Jerome A. Schiff Fellowships 2008-2009

Overview | Application Materials | Deadlines | Fellowship Recipients

Overview

The Committee on Curriculum and Instruction invites applications for 2008-09 Jerome A. Schiff Fellowships. Made possible through a generous gift from the Jerome A. Schiff Charitable Trust, Schiff Fellowships are merit awards intended to support the scholarly work of students enrolled in the senior honors program. Eligibility is limited to Wellesley students currently enrolled in a 360 or intending to enroll in a 360 in Spring 2009. Students who are currently enrolled in a 370 this semester are not eligible.

We expect to make approximately 10-15 awards this year. All students selected to be Schiff Fellows will receive a minimum award of $2000. Past fellows have used their awards in various ways, for example to reduce work obligations during the academic year or Wintersession so as to devote more time to research. In addition, students may apply for approximately $1000 to meet thesis-related research expenses. This supplemental support may be used, for example, to cover travel and living expenses related to fieldwork, interviews, library or archival research; to purchase supplies, materials and equipment necessary to conduct research; and to cover travel and living expenses to attend appropriate academic conferences.

Schiff Fellows who receive financial aid from Wellesley College may have their aid package revised as a result of the Schiff Fellowship. Details should be worked out with Patricia Ramonat, Student Financial Services.

Students wishing to apply for a Jerome A. Schiff Fellowship should submit the following materials:

1. a cover sheet listing name, major, local address and telephone number, email address, thesis title, and the name of the faculty member serving as advisor to the thesis. The cover sheet should be signed and dated by both the student and her thesis advisor;
2. a current resume;
3. a 2-3 page proposal (double-spaced) describing the thesis, work completed to date, and detailed plans for the Fellowship year (applicants should be careful to make their proposals intelligible to non-specialist readers);
4. a budget itemizing and justifying research expenses related to the thesis (students who are not applying for supplemental support for research expenses need not submit this item);
5. either an unofficial transcript from Banner self-service or a grade report from the Registrar;
6. two (2) letters of recommendation from Wellesley faculty, one of which must be written by the student's thesis advisor. The letters should address the strength and feasibility of the student's proposed thesis, the appropriateness of the proposed budget, the student's ability to work independently, and the likelihood that the promise of the thesis will be fulfilled. The Committee would also welcome comments comparing the applicant's proposal to that of other students with whom the faculty member has worked. Students should collect these signed letters in a sealed envelope and submit them as part of their application packet.

 Deadlines

Completed fellowship applications should be sent to the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction, c/o Adele Wolfson, Green Hall 345 no later than Wednesday, October 15, 2008. The Committee will select the Schiff Fellows and will announce the awards in early November.

Fellowship recipients will be required to present the results of their honors work at the 2009 Ruhlman Conference on April 29, 2009. In addition, Fellows will be required to submit a report on their use of the award no later than May 25, 2009 (December 15, 2008 in the case of students beginning a 360 in Spring 2008).

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  2008-09 Jerome A. Schiff Fellows

Jane Booth-Tobin, Political Science
Youth Political Participation: the motivations and organizing techniques that engaged youth during the 2008 presidential campaign
(Hahrie Han, Political Science)

Ashley Boulden, Art History
Craft and Reproduction: Issues of Function, Style, and Authorship in the Davis Museum’s Album of 138 Ornament Prints
(Meredith Martin, Art)

Jocelin Yo-Jud Cheng, Economics
Male Cross-Registrants at a Women’s College: The Effects of Classroom Gender Composition on the Achievement of Wellesley College Students
(Patrick McEwan, Economics)

Hillary Chu, Neuroscience
Behavioral Characterization of a Mouse Model of Schizophrenia
(Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Biological Sciences)

Rebekah Dawson, Astrophysics
Short Timescale Evolution of Chaotic Orbits of Uranian Moons
(Richard French, Astronomy)

Emma Ingrisani, English
Percy, Sterne and Kierkegaard: Irony and Sensibility
(James Noggle, English)

Andrea Liang, Economics
Do Trade Agreements Help or Hurt? – An Analysis of the Effects of Trade Liberalization on Wage Inequality
(Malhar Nabar, Economics)

Rakeen Mabud, Political Science
The Anti-Sweatshop Movement: Realities and Politics of Global Labor Conditions
(Robert Paarlberg, Political Science)

Rebecca McGowan, Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences
Reflections of language in Music: Comparing rhythm and melody in English dialects and music
(Andrea Levitt, French)

Megan Turner, Women’s Studies
Female Identification and the Construction of Post-Gender Identities in the Heavy Metal Subculture
(Irene Mata, Women’s Studies)

Jean-Huei Yau, Biological Sciences
Bioremediation of Lead(II) from Water Systems Using Cyanobacteria Immobilized in Calcium-Alginate
(Mary Allen, Biological Sciences)

Bilin Zhuang, Physics
Thermodynamics of Ising Models on Geometrically Frustrated Spin Systems: Analytical Methods and Monte Carlo Simulations
Courtney Lannert, Physics

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• Jennifer G. Lewis JLewis@wellesley.edu
• Date Created: Sept 14, 2000
• Date Modified: November 7, 2008
• Expires: September 2009