The School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences’ Stanford Earth Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SESUR) gives students the opportunity to gain research experience while working closely with faculty to explore questions related to the environment, energy, or the Earth. The program offers up to $6,400 in research stipends to more than 25 students each year. It is open to all undergraduates, regardless of major, and is targeted specifically at freshmen and sophomores.

Students in the program write a research proposal in winter quarter, enroll in a research preparation course in spring quarter, conduct their research during summer quarter, and then present on their findings at the SESUR Symposium in the fall. At the October 2015 symposium, students delivered presentations and showcased their work at a poster session attended by peers and faculty. Research topics included, but were not limited to, dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets, rainfall pattern effects on crop yield, sustainable sourcing practices by major corporations, and the relationships between tourism and coral reefs.