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The last few months have been busy at the Mellon Initiative.

In February we accepted applications for this year’s Mellon SURF teams and Mellon Institute, and in March we awarded fellowships to 19 student-faculty research teams and to a Mellon Institute that will research the history of experiential learning at �԰����� in honor of the university’s 150th anniversary. The Mellon Initiative is excited to begin the summer research period in less than one month!

We also awarded three Student Mini-Grants, including a grant to help Danielle Trevino pay for materials for her senior art project. Danielle’s project is currently on display—alongside the artwork of other Mellon Initiative alumni: Liz Day, Beverly Morabito, and Julia Poage—at the which runs through Saturday, May 18, in the Michael and Noémi Neidorff Art Gallery.

In addition to awarding new grants, we also saw several of our 2018 SURFs present their research at conferences. Julia Poage and Ariel del Vecchio presented at the NCUR Conference at Kennesaw State University, Jennifer Ochoa presented at the Imaginarios económicos en la literatura y el cine de España y Latinoamérica symposium at Lehman College in the Bronx, Thomas Harvell-DeGolier presented at the annual American Historical Association Conference in Chicago, Mary Margaret Herring presented at the Broadcast Education Association Conference in Las Vegas, and Rohan Walawalkar presented at the National HIV prevention Conference in Atlanta. Nice work!

On April 9th, the Mellon Initiative hosted Dr. Tia Brown McNair, Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), who led a workshop on inclusive pedagogy. Approximately 30 faculty and staff attended the workshop and learned about how to incorporate undergraduate research into the curriculum in a way that promotes inclusive excellence. The workshop was a great success! 

Finally, just this past week the Mellon Initiative awarded two faculty grants that will provide arts and humanities research opportunities for �԰����� students during the academic year. Dr. Sarah Erickson (Communication) and Dr. Erin Sumner (Human Communications & Theater) were awarded a Humanities Lab development grant to develop the “Healthy Relationships Research Lab,” and Dr. Sarah Pinnock (Religion) was awarded a CURE development grant to create a high-impact research experience for students in her course “Ethical Issues in Religious Perspective.” Congratulations!

The Spring semester has been a great success, and the summer promises to be just as successful. Be sure to check back regularly for updates on the 2019 Mellon SURFs and Institute!