2014-2015 Lemelson Center Fellowships and Travel Grants
Research Opportunities at the Smithsonian's Lemelson
Center Application Deadline: January 15, 2014
The Lemelson Center Fellowship and Travel Award programs
support projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and
innovation in American society. These include, but are not limited to,
historical research and documentation projects resulting in dissertations,
theses, publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films,
or other multimedia products.
The programs provide access to the expertise of the
Institution's research staff and the vast invention and technology collections
of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center documents both
individuals and firms across a range of time periods and subject areas. Representative collections include the
Western Union Telegraph Company Records, ca. 1840-1994 and the Earl S. Tupper
Papers, documenting Tupper, and his invention, Tupperware. In addition, the NMAH Library offers long
runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist,
while the American Trade Literature collection features 300,000 catalogs,
technical manuals, and advertising brochures for some 30,000 firms, primarily
from 1880-1945. For a comprehensive
catalog of objects, manuscripts, images and research materials available at the
NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see http://www.collections.si.edu/.
The Lemelson Center invites applications covering a broad
spectrum of research topics that resonate with its mission to foster a greater
understanding of invention and innovation, broadly defined. However, the Center especially encourages
project proposals that will illuminate the role of women inventors; inventors
with disabilities; inventors from diverse backgrounds; or any inventions and
technologies associated with groups that are traditionally under-represented in
the historical record.
Pertinent NMAH collections include the papers of Victor
L. Ochoa, a Mexican-American aeronautical inventor; the papers of Dr. Patricia
Bath, an African-American inventor of a patented cataracts treatment; the Safko
International papers, documenting assistive technologies built for the
physically disabled; and the HIV/AIDS and LGBT Reference Collections, which
document innovative public health programs and associated technologies.
The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2
to 3 fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and
other professionals who have completed advanced training. Fellows are expected to reside in the
Washington, D.C. area, to participate in the Center's activities, and to make a
presentation of their work to colleagues at the museum. Fellowship tenure is based upon the
applicants' stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. Stipends for 2014-2015 will be $575/week for
pre-doctoral fellows and $870/week for post-doctoral and professional
fellows. Applications are due 15 January
2014. For application procedures and
additional information, see http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/research_fellowships.aspx.
Researchers are encouraged to consult with the fellowship
coordinator prior to submitting a proposal - please contact historian Eric S.
Hintz, Ph.D. at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze@si.edu<mailto:hintze@si.edu>.
The Lemelson Center Travel to Collections Award Program
annually awards 2 to 3 short-term travel grants to encourage the use of its
invention-related collections. Awards
are $150 per day for a maximum of
10 business days and may be used to cover transportation,
living, and reproduction expenses; they are intended only for applicants who
reside or attend school beyond commuting distance of the NMAH. Applications are due
15 January 2014.
For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/research_travel.aspx.
Researchers are encouraged to consult with the travel
award coordinator prior to submitting a proposal - please contact archivist
Alison Oswald at
+1 202-633-3726 or oswalda@si.edu<mailto:oswalda@si.edu>.