2022 Mellon Institute Application

Application Components

Faculty Application Components

• Faculty mentor names, email, and University ID numbers
• Project Title
• Project Abstract (500 word limit): A description of the project that explains the significance of the project and its relationship to your research  agendas.
• Student Tasks (400 word limit): Provide a detailed account of the tasks your students will complete during the research period. If you will be in a different location than your students for any part of the summer, please indicate how long you will be in separate locations and how you intend to communicate with the students. As a reminder, you should plan to be in the same location for most of the 10-week summer session.
• Project Outcomes (150 word limit): Indicate the intended outcome of the project as a whole, as well as the intended outcome for the summer  research period if the project extends beyond the summer. Include any presenting or publishing goals for your students.
• Student Preparation and Qualifications (150 word limit per student): Provide a statement that indicates how each student is prepared and  qualified to participate in the project. Be sure to address any potential shortcomings (e.g., class year, low GPA, or lack of background coursework). Please note that the committee seriously considers students with low GPAs if the faculty mentor thinks they will do well on the project.
• Budget: Provide your project budget details and justification for any supplies you intend to purchase and any research-related summer travel you are planning.

Note:

• Stipends of $4,200 per student and $2,000 per faculty should be included in every budget;
• A $1,400 travel/supply budget is available for use by each student. Please provide details of how this will be used during the summer research period. Any unused portions of this budget will be available for the student to present the results of their research at a conference during the 2022/2023 academic year;
• In addition to the standard budget items, the Mellon Institute has a project budget of $5,000. This part of the budget can be used to enable travel, to bring in speakers the semester before the summer research term, other pre-summer research activities, or to provide other resources needed to accomplish the research project.
• Small equipment purchases are permitted ONLY if the tool is essential to the project and not otherwise available.

Student Application Components

• Student name, email, University ID number, and other basic information.
• Project Abstract (200 word limit): A description of the project. Please work with your faculty mentor to write this abstract. Read examples of abstracts.
• Student Transcript (upload PDF of unofficial transcript from Tigerpaws).
• Student Statement (300 word limit): Describe your motivation for participating in this summer project. Your statement should show that you have a good understanding of the project and should include your career goals, if applicable.
• Student Qualifications (200 word limit): Describe your qualifications for this specific project. Your answer should include any courses and other experiences that have prepared you to carry out the proposed research.
• Challenge Question (300 word limit): Please describe an academic experience where you had to overcome some obstacle or challenge.
• Name and email of faculty who has agreed to submit a letter of recommendation. 

Note:

• The student is responsible for finding a faculty member to write a short letter of recommendation.
• The letter should come from a Trinity faculty member who knows the student’s academic work well but does not have to be from the discipline of the proposed project.
• Cannot be from the faculty mentors on the project.
• Please make sure your letter writer is aware of the application deadline and have them email their letter directly to @email by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 11, 2022.