Applications will be due April 4, 2025, by 11:59 pm
Funded by the William H. and Susanne S. Endowment with co-sponsorship from the Alexander Grass Humanities Institute (AGHI).
The Sheridan Libraries/AGHI Dean’s Undergraduate Research Awards, or DURAs, are available for undergraduates working on independent research projects that draw on primary source materials in the rare book, manuscript, and archival collections of the Sheridan Libraries. These collections span 5,000 years of rare and unique objects and texts, from ancient cuneiform tablets and Egyptian papyri to to photography, U.S. suffrage movement records, and queer and trans oral history.
Each research award, in the amount of $3500, supports research conducted from May 2024-April 2025. Research outcomes might take the form of a research essay, exhibition, film, digital humanities project, or other deliverable. (See “Recent DURA Projects” below and “Current Fellows” for examples of recent DURA projects.)
Fellows will be funded for research conducted between May 2024 and April 2025. Fellows may propose a project duration of a minimum of four months to a maximum of eleven months.
Requirements
- The fellowships are restricted to JHU freshman, sophomore, and juniors. Seniors are eligible to apply if their proposed project will be completed prior to their graduation.
- Applicants must identify a faculty mentor and/or Library curator who can help them identify materials for research, formulate proposals, and conduct research.
- Awardees must submit a final project based on their research (e.g. an academic essay, film, digital humanities project, etc.) no later than April 18, 2025
- Awardees must give a brief presentation about their research at a public event in April 2025.
- Awardees must write a short blog post about their research by April 18, 2025.
Stipend & Payment Schedule
A fellowship award of $3500 will be given to each recipient, which is intended to be used as a cost-of-living stipend but can be utilized for research expenses. Fellows will receive half of the award at the beginning of the project and the other half at completion.
How to Apply
- Submit your application using the form by April 4 at 11:59 pm.
- Letter of recommendation from mentor emailed directly to Dr. Joseph Plaster, at jplaster@jhu.edu. Due April 4 by 11:59 pm.
Eligible research repositories:
- University Archives
- Special Collections
- The Institute for the History of Medicine in East Baltimore
- The George Peabody Library
- The John Work Garrett Library
- University Archives