SURE Program returns to in-person, as more than 40 STEM undergrads from around the nation spend the summer at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech’s commitment to diversifying STEM fields doesn’t stop after spring finals. For the past 30 years, the College of Engineering’s Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED) has hosted college students from across the nation for a 10-week summer research program designed to attract highly competitive students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM, including women, into graduate school.
This year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) welcomed 44 juniors and seniors from across the nation. This cohort, which participated in-person for the first time since 2019, worked in labs throughout all eight of the College’s Schools and Departments. Building a research portfolio is just one part of experience. SURE also provides professional development and social opportunities, in addition to stressing the importance of integrating principles of inclusion and diversity into research.
A handful of this year’s SURE students were from Georgia Tech, with a few others enrolled at University System of Georgia institutions. Most students were from out of state, including from other top-tier research universities. Nearly half of the cohort consisted of first-generation college students. The majority of the group consisted of Black and Hispanic/Latinx aspiring researchers.
A number of universities host SURE programs. Georgia Tech’s began in 1992 and is among the nation’s longest running summer programs. The main priority is to recruit students to consider Georgia Tech for graduate school from underrepresented backgrounds.
“The goal of Georgia Tech’s SURE program is to diversify STEM,” said Lakeita Servance, who manages the program. “We recruit many students from underrepresented backgrounds, which paves the way for them to gain exposure to STEM research, set up a strong mentorship support system, and helps them to see Georgia Tech as a place where they can truly belong.”