Mellon Travel Fellowships
Through a generous endowment provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Department of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, and the History of Science Collections, the University of Oklahoma offers a travel fellowship program for visitors to make use of its resources for research in the History of Science. The Andrew W. Mellon Travel Fellowship Program is intended to assist scholars at both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral levels.
The program is designed to provide travel expenses and a reasonable per diem to researchers who reside outside the central Oklahoma area, and who have well-defined research projects that can be served by the holdings of the History of Science Collections. Support is available for qualifying projects for periods ranging from one to six weeks. Although there is no limitation on the subject field of investigation, applicants must demonstrate the utility of materials in the History of Science Collections.
Applicants are encouraged to consider the fellowship program as a means of supplementing the partial funding which they may be able to obtain from their own institutions or other sources so that program funds may be extended to as many interested scholars as possible.
Fellowship projects may be scheduled for any time of the year when the Collections are open. This typically precludes fellowships at the close of the calendar year, roughly December 20 through January 5.
Applicants preparing proposals are encouraged to contact the History of Science Collections Research Coordinator at HSTM.Mellon@ou.edu.
Deadlines and Announcements
We have three annual deadlines; note that fellowships begin, at the earliest, three months after the award announcement.
Application Deadline
| Fall Deadline | Winter Deadline | Spring Deadline |
| September 15 | February 15 | April 15 |
| Fellowship begins no earlier than January 5 | Fellowsihp begins no earlier than June 1 | Fellowship begins noearlier than September 1 |
Fellowship Amounts
The amount of Fellowship support is based on length of time in residence, ranging from one to six weeks. Refer to the table below for the fellowship total award amounts. Delivery of the award will be based on the actual length of residence. Payment of the award will be provided after the fellowship is completed.
| Fellowship Length | Domestic Total Award | International Total Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | $ 600.00 | $ 1,600.00 |
| 2 weeks | $ 1,200.00 | $ 2,200.00 |
| 3 weeks | $ 1,800.00 | $ 2,800.00 |
| 4 weeks | $ 2,400.00 | $ 3,400.00 |
| 5 weeks | $ 3,000.00 | $ 4,000.00 |
| 6 weeks | $ 3,600.00 | $ 4,600.00 |
Fellowship Proposal
Section One. The application forms.
Complete the application form (pdf). This is the first section of your proposal.
Section Two. A curriculum vitae.
Include a curriculum vitae with a list of your scholarly publications and activities as the second section of the proposal.
Section Three. Description of the research proposal.
This section should include:
A narrative of your proposed project, not to exceed 1000 words, that discusses its relationship to previous and current scholarship in the field.
A statement of the amount of award being requested based on the number of weeks in residence, as explained in the section “Fellowship Amounts” above.
A bibliography of relevant materials that require consultation at the History of Science Collections. Applicants should consult reference materials, including the University Libraries’ online catalog, and may confer with the Curator or Librarian for assistance. Search our online catalog, “Discover Local” at https://libraries.ou.edu
Section Four. Reference.
Ordinarily, a reference letter is required. Typically, this may be a letter from your Department Chair (if faculty); from your dissertation supervisor (if a pre-doctoral student); or from someone qualified to judge your research skills in the proposed area and the scholarly significance of your research project. The letter of reference should be requested well in advance.
Submission
Submit your proposal by email as a single, combined PDF, to History of Science Collections Research Coordinator at HSTM.Mellon@ou.edu.
Evaluation of Proposals
In general, fellowship applications are evaluated under the following three criteria:
* the significance of the proposed project
* the applicant’s ability to complete the proposed project.
* the appropriateness of the proposed project to the resources of the History of Science Collections
The selection process is competitive, and all three criteria are considered very carefully. Because the Travel Fellowship Program is specifically designed to encourage use of Collections materials, the third criterion is especially important.
Planning Your Stay
Fellowship recipients are responsible for booking lodging and other travel. For information regarding on-campus accommodations, see: https://www.ou.edu/housingandfood/housing/conference-and-guest-services.
If you plan to stay off campus and you do not have a vehicle, we recommend that you find a place within 1.5-2.0 miles of Bizzell Library (see map).
International Applicants
We advise applicants from abroad to review the University of Oklahoma’s procedures and policies relating to international travel during the application process. General information may be found on the OU Human Resources main J-1 page.
Key guides and documents to review include:
- The University of Oklahoma J-1 Exchange Visitor Guide (pdf) - provides overview for J1 exchange visitors.
- J-1 Online Orientation
- J-1 MEDICAL HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENT (pdf) - highlights medical insurance requirement.
- HR2019 REQUEST FOR EXCHANGE VISITOR (pdf) - note English proficiency requirement for J1 exchange visitors, page 3.
