NIST SURF "Fellow" Feedback Survey

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Introduction

OMB Control #0693-0033

Expiration Date: 06/30/2019

Hello! Every year we collect feedback from the students to see how the summer went, to learn what went right and what went wrong, and to gather suggestions on what we can do better next summer. Questions with an asterisk (*) are mandatory.

Click "Next" to get started with the survey. If you'd like to leave the survey at any time, just click "Exit this survey". Your answers will be saved.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: 15 U.S.C. § 278g-1(a)

Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) which provides an opportunity for the NIST laboratories to encourage outstanding undergraduate students to pursue careers in science and technology. This information collection will serve as the application and submission process for the SURF program.

Routine Uses: NIST will use the information collected to perform the requisite reviews of the applications to determine eligibility, and to meet programmatic requirements. Disclosure of this information is also subject to all the published routine uses as identified in the Privacy Act System of Records Notices: NIST-1: NIST Associates.

Disclosure: Furnishing this information is voluntary. When you submit the form, you are indicating your voluntary consent for NIST to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

NIST Lab

Please let us know which Lab you are in.

* 1. What Lab are you in?

CNST CTL

EL

ITL MML NCNR

PMLPhysics SCO

TPO

Other

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Overall Program Questions

Please provide us with some information on the general program.

* 2. What will your class standing be as of this coming September?

Sophmore Junior

Senior

1st year graduate student Other (please specify)

• 3. How would you rate the program on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is “excellent” and 1 is “poor”?

1 (poor)

2

3

4

5 (excellent)

4. What did you like best about the program?

4. What did you like least about the program?

• 6. Do you plan to apply next year

Yes Maybe

Not eligible to return, graduating No. Why Not?

• 7. Would you recommend the program to your classmates?

Yes

No. Why?

• 8. Do you plan to pursue a graduate degree in:

Science or Technical Work Teaching

Not sure

No, or other non-science field. Why not, or which field?

* 9. Please tell us how strongly you agree to the following statements:

Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree

My experience in the SURF program was valuable to my education and development.

The SURF program

has influenced my career direction

The SURF Program influenced my decision to pursue a graduate degree?

I have decided NOT to

pursue a career in research.

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Research Project

Now we'd like to know more about your research project

• 10. Please choose a statement that most closely reflects your agreement to the statement.

My project was:

Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree Challenging.

Well-defined when I

arrived or soon after.

A good match for my skill set.

Interesting.

Allowed me to learn

things in areas I did not know before.

Important.

Structured so that I

spent most of my time doing research.

11. What did you like best about your project?

11. What did you like least about your project?

2018 SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Advisor

We'd like to hear about your advisor.

* 13. Please rank the quality of your working relationship with your advisor on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is “excellent” and 1 is “poor.”

1 (poor)

2

3

4

5 (excellent)

* 14. My Advisor:

Strongly Agree Agree No Opinion Disagree Strongly Disagree

Provided me with a

sufficient level of supervision

Allowed me sufficient

freedom in my research project

Gave me a sufficient level of assistance in preparing my presentation

Included me in group

meetings and seminars

* 15. Did you request your research advisor’s assistance in your preparation for your final session presentation?

Yes No

16. What advice would you give to your advisor to prepare him/her for his/her next SURF student?

17. What did you like best about your advisor?

17. What did you like least about your advisor?

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

SURF Staff

19. Was your SURF staff accessible and available to address issues that you encounter during the summer?

5 (most accessible)

4

3

2

1 (least accessible)

19. Did the SURF staff communicate with you and provide you with information specific to your program?

5 (most communicative)

4

3

2

1 (least communicative)

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Social Interactions

Tell us what life was like outside of your project

* 21. The number of opportunities for interaction with SURFers in other labs (as an entire group) were

Sufficient Insufficient

Not an issue for me

22. Suggestions

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Administrative

23. Did you encounter any significant administrative problems (stipend delayed, badging, security)?

Yes No

23. Please comment on any significant administrative problems that might have occurred over the summer (e.g., problems with payment, badging/security, etc)

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Seminars and Lab Tours

Seminars and lab tours are an important component in the SURF program and an opportunity for you to learn more about research outside of your laboratory.

* 25. In general, the technical seminars in the Green Auditorium were useful or informative

Strongly Agree Agree

No Opinion Disagree

Strongly Disagree

• 26. How many of the seminars did you attend?

1-2

3-4

5-6

7-8

27. Suggestions for next year’s technical seminars (speakers)

27. Please provide suggestions for future professional development seminars.

27. Please provide suggestions for future lab tours at NIST.

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Congressional Affairs Tour

30. Did you attend the Congressional Affairs tour downtown?

yes no

30. Please provide comments about the Capitol Hill Tour.

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Advertising the SURF Program

How did you hear about the SURF program? Are there better ways for us to advertise the program to new students?

* 32. How did you hear about the program (check all that apply)?

My undergraduate advisor or other college professor Career Fair

NIST Employee A family member

Email sent by one of my school departments Saw a sign at school

A friend passed on the information

A friend or someone at my school participated in a previous SURF program I saw the SURF brochure

Surfing the web, I found the SURF webpage Via NSF website

I viewed the SURF video

Saw one of the magazine advertisements Other (please specify)

33. How can we better advertise the program at your school?

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Applying to the SURF Program

• 34. Applying to the SURF program was straightforward

Strongly Agree Agree

Neutral Disagree

Strongly Disagree

35. The general SURF webpage contained enough information to help me apply to the program

Agree Neutral Disagree No Opinion

35. Please give comments for improvements to the SURF website which could be helpful for applying to the program.

• 37. The NIST Lab SURF webpages contained enough information for me to appropriately rank them in my application

Strongly Agree Agree

Neutral Disagree

Strongly Disagree

I did not visit the Lab SURF webpages

• 38. How did the SURF program application deadline compare with other research programs/internships you applied to?

SURF deadline was more than two weeks earlier

SURF deadline was close (+/- 1 weeks) to that of other programs SURF deadline was within 2 weeks) to that of other programs SURF deadline was more than two weeks later

Not applicable

39. My school was understood the SURF application process?

Yes No

39. I was informed by my university of a disbursement schedule by my institution before my arrival at NIST?

Yes No

39. My university disbursed part (or all) of my stipend to me within my first month at NIST. This statement describe you?

Yes No

39. I received my initial stipend payment after July 1. Does this statement describe you?

Yes No

39. I have not received a disbursement on behalf of the SURF Program from my school. Does this describe you?

Yes No

44. In the future, NIST is planning to transition to an application process in which the student submits his or her application through a web portal. Currently, the university submits the application on behalf of the student applicant. Would you prefer to submit your own application instead of the school submitting on your behalf?

Yes No

44. NIST was recently authorized to provide stipends for educational opportunities directly to the students. Thus, the SURF application will be submitted via an on-line portal in the future. The application should open how many months before the application deadline?

2 months (current timeframe) 3 months

4 months

• 46. The amount of information that I received before coming to NIST was:

Too much Just right Not enough

47. If you answer "not enough", what other information would you have liked to receive?

• 48. How did the availability of arranged housing and transportation influence your decision to participate in the SURF program?

It was critically important (first or second most important factor) It was important (one of the top five most important factors) It was of marginal importance or was unimportant

• 49. How likely would you have been to participate in the program if you were provided a stipend for housing and transportation to find your own housing/transportation? Assume an additional

$3300 (i.e., in addition to your stipend) would be granted for those who could demonstrate need.

More likely Less likely No influence

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Orientation

50. What problems, if any, did you have in getting to orientation on the first day?

* 51. In total, the first day's orientation program was:

Too long Too short

Just the right length

52. Please list any areas of improvement for orientation.

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Housing

Tell us about life at the Holiday Inn

* 53. Did you live at Holiday Inn this summer?

Yes No

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Housing (cont.)

• 54. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is “excellent” and 1 is “poor” please rank

1 (poor) 2 3 4 5 (excellent)

Housing accommodations

Helpfulness of the front desk staff

Quality of the NIST

transportation service to/from Holiday Inn

Response to maintenance concerns

55. What did you like best about Holiday Inn?

55. What did you like least about Holiday Inn?

55. The NIST bus transportation schedule was

too early (I would prefer to arrive and leave 30 min. later) just right

too late (I would pefer to arrive and leave 30 min. earlier) I did not use the NIST bus

55. Not including orientation, how often did you use the bus from Holiday Inn?

Daily

Once or Twice a Week Rarely

Never

59. If you answered "never" or "rarely" to the bus use, why not?

Had my own car and liked the convenience Rode with a friend

It didn't match with the time that I needed to be at work I rode a bike to work

Other (please specify)

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Returning Students

We want your wisdom...

* 60. Is this your first time in the program?

Yes No

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Returning Students (cont)

61. Based on your experience from two (or more) summers, do you have any advice to give to the SURF Staff?

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

General Comments

62. Please add any other comments that you think may be helpful to the SURF Program.

62. What is your name? - Not required, however it may be helpful.

Name:

SURF Gaithersburg "Fellow" Feedback

Thanks!

Thank you for your valuable input to the SURF Program. We hope that you will stay in contact with us. Have a great summer! Thanks again! The SURF Directors

This collection of information contains Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to be 40 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Attn: Dr. Brandi Toliver

E-mail:Brandi.Toliver@nist.gov.

OMB Control #0693-0033

Expiration Date: 06/30/2019

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