Why Participate in Symposium of Undergraduate Research and Public Service (SURPS)?
Presenting your academic, creative and public service work in a formal setting is a mark of true accomplishment in your undergraduate studies. It is also outstanding preparation for graduate school applications and other future presentations. All presenters may include their presentations on resumes, graduate school and fellowship applications.
You will also gain valuable experience articulating ideas about your projects through posters or other visual display presentations involving verbal and graphic forms of explanation. This experience is greatly enhanced if you participate in the pre-Symposium workshops on speaking, and creating combined oral and visual representations of your work.
The Symposium will be held on the first official day of homecoming weekend. We anticipate that the audience will include Stanford faculty, students and staff, as well as Stanford alumni from many fields of study, industries and career paths. This diverse audience should provide an excellent forum for networking and conversations about career paths and future educational opportunities.
"SURPS was great! I had a great time and talked to a variety of people. I found that my explanation of my research improved as I spoke to more people, which was valuable in that I found a rhythm and flow to my presentation ability. I met a sophomore that used to live in China. She took quite an interest in the topic and I learned about Chinese censorship from her. I met a scientific-minded student that made some recommendations that I compare this cultural struggle to other past and present struggles. I met a student that accompanied Julia and others on the Stanford Mongolia trip. I met a consulting professor who started talking to me about his meditation techniques. I met a mom of a Stanford junior who discussed and compared her missionary interests in Congo with me. I met a student editor of the Stanford Journal of East Asian affairs who expressed interest in my poster and in publishing a research paper that I wrote on Tibet in Western documentary film. I met two anthropologists lecturing at Stanford who emphasized that I should consider a CASA major. I met some friends and made some friends and overall am very glad I participated!" --Sophomore SURPS participant