-2 family members. J. Biol. Chem. 281,
15941-15950. [Abstract]
Kurmasheva RT, Peterson
CA, Parham DM, Chen B, McDonald RE, Cooney CA. (2005) Upstream CpG
island methylation of the PAX3 gene in human
rhabdomyosarcomas. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 44:328-37.
[Abstract]
Ebert RH II, Shammas MA,
Sohal BH, Sohal RS, Egilmez NK, Ruggles S, Shmookler Reis RJ. (1996)
Defining genes that govern longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Devel. Genet. 18:131-143. [Abstract]
Ebert RH II, Cherkasova
VA, Dennis RA, Wu JH, Ruggles S, Eudy Perrin T, and
Shmookler Reis RJ. (1993) Longevity-determining genes in Caenorhabditis
elegans: Chromosomal mapping of multiple noninteractive loci.
Genetics 135: 1003-1010. [Abstract]
Summer Research Fellowship Program
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Grover Paul Miller by phone or email.
Office: 501-526-6486 Email: MillerGroverP@uams.edu
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