MCEAS Undergraduate Research Workshop (URW)

Call for Participants (Please note new Workshop guidelines & application process.)

Eligibility

We invite all Consortium members to encourage their undergraduate students working on an honors thesis, senior capstone or advanced research paper in any discipline having to do with the Atlantic world up to 1850 to join us for the Fourth Annual MCEAS Undergraduate Research Workshop this spring. If your institution is not yet a member, please contact the Center Director to find out how to join:  drichter@history.upenn.edu.

The Workshop dates will be February 17 and April 20-21, 2012. To foster an engaging academic experience, the Workshop will be limited to ten undergraduates and a maximum of two from any single Consortium institution. Students from Consortium institutions who have not previously participated are especially encouraged to apply.

For more information about the program, contact Dr. Brooke Hunter, 2012 MCEAS/URW coordinator and Associate Professor of History at Rider University, at bhunter@rider.edu.

Applying for the Undergraduate Research Workshop (new)

Applicants should:

• Submit one portable document format (PDF) file containing (1) a brief description of the proposed research project (300 words maximum) and (2) a one-page résumé highlighting academic experiences.
  

• Request a letter of support from their faculty mentor, sent separately in PDF format. Letters of support should address the following: the project type (e.g., capstone seminar, honors thesis, independent study), relationship to the student’s project, stage of project development, academic achievement and impact of participation.

 

Application materials will be accepted electronically through e-mail addressed to bhunter@rider.edu. The application deadline is January 27, 2012.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee, and decisions will be announced in a timely fashion. Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria: strength of the work as evidenced by the abstract and student’s academic record; letter of support; and the impact of the Undergraduate Research Workshop on the student’s development.

Workshop Events
Attendance at Workshop events is mandatory for all participants including undergraduates, graduate mentors and faculty sponsors.

Works-in-Progress
This meeting will take place on Friday, February 17, from 10:30 to approximately 4:00 pm. It focuses on research and gives undergraduates the chance to meet one another and with their graduate student mentors. Student project abstracts will be circulated in advance. In the morning, students will deliver five-minute presentations on their research. Lunch gives undergraduate students and graduate mentors time for individual conferences. In the afternoon students will have the opportunity to tour an archive and gain hands-on experience with primary sources.

Conference
The second event is a one-and-a-half day meeting on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21, culminating in a professional-style conference with 10-minute formal paper presentations by undergraduates and comments by graduate student mentors. Past undergraduate participants have used a 10-page section or chapter of their project that works well as a discrete topic for the conference paper. Students meet informally with the McNeil Center Friday Seminar speaker and then attend the seminar, followed by a reception and dinner. Participants then spend the night in Philadelphia. The conference takes place on the following Saturday. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Accommodations & Travel

The McNeil Center will provide participants (faculty and undergraduates) one night’s lodging at a hotel for the April Conference. Participants will also be reimbursed for a maximum of $100 in travel expenses (e.g., airfare, train fare, or parking). Original receipts are required for reimbursement. The Center will not pay for non-conference meals, additional nights’ lodging, or fees incurred at the hotel.

About

The MCEAS Undergraduate Research Workshop was established in 2008 to extend the benefits of the Center to undergraduate students enrolled at member institutions, by holding a workshop for seniors writing an honors thesis or capstone research paper in early American studies. The Workshop provides a structured environment in which students can come together with undergraduates from other institutions, as well as graduate students and faculty, to discuss the ideas, source materials, and methods of their own research. A highlight of the program is the mentoring given each undergraduate by a MCEAS graduate or postdoctoral fellow. The Workshop meetings are held in conjunction with the Center’s regular Friday Seminar so that undergraduates can experience the process of scholarly seminars first hand. The Workshop has exceeded our expectations, allowing undergraduates to join the exceptionally supportive and successful community of scholars at the McNeil Center. Undergraduate Research Workshop participants are now enrolled in PhD programs in History, attending law school, and working in public history.

2011: 10 undergraduates participated from Brigham Young University, Fordham University, Stockton College, Rider University, SUNY Stony Brook and the University of Pennsylvania.

2010: 9 undergraduates participated from Brigham Young University, Millersville University, Stockton College, Rider University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Ursinus College.

2009: 8 undergraduates participated from Bryn Mawr College, the Johns Hopkins University, Stockton College, Rider University, SUNY Stony Brook, and the University of Delaware.