By Kendall Daniels
Every student in the NRES program is required to complete a research or internship experience to meet their capstone requirement. This past summer, I completed my requirement as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Bowling’s Purdue Hydrologic Impacts Group (PHIG). Additionally, I assisted in a literature review under Dr. Frankenberger for the Indiana Science Assessment for the State Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
When applying to work for this position, I also applied for SCARF at the same time. SCARF is a summer program for undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture that are interested in research. This 11-week, paid program is designed to expose students to a variety of research fields in the College of Agriculture. In addition to completing research, we met once a week for lunch and communication workshops. Occasionally, we had outside events such as industry tours or group outings. At the end of the summer, all SCARF students were required to present a poster at the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Symposium.

I applied for SCARF in the Spring 2022 semester; the deadline was March 4. In the application, I stated that I wanted to work for Dr. Bowling as faculty have to apply as well. To participate in the program, students must be a full-time undergraduate student in the College of Agriculture, have a GPA of 3.0 or above, engage in research for at least 40 hours per week during the fellowship timeline, and engage in the activities scheduled by the program. While it is encouraged to participate in all activities, vacation, time-off, and sick days are permitted when discussed with faculty. Students are not allowed to take summer courses while enrolled in SCARF. They are also required to secure their own summer housing. I received my acceptance letter April 1st. SCARF began May 16th and ended July 28th. The SCARF calendar doesn’t necessarily line up with summer research; the timeline of summer research is determined by the faculty you work under, not necessarily by SCARF.

Students receive a $5,400 stipend for participating in SCARF. Funding is provided equally from the Office of Academic Programs and/or Agricultural Research and Graduate Education office, from the department, and from the faculty research mentor. $1,800 is paid to the student monthly. However, $600 of the May payment is given in advance for students to secure summer housing. Additionally, a free meal is provided at each activity.
SCARF was an extremely valuable experience. I went into my summer research wanting to find out if graduate school was right for me. SCARF provided sessions about graduate school and career advising. Interacting with students across many different research fields also informed me about what other research is being done and the different research environments there are. I was doing research with wetlands and predominantly did field work, but many other students worked in a more traditional lab. There were students doing research in precision nutrition, plant genetics, anaerobic digestion, and much more. Three other NRES students were in the program with me, but students were from all across the College of Agriculture. I left the program with a better understanding of the research process, clearer plans for my future, amazing connections, new friends, and my very own white coat. If you are a student interested in undergraduate research, I highly recommend applying for SCARF in the spring.