The Penn Museum Fellows program supports and promotes advanced research at the Museum for three undergraduate students from Penn. Over the course of one academic year, the Fellows work with Museum curators, staff, or associated faculty on a significant project in the collections, laboratories, or galleries of the Penn Museum.
Three Penn Museum Fellows are accepted for each academic year.
Nomination Deadline: March 15, 2019
How to be nominated for Penn Museum Fellows
Acceptance to Penn Museum Fellows is based on faculty nominations. Students interested in becoming a Penn Museum Fellow should discuss their project and their interest in Penn Museum Fellows with their project supervisor.
A letter of nomination from the student’s project supervisor should be submitted to the Penn Museum Research Liaison Sarah Linn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The nomination letter should reference the student’s previous research and include a short description of the proposed project.
Nominations will be evaluated based on the project’s connection with the Penn Museum and on the quality of the student’s previous research.
Nominees should have a history of engagement with the Museum, including one or more of the following:
- Coursework in the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) and in other related academic departments, such as Anthropology, Classical Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Art History, et al.
- Participation in extra-curricular programs such as the Penn Museum Summer Internship, the Student Exhibition Program, or Clio Society
- Other Museum opportunities, such as curatorial seminars, work-study, or volunteer positions
Elegibility
Upper-level undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania are eligible for nomination to Penn Museum Fellows. Nominees must be pursuing an original research project related to the collections, history, or ongoing research activities of the Penn Museum.
Lower-level undergraduate students should consider applying for Summer Internships or the Student Exhibition Program.
Financial Support
Penn Museum Fellows receive a stipend of $1400 ($700 per semester) in support of their research. Students are also encouraged to apply for Field Funds for research conducted outside of the Museum.
Timeline and Expectations
Penn Museum Fellows is an academic year-long program. Fellows are accepted in the spring semester prior to the start of the upcoming academic year. Beginning in the fall semester, Fellows will meet biweekly to discuss their research and receive peer feedback.
In addition to time spent on the project (researching, writing, meeting with project supervisors, etc.), Fellows are expected to spend an average of five hours per week on the following:
- Preparing for and attending biweekly meetings
- Presenting research at on-campus events, such as the CURF Poster Session and the Quaker Days Research Expo
- Presenting research at Penn Museum events, such as All-Staff Meetings, Director’s Council Meetings, and public events
- Writing blog posts about their research projects for the Penn Museum blog
Penn Museum Fellows are also encouraged to present their projects at national conferences and other university conferences, as well as publish their research in undergraduate journals, such as in situ and Discentes.
More Information
Previous Penn Museum Fellows Projects
- Archaeobotany in the Gardens of Emily Dickinson (Madeline Friedman, 2018
- Robert H. Lamborn: An Atypical Collector in 19th century Philadelphia (Sheridan Small, 2018
- From the Baltic to the Mediterranean: Imports on Local Object in Ancient Italy (Claudia Epley, 2018
- Boys of Sumer: Nasir and Clarence (Kamillia Scott, 2016)
Press and Related Blog Posts
- Discovery in Action: A Penn Student’s Experience
- Digging Up an Excavation: Archival Research as a Penn Museum Fellow (link no longer works)
- Penn Student Curator Explores the Human Side in Archival Exhibition The Boys of Sumer: Discovery in Mesopotamia
- An Archaeobotanist Blooms from the Classroom to the Field
For more information, please contact Penn Museum Research Liaison Sarah Linn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..