Mellon Transfer Student Research Program funding extended for five more years. /web/aca_socialsciences_general/CT-Apr21-Mellon-1-94x84.jpg

Mellon Transfer Student Research Program Awarded One-Million Dollar Grant

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the extension of its popular Mellon Transfer Student Research Program (MTSRP) thanks to a five-year, $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Led by Professor of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Alan Aja; Professor of English Joseph Entin; and Distinguished Professor of Political Science Jeanne Theoharis, the first MTSRP program was launched during the tenure of former School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Richard Greenwald and has shown remarkable success since its inception.

Up to fall 2020, 189 students had participated in the program with more than 50 different professors in the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences serving as faculty mentors.

The Mellon Transfer Student Research Program was designed to give undergraduate transfer students the opportunity to work collaboratively with HSS faculty to advance the academic research of the students as well as the faculty members. The program addresses two variables that have been shown to lead to student success in college—individual research and relationships with faculty. Faculty success is yet another area addressed by the program. Faculty can advance their own research agendas as well as productively meld their research and teaching.

This new grant will allow the team to fund each student with a $1,200 stipend and to reimburse faculty with $500 in research expenses for each student they advise. The coordinators state, "We're excited about the enhanced funding we have, and eager to have HSS faculty and students apply to the program."

The work students and their faculty mentors have done since the program started has been truly remarkable. Some of the many research projects have included work on sustainability, migrant labor in China, the civil rights movement in New York, gentrification in Brooklyn, the literature of Toni Morrison, perceptions of autism in diverse communities, and much more. The program empowers transfer students by giving them the support and training they need to successfully pursue a rigorous research project while developing mentor relationships with faculty.

"The Mellon Transfer Student Research Program has been instrumental in providing intellectual opportunities for our students, but also in creating an unprecedented sense of community and mentorship throughout the various programs within our school," said Kenneth A. Gould, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The program supports three forms of research and faculty-student collaboration—a team project with up to four transfer students working with a faculty designed proposal, a joint faculty/student research project in the faculty member's current area of research, and an independent research project designed by the student. Students register for an independent study course in the relevant department and their faculty mentor is the professor of record for the independent study section.

In addition to meeting regularly with their faculty advisers, the students meet once a month as a group to talk over their work, discuss their methodology, and build a sense of community. In the program's monthly meetings, students are expected to lead the dialogue and collectively participate. COVID restrictions have meant that the group cannot meet in person, but normally lunch is provided so that students have a chance to get some nourishment, develop trust, and share research ideas.

This spring, applications are due April 21. Application forms and information can be found at MTSRP's How to Apply page.

Back to Critical Thinking — April 2021