Student Resources, Awards and Scholarships

Graduate Student Resources

Graduate Programs Regulations and Procedures
Ph.D. Alumni

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Awards and Scholarships

William N. Fenton Research Award

The Department of Anthropology is pleased to announce the second round of the William
N. Fenton Research Award to support graduate research activity. The award is open to all
matriculated graduate students, although priority will be given to proposals that are not eligible
for other department‐affiliated funding (such as the IMS or the De Cormier award) and to
projects in earlier phases of research.

William N. Fenton Research Award Details

Each year, awards of approximately $1000 are available for research toward the PhD or MA, for activities to be conducted during the academic year of the application, or the following summer. Up to two projects may receive an award. Applicants are only to be funded once, with rare exceptions. The award supports direct cost of research, including:

  • Travel to conduct research at libraries, archives, laboratories, and other research
    facilities and resources
  • Costs of information access
  • Remuneration of human subjects
  • Purchase of supplies or equipment rental

Applications consist of:

  • A short project proposal (no more than 4 pages) that addresses the specific research to
    be conducted with the Fenton award, as well as its relationship to the broader MA or
    PhD research.
  • An itemized budget
  • A (short) letter of support from the MA/PhD advisor that addresses the proposed research, the significance for program of study, and the applicant’s ability to conduct this research successfully.
  • If the application proposes work with human subjects, IRB approval will be required before funds are distributed, and if possible students should indicate when they expect IRB approval.

Awardees should submit a report of their funded research activities at the completion of their research period.

Applications should be emailed as a single PDF file to the Graduate Affairs Committee Chair by Oct. 1 of each year. Late submissions are accepted until available award funds have been allocated. Letters of support should be sent separately.

The Institute for Mesoamerican Studies (IMS) David Scotchmer Essay Award

The Scotchmer award recognizes outstanding professional writing by graduate students in the field of Mesoamerican studies. The award is named for the late Dr. David Scotchmer, an alumnus of our Graduate Program (Ph.D. 1991) who died in 1995 just as his career was flowering. David, a pioneer in the study of the Protestant Evangelical Movement in Guatemala, published several significant essays on this subject while a graduate student here at the University at Albany. This award, in his honor, celebrates and encourages the writing and publication efforts of graduate students.

David Scotchmer Essay Award Details

The David Scotchmer Award

The award (subject to annual adjustment) will be $150, to be used as the awardee sees fit to further their research program. The winner is usually announced in mid-April of each year and will be recognized in the published program at the Honors Convocation on Commencement weekend in May.

 

Scotchmer Award Eligibility

All students enrolled in the MA or PhD program in the Department of Anthropology at the University at Albany with research interests in Mesoamerican Studies are eligible for this competition. Student Associates of the IMS are given preference.

 

Scotchmer Award Essay Requirements

Unpublished essays on any aspect of Mesoamerican Studies are eligible for submission. The essay may be a revised seminar paper, MA paper, doctoral dissertation exam essay, or an expanded version of a presentation at a professional meeting. Co-authored student essays are eligible. Co-authored student-faculty essays are not eligible. Papers submitted for consideration should be under 40 pages in length, double spaced, and should conform to the style of a major professional journal, such as American Antiquity or American Anthropologist. Students should consult the style guide of the journal and make sure that bibliographic entries, subheadings, and other elements conform to the correct style. All necessary tables and illustrations must be included, but they do not need to be in final, publishable format.

 

Submission Procedures for the Scotchmer Award

A submission cover letter should include the following: context in which the essay took shape, i.e., the circumstances under which it was conceived and written, and plans, if any (not required), for submission for publication.

 

Criteria for Evaluation for the Scotchmer Award

Essays will be judged by a committee of IMS faculty for professional quality, following standard disciplinary criteria.

 

Learn more about the 2020 David Scotchmer Essay Award recipients.

Learn more about past David Scotchmer Essay Award recipients.

 

Undergraduate Essay Award In Mesoamerican Studies

This award recognizes outstanding undergraduate achievement in the field of Mesoamerican studies, as judged by a written essay.

Undergraduate Essay Award In Mesoamerican Studies Details

The Undergraduate Essay Award:

The award will be $100, to be used as the awardee sees fit. The winner is usually announced in mid-April of each year and is recognized (in the published program and in person) at the Honors Convocation on Commencement weekend in May.

 

Essay Award Eligibility:

All undergraduate students at the University at Albany are eligible for this award.

 

Essay Requirements:

Unpublished essays on any aspect of Mesoamerican studies are eligible for submission. The essay may be a revised term paper, a senior honors thesis, or any other essay. Co-authored student essays are eligible. Co-authored student-faculty essays are not eligible. Papers submitted for consideration should be under 30 pages in length, double-spaced, and should conform to the style of a major professional journal such as American Antiquity or American Anthropologist. Students should consult the style guide of the journal and make sure that bibliographic entries, subheadings, and other elements conform to the correct style. All necessary tables and illustrations must be included, but the illustrations do not need to be in final, publishable format.

 

Submission Procedure for Essay Award:

Three copies of the essay should be submitted to the IMS office in Arts and Sciences (AS) 233 or the IMS mailbox (AS 236), including a digital copy in PDF to [email protected].

Students should arrange to have a faculty member write a letter of reference that discusses the context and importance of the paper. A submission cover letter statement should include the following:

  • Context in which the essay took shape, i. e., the circumstances under which it was conceived and written.
  • The name of the Faculty reference.

 

Criteria for Essay Evaluation:

Essays will be judged by a committee of IMS faculty for their professional quality, following standard disciplinary criteria.

 

To learn more about the 2021 Undergraduate Essay Award recipients.

To learn about past Undergraduate Essay Award recipients.

First Encounter Scholarship for Mesoamerican Fieldwork

This scholarship is established to fund travel to Mesoamerica to conduct preliminary work that may allow students to carry out individual research in the area. Appropriate activities include first visits to research sites, language and/or paleography training, or other preliminary activities that may be essential to the successful completion of individual fieldwork or related research.

First Encounter Scholarship Details

All graduate students formally enrolled in a degree program in the departments of Anthropology, History, or Sociology with research interests in Mesoamerican Studies are eligible for this award.

Apply for the First Encounter Scholarship

Three copies of the proposal should be submitted. Proposals should consist of the following:

  • Application Cover Page: Available in the IMS office, Arts and Sciences (AS) 233. An Application Cover Page is also available for download.
  • Project Description: This should be a short description (two to three single-spaced typed pages) of the proposed project. It should describe the research problem, give the theoretical background of the research, specify objectives and methods, provide a statement of the anthropological significance of the project, and state how the research relates to your degree program and other research you have done or plan to do. Please add a bibliography of one or two pages.
  • Schedule and Budget: In one page, provide a proposed schedule of activities, a budget of expenses, and a statement of actual and potential additional sources of funding for the research.
  • Curriculum Vitae: Attach a current curriculum vitae.

Criteria for selection include the scholarly value of the research project, the level of professionalism demonstrated, and the relationship of the project to the student's degree program.

The proposal should be submitted, in the form of a single pdf file, via email to [email protected].
 

Learn more about the 2021 First Encounter Scholarship recipients.

Learn more about past First Encounter Scholarship recipients.


 

Christopher DeCormier Memorial Scholarship

The Institute for Mesoamerican Studies at SUNY-Albany is pleased to present the Christopher DeCormier Memorial Scholarship in Mesoamerican Studies. Every year, the award is given to one or more graduate or undergraduate students to conduct research on Mesoamerica. Preference is given to IMS student associates.

Christopher DeCormier Memorial Scholarship Details

The scholarship was established to honor the memory of Christopher DeCormier, a SUNY-Albany student with strong interests in Maya culture and fieldwork. Proposed projects may be in any subfield of anthropology, but should focus on interpreting some aspect of ancient or modern Mesoamerican culture or society. Fieldwork should not be an end in itself but should contribute to an understanding of some feature of Mesoamerican culture or thought.
 

DeCormier Memorial Scholarship Application

Three copies of the proposal should be submitted. Proposals should consist of the following:

  • Application Cover Page: available in the IMS office, Arts and Sciences (AS) 233. An Application Cover Page is also available for download.
  • Project Description: This should be a short description (two to three single-spaced typed pages) of the proposed project. It should describe the research problem, give the theoretical background of the research, specify objectives and methods, provide a statement of the anthropological significance of the project, and state how the research relates to your degree program and other research you have done or plan to do. Please add a bibliography of one or two pages.
  • Schedule and Budget: On one page, provide a proposed schedule of activities, a budget of expenses, and a statement of actual and potential additional sources of funding for the research.
  • Curriculum Vitae: Attach a current curriculum vitae.

Criteria for selection include the scholarly value of the research project, its relevance to Mesoamerican anthropology, the level of professionalism demonstrated, and the relationship of the project to the student's degree program.

Past applicants are encouraged to apply again. Applications should be submitted to the Institute for Mesoamerican Studies (AS 233) or the IMS mailbox (AS 236), including a digital copy in PDF to [email protected].
 

Support the DeCormier Memorial Scholarship

To offer a donation, please send a check, payable to the Institute for Mesoamerican Studies, to:

The Institute for Mesoamerican Studies
Department of Anthropology
Arts and Sciences 233
The University at Albany
1400 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12222

 

Learn more about Christopher DeCormier and the Memorial Scholarship.

View a list of DeCormier Scholarship recipients from 1979 to the present day.

Learn more about the 2021 DeCormier Scholarship recipients.