Comegys Bight Fellowships
Comegys Bight Fellows Program
Since 2003, the Comegys Bight Fellowships have supported self-designed summer research projects and internships on a wide range of topics that illuminate the American experience.
Conceived and generously sustained by Drs. Thomas and Virginia Collier and their family, and administered by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the Fellowships recognize students’ “intellect, curiosity, and resourcefulness.” Three to five Comegys Bight Fellows are selected each spring by a faculty committee, and are awarded research grants that have ranged from $500 to $3000. Recipients use their grants to replace wages from summer jobs while conducting supervised research, to support their living expenses while working on unpaid internships in relevant subject areas, or to fund research travel.
Each recipient works with a faculty mentor who will help to guide him or her in the project. The faculty mentor receives an honorarium of up to $500, depending on the scope of the student's project. Working side by side with their chosen mentor, Comegys Bight Fellows are able to take their academic work to a new level, pursuing independent research beyond the classroom.
At the end of their summer experiences, students submit final reports to the C.V. Starr Center and present their findings at a celebratory gathering hosted by the Collier family.
More than just a research grant, the Comegys Bight program is a bridge between Washington College and the local Chestertown community, or the world beyond.
In this vein, fellows are encouraged to make connections with experts beyond their faculty mentor, cultivating outside advisors to help guide their project. Many have expanded their summer work into exceptional senior capstone projects, pursued related research at the graduate level, or parlayed their Comegys Bight experiences into exciting job opportunities.
Research stands at the heart of the Comegys Bight Fellowship. While applicants
are encouraged to seek hands-on internship experiences, these field experiences must include a meaningful research component. Fellows should approach their internships with a significant question in mind, and frame their work in a way that allows them to pursue it in great detail. Projects must have a specific outcome, such as a thesis, paper, website, documentary, etc.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must be in their sophomore or junior year at Washington College; preference will be given to juniors interested in developing their Comegys Bight projects into senior honors theses. Proposals must have a strong research component and a clear connection to the American past.
Students with topics relating to local, Eastern Shore or Maryland history are strongly encouraged to apply.
Applications for Summer 2009 must be received by April 17 , 2009.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
CURRENT FELLOWS – SUMMER 2009 (Press release)
Dominick Iaquinto ‘11: “The Study of Captivity Narratives”
Faculty Mentor: Professor Carol Wilson, Department of History
Joyell Johnson ‘10: “The Evolution of the African-American Woman: The Mammy Caricature”
Faculty Mentor: Professor Jill Ogline Titus, Associate Director, Starr Center
John MacLellan ’10: “Bottom of the Barrel: History of Homelessness During the Great Depression”
Faculty Mentor: Professor Carol Wilson, Department of History
Michael Mason ’11: “The Evolving Role of Money in American Campaigns”
Faculty Mentor: Professor Jessica Gerrity, Department of Political Science
Andrea Roth ’10: “Curatorship and the Kohl Art Gallery Opening Exhibition”
Faculty Mentor: Professor Donald McColl, Department of Art & Art History
James Schelberg ’11: “Rational Faith and Contradictory Influences in the Work
of Jonathan Edwards"
Faculty Mentor: Professor Peter Weigel, Department of Philosophy & Religion
Lauren Seeley, ’11: “Comparative Study of American and German Policing”
Faculty Mentors: Professor James Martin, Department of German, and Professor Andrea Lange, Department of Sociology
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information about the Comegys Bight Fellowships, please contact
Starr Center Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus at (410) 810-7157, or
jtitus2@washcoll.edu. Interested
students are strongly encouraged to discuss
their draft proposals with Dr.
Titus before finalizing their applications.
PAST FELLOWS
For a list of past Comegys Bight Fellows, and their projects, please click here.
