Commonwealth Honors College funds undergraduate research
Commonwealth Honors College has awarded more than $100,000 to support undergraduates engaged in laboratory research and other scholarly activities this academic year. Through two rounds of competitive applications, 47 fellowships and 56 grants were distributed to honors students in 29 academic areas.
Sophomores and juniors working under the direct supervision of a faculty member were awarded Research Assistant Fellowships. These fellowships support students in gaining experience in their academic field and prepare them for future research, including the honors college’s signature Capstone Experience.
As part of the six-credit Capstone Experience, senior honors students produce an original creative work, engage in the wider community or work intensively on an academic project that results in a substantive scholarly document and a public presentation. The Honors Research Grants cover materials and/or activities related to students’ self-designed Capstone Experience research projects.
Junior English major Shelby Kinney-Lang received a $1,000 fellowship to work with English professor Nicholas Bromell and conduct research for Bromell’s forthcoming book about African-Americans’ contributions to the public conception of democracy. Kinney-Lang is reading selections from a wide variety of African-American writers and examining newspaper editorials to develop a better understanding of the public discourse on democracy in the last 150 years.
Kinney-Lang says that this research experience has “provided a firmer foundation for viewing the present state of democracy” and has motivated him to consider postgraduate studies in English. He said, “It’s undeniably exciting to take part in the research of a book in the making," and adds, "I think my involvement with this book will elevate my social consciousness, as well as encourage me to pursue a variety of avenues of social engagement.”
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Commonwealth Honors College
February 2, 2010.
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