Undergraduate Research Grants

Lehigh University’s Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative offers funding for undergraduate students to conduct independent research (including creative works) in the Humanities and humanistic Social Sciences connected to the MDHI’s focus on engaging with the local community through the digital humanities and documentary studies. Project outcomes could include web-based archives, oral histories, documentary films, and many other compelling digital forms. For examples of undergraduate research projects that meet the goals of the MDHI see Project Models.

Grants will be available for individual as well as group projects that engage students, under faculty supervision, in independent inquiry, artistic creation, and scholarship. Priority will be given to proposals for projects that involve both community engagement and the use of digital or documentary methods, but proposals for projects that focus either on community engagement or the use of digital or documentary methods may also be considered. Students completing senior theses, honors theses, and projects for the Eckardt Scholars program are especially encouraged to apply, but funding will be made available for all types of independent research.

Grants up to $5,000 per individual will be awarded. Grant funds can be disbursed as a stipend, expense reimbursement or a combination of the two. Research supplies and other valid expenses may be reimbursed. Note that MDHI grant money cannot be used to pay for food, venue rental or undergraduate travel. Grants can be combined with funding from other sources (such as funding from faculty advisors, department chairs, center directors, Strohl grants, Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative Community Partner grants, Humanities Center grants, or other external grants).  If funding from other sources will be used to support this project, you must list the source and the amount of funds in your budget.

Eligibility

Full-time Lehigh undergraduate students, including Presidential Scholars

Application Process

Grants will be awarded twice per academic year (July 1-June 30) from 2015-2018. Proposals for spring and summer project proposals, and proposals for academic year 2017-2018 should be submitted by February 27, 2017. You may apply for only one MDHI grant each fiscal year, but are welcome to reapply for funding in the following years for a new project or to expand work on a previous project. 

The October grant application deadline has passed.  Submit an online application for the February 27 deadline here.  Proposals will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the MDHI steering committee.

To apply, submit an application online with the following information:

  • Your name and expected graduation date
  • The names of other students working on the project and their expected graduation dates (if applicable)
  • Project Title
  • A project proposal (750 words or less)
  • A statement of project relevance to MDHI goals (500 words or less)
  • A one-sentence description of your project outcome (i.e. a website, a documentary film, oral history interviews, etc.)
  • A listing of expected community collaborators (if applicable)
  • A specification of what, if any, technological and personnel support is requested.
    • Please be specific as to who will build or support all aspects of any project you are creating. If you plan to use Lehigh personnel to build your project or for techincal support, please contact Julia Maserjian of LTS (jcm5@lehigh.edu) prior to submitting your application to discuss the technical aspects of your project and to inquire as to whether you will need LTS or IMRC support, and indicate this in your application.
  • List equipment (software and hardware) needed for your project, and state whether this equipment is already available for use on campus.
  • A budget
    • Your budget should list any additional funding sources relevant to the project.
    • If significant LTS/DMS/CITL support is involved in the technical development of your project, we ask that you include in your budget an LTS equipment and support fee of $500-$1000, depending on the level of support required for the project. Consultation with Julia Maserjian (jcm5@lehigh.edu) will determine the level of support anticipated for your project.
    • Remember that MDHI funds cannot be used to pay for food, space rental or undergraduate travel.
    • Clearly note the hourly wage for anyone compensated through this grant.
    • Undergraduate students may be eligible to use the grant for stipend support if the grant work is above and beyond work being submitted for course credit. Additional eligibility requirements apply, including considerations for the total amount of paid work you are doing on campus. Students should budget $15 an hour for their stipend. 
  • A timetable for when you will start and complete your project
  • The name and contact information of a Lehigh faculty member(s) who has agreed to supervise the project
    • The faculty advisor who has agreed to supervise your project will be emailed once you submit your application, and they will be asked to submit an endorsement and stated commitment to mentorship via email. It is your responsibility to follow up with your advisor to ensure that they have submitted their endorsement.

For group grants, all members of the group should be listed in the proposal, but only one application should be submitted and only one letter of faculty endorsement is required.

Grant Finalists

Grant finalists will be required to attend a meeting to discuss final details of their project and to sort out any issues regarding payment and reimbursement processes, technology questions, IRB, Intellectual Property, legal issues, and any other outstanding issues that are not fully resolved in the application. After this meeting, you will need to resolve outstanding issues with your grant before being awarded a grant and receiving an award letter.

Grant Recipients

Grant recipients will be notified of their acceptance via email and will receive a formal award letter and intellectual property agreement. These two documents must be signed and returned before expenses can be incurred or reimbursed from the grant. 

Grant Requirements

  • If you anticipate any changes to your proposal or budget, you must submit your updated proposal and budget via email to Amanda Webb (inmdhig@lehigh.edu) as soon as possible for approval prior to spending the awarded funds.
  • All funds must be spent according to Lehigh’s expense policy.
  • Approved websites: Websites should be built on Lehigh servers where possible. We highly encourage applicants who plan to build websites as a part of their projects to utilize one of the MDHI approved website platforms through Lehigh University:
    • LTS or IMRC supported site, such as Drupal
    • Scalar through Lehigh
    • Lehigh's Wordpress instance
    • OMEKA through Lehigh
    • GoogleSites using your Lehigh credentials

    If it is necessary for you to build a website on an external platform, you will need to discuss this with LTS and with MDHI Program Director Ed Whitley.

  • Technology (either software or hardware) purchased with grant funding will remain with the MDHI following the completion of the grant period.
  • Spending must conclude by April 2018 for grants funded in the 2017-2018 cycle. Applicants must submit a formal request to extend the spending period beyond April 2018, but under no circumstances can extend past June 2018. Unspent funds must be returned to the MDHI. Extensions in project time or awarded dollar amount will not be granted under this program.
  • Grant recipients will submit a short mid-research project update noting their progress, listing remaining project funds and explaining how the funds will be used.
  • At the end of your project, you are required to show a deliverablem, such as a website, film, exhibit, etc. and a written report about your project outcomes.
  • Students must submit the materials created through the grant (photos, videos, websites, etc.) to LTS by April 30, 2018 or by their graduation date. These materials will be shared with Lehigh University and with the Mellon foundation.
  • Students are expected to present their projects to their department, at an undergraduate symposium, or at another on-campus event. 

Research Compliance

Projects involving human subjects research per Lehigh University’s policy are required to submit IRB approval/exemption in order to receive MDHI grant funds. The Lehigh University Human Subjects Research policy is available at the following website: https://research.cc.lehigh.edu/irb.

Questions?  For questions about the application or project expenses, please contact Amanda Webb (inmdhig@lehigh.edu). For questions about the MDHI grants, contact Ed Whitley, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative at (whitley@lehigh.edu), or Cory Fischer-Hoffman (cof316@lehigh.edu). To learn more about the Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative, visit About.