Contact: J. C. Varekamp Telephone: 860-685-2248 jvarekamp@wesleyan.edu

The Wesleyan University Mellon Summer Environmental Studies Research Program provides fellowships for undergraduate students that enable them to carry out summer research on environmental topics. For the summer of 2002, the second of the five year program (2001-2005), there are 6 Mellon Fellowships available to work with , working with faculty mentors in the sciences, SiSP, Economics or Government on topics dealing with Environmental Issues. An application form should be send to Johan C. Varekamp, Chair, E&ES before 30 April.

The Mellon Summer Program consists of fellows who do research with their research advisors, but there are also some programmatic activities through the summer. These activities will run in parallel with the Hughes Summer Program in the Life Sciences, and consist of workshops in presentation skills, weekly seminars, and several shared social activities. The programs will end with a joint poster session in the lobby of the Science Tower on Friday August 3, where the fellows can share the results of their summer research projects. Expectations for fellows are listed here. The program will formally run from June 3 through August 3. Part-time summer fellowships are discouraged but not totally impossible, and should be evaluated in consultation with the research advisor and the Mellon coordinator (Johan C. Varekamp)

The program starts with a joint picnic with Hughes Fellows (date tba) on the Science Tower patio. This is followed at  by an orientation meeting with information and sign-up for the workshops (click here for information on workshops). The text book used for the presentation skills workshops is Jan A. Pechenik's A Short Guide to Writing About Biology, 4th Ed. (2000, Addison-Wesley). Mellon and Hughes fellows will receive at copy of this book at the first workshop on May 30. A meeting on safety issues is held that same week in 84 Hall-Atwater. Lunch will be provided. All Hughes and Mellon Fellows are required to attend these meetings.

The workshops in presentation and writing skills will take place on Monday afternoon, and each Mellon fellow should attend some of these, after consultation with her/his faculty mentor. Click here for the sign-up form that should be signed by student and mentor and handed in on June 4. Attendance at the first two and the last workshop is required for all Mellon fellows. On the last work shop Mellon and Hughes fellows will critique work on the posters which will document the results of their research and be presented on Friday August 3 during the joint poster session in the lobby of the Science Tower. Fellows are asked to attend the weekly seminars , each Wednesday at noon (until 1.15 pm) in 107 Shanklin, with some light munchies provided.

The first formal Mellon Fellow meeting/lunch will be on June 3, Monday, at noon in 409 Science Tower, just before the second workshop meeting at 1 pm. This event is most likely preceded by a meeting of the fellows with their individual advisors, because all fellows must submit an abstract describing their planned summer research at the second workshop.