Question 1

What are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and why does SURG organize around them?

Accepted Answer

The UN SDGs are a set of global goals addressing sustainability challenges. SURG uses them as a framework to focus undergraduate research on local cross-cutting issues that connect to these broader goals.

Question 2

What does a researcher actually do in SURG?

Accepted Answer

Researchers join a working group focused on a sustainability area tied to the SDGs, contribute to a collaborative research report, and present their findings to key stakeholders.

Question 3

Does SURG share its research publicly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SURG has held a Research Symposium where findings are presented. The first-ever Fall 2020 SURG Research Symposium was held on December 7, 2020 via Zoom, and a recording is available on their YouTube channel.

Question 4

Is SURG an official UC Berkeley organization?

Accepted Answer

SURG is affiliated with the UC Berkeley Office of Sustainability but acts independently of the University of California and takes full responsibility for its organization and website.

SDG Undergraduate Research Group