STEP - Science and Technology in the European Periphery

The Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation announces its Fellowship Program for 2011-2012. Our fellowships support projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation and draw upon the holdings of the Archives Center and curatorial divisions at the National Museum of American History. Projects may include, but are not limited to, historical research and documentation projects resulting in publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, and multimedia products. The fellowship provides access to the Smithsonian's vast artifact and archival collections, as well as to the expertise of the Institution's research staff. The Center offers fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed advanced training.

The Archives Center holds more than 20,000 feet of archival materials. The collections are particularly strong in documenting the history of technology, invention, and innovation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Both individuals and companies are documented in subject areas including railroads, pianos, television, radio, plastics, ivory, and sports equipment. One of the largest collections is the Western Union Telegraph Company Records, ca. 1840-1994. Other collections of significance include the Earl S. Tupper Papers, documenting the inventor Tupper, and his invention, Tupperware; the Darby Windsurfing Collection, 1946-1998, documenting the invention of the sailboard; and the Records of Small Beginnings, Inc., a medical supply company that designs, invents, manufactures, and distributes products for premature infants. For a comprehensive list of Archives Center collections, see http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d-10.htm.

The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2 to 3 fellowships to qualified researchers. Fellowship tenure is based on the applicants' stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. 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 at the museum. Stipends for 2011-2012 are $575/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $870/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are submitted online and will be accepted through the 14 January 2011 deadline. Notifications will be made by 15 April 2011. Fellows can begin their residence at the museum on or after 1 June 2011.

For application procedures and additional information, please see http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/research_fellowships.aspx. All applicants are required 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.

Note: The Lemelson Center is no longer accepting applications for its 2011 Travel to Collections Awards Program. Applications submitted by the November 30, 2010 deadline are currently under review and notifications will be made by mid-December 2010.

Contact:
Eric S. Hintz, Ph.D.
Fellowship Coordinator
Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
MRC 604, P. O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
PHONE: 202-633-3734
hintze@si.edu.

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Eric S. Hintz, Ph.D.
Historian, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
MRC 604, P. O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
PHONE: 202-633-3734
FAX: 202-357-4517
hintze@si.edu
http://invention.smithsonian.org