West Virginia State University (WVSU) will host its annual Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program symposium Friday, July 28, at 9 a.m. in the Hamblin Hall Auditorium on campus. The program provides summer learning opportunities to students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degrees.

Funded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s (HEPC) Division of Science and Research, SURE encourages promising and enthusiastic young researchers in the STEM fields by supporting opportunities to continue academic research during the summer months. Selected students receive a financial stipend for a 10-week period, working with faculty members to continue research projects.

“The SURE Program is a great opportunity for undergraduates to learn first-hand about how scientific knowledge progresses,” said Dr. Micheal Fultz, WVSU chemistry professor and SURE coordinator. “Students who participate have a greater chance of staying in school and graduating.”

A total of 28 students, working with 12 faculty members, participated in the 2017 SURE program and will present on their projects at the symposium.

In addition to HEPC support, additional sponsors include the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Research Infrastructure Improvement Program, the Kentucky-West Virginia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, WVSU’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, WVSU Gus R. Douglass Land-Grant Institute and the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED.