Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is a program that gives Chapman undergraduate students the opportunity to do hands-on research and creativity projects with faculty mentors. It is an eight-week program that is hosted on Chapman University campus. SURF Fellows receive a $4,000 fellowship and have the option to request free housing during the program.
One of the 2025 recipients of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence Scholarly/Creative Grant was Victoria Hess, a fourth-year student double majoring in Theatre and Integrated Educational Studies. Thanks to this funding, she spent this past summer on a creative project adapting a children’s book into a one-act play. Hess leveraged her double major to create an interdisciplinary thesis project. “I knew I
Emma Han spends her time analyzing social media influencers. Her research project, “on the rise of the deinfluencer trend on TikTok and Instagram,” which she presented at the Student Scholar Symposium, involved looking into the techniques social media influencers use to build a following. “I worked with [fellow student] Misha Harneja in data collection of
As an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Disability Studies, Helen Lee ’23 participated in the 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), where she explored the Implications of Affect Variability on Cortisol and Sleep. “Specifically, I looked at how emotion variability might relate to daily cortisol output and physical health outcomes,” Lee
Kevin Nguyen ’24 has devoted his time at Chapman University to conducting plant research to explore his passion for scientific discovery, the environment, and his own future. Nguyen began his research journey at Chapman University when he was selected for the Simon STEM Scholars Program, which is a partnership between Chapman University and the nearby
For the first time in Chapman University’s history, we are excited to announce that two students were named Goldwater Scholars, Benjamin Janda (‘23) and Kevin H. Nguyen (‘24). This is the 3rd year in a row that Chapman has successfully mentored Goldwater Scholars. A big congratulations to the remarkable students and their faculty mentors! The
Every spring, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) reviews applicants for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). SURF awards motivated individuals to seek out research and creative activity with a faculty mentor while receiving a $4,000 fellowship, in addition to room and board. Fellows can either work with a faculty mentor to continue the mentor’s
Chapman University’s first ever Rhodes Scholar, PepsiCo Cesar Chavez Latino Scholar, and Cecil F. Cheverton Award are just a few of the many accolades that Vidal Arroyo has received over the years. As of today, we are thrilled to announce that Arroyo has been named Chapman University’s first ever Knight-Hennessy Scholar for a PhD in
As a queer person in STEM, Debbie Nguyen (she/they) always gravitated towards topics related to the LGBTQ+ population. In addition, their personal experiences growing up in religious spaces as a Vietnamese-American planted a seed of curiosity about the effects of religious and ethnic identity on anti-LGBT stigma. Nguyen is currently a senior (‘22) majoring in
Since high school, Lauren Bramlett (she/her) has been searching for a way to connect her two passions – dance and English. Before college, she believed they were distinctly different because dance is defined as expressing oneself through their bodies. At the same time, English studies how one expresses various things through words, showing how there