Research Partnerships for Students

Students may now apply to participate during the 2011–2012 academic year.

Please contact RRP for information on projects that are still open.

Read about the research partnership proposals below.

Download the application form.

See also "Partners in Research" and "Keywords: Art, Women, Friendship."

Introduction

Radcliffe initiated the Radcliffe Research Partnership (RRP) program as part of a commitment to increase opportunities for undergraduates to work with current Radcliffe fellows. It matches undergraduates (junior partners) with scholars or creative artists (senior partners). The program fosters intellectual growth, develops skills, builds confidence, and offers exceptional role models to Harvard undergraduates. Projects mirror the interdisciplinary nature of the Radcliffe Fellowship Program, including topics in science, public policy, gender studies, the humanities, and the arts.

VIDEO: Research partners describe their rich experiences in the program.

 

The Senior Research Partners

Current fellows provide a detailed description of the project for which the student will provide support, the specific tasks to be performed, and the skills and experience the student can hope to gain while working on this research. They also include a brief statement explaining the beneficial aspects for the undergraduate, including a description of the anticipated nature of the mentoring relationship. An agreement is formalized by signing a contract which outlines shared goals and expectations throughout the year.

Mignon Nixon RI '11 and Shaun Vigil '11
Mignon Nixon RI '11 and Shaun Vigil '11

The Students: Junior Partners

Students acquire valuable research skills while participating in the Radcliffe Institute's rich intellectual life. After reviewing project proposals, students apply to the projects of their choice. The Radcliffe Research Partnership program creates an environment that encourages critical thinking, collaborative efforts, and the acquisition of new research skills.

Previous junior partners have appreciated the variety of experiences offered by the program: “It gave me a chance to interact closely with a professional who valued my opinions, and I got to research many interesting topics that are not covered in any of my courses.”

Another student noted, “It definitely taught me good research skills that I might not otherwise have developed until much later. I feel prepared to go into my thesis now with a good understanding of pertinent available resources.”

Other students enjoyed the flexibility that the program offers: “I liked the opportunity to have my own project within the researcher’s larger project, being able to schedule my own work hours, and research a topic I’m interested in.”

For more detailed information about research partnerships, see information for Research Partnership Junior Partners.

Anne Wells Branscomb Scholars

Abigail English RI '11 and Sophie LeGros '12
Sophie LeGros '12 and Abigail English RI '11


Photos by Heather Latham


2011–2012 Project Proposals


Please contact the Research Partnership Program with any questions:
Research Partnership Program
Radcliffe Institute Fellowship Office
8 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3798
rrp@radcliffe.edu

A New Novel
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

New England Poets: A Work for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble
John Aylward

Application of Emerging Technologies to Foster Creativity and Innovation through Science Education
Stefi Baum

Hand-Eye-Brain Coordination in Education and Learning
Stefi  Baum

Bubbles, Feedback, and Activity in Clusters of Galaxies
Stefi Baum

Autism: Statistical Trends
Stefi Baum

Female Labor and Footbinding in Rural China
Laurel Bossen

History and Science of Brownies and Cookies
Michael P. Brenner

Female Labor and Footbinding in Rural China, 1900–1950
Melissa J. Brown

Vernacular Poetics of Metaphor: Middle English and the Corporate Subject
Cristina Maria Cervone

In the Company of Women: Female Sexuality and Empowerment in Surrealism
Whitney Chadwick

Engineering, Poetry, Mapping: Literature and Cartography in Early Modern France
Tom Conley

Habitable Worlds: Eugenic Spaces and Democratic Spaces
Rosemarie Garland-Thomson

Slipping Downhill: How Changes in the US Economy Are Transforming Lives and Reshaping Our National Identity
Amy Goldstein

Visualizing Identity (A Multimedia Project)
Cristina Grasseni

Skilled Visions: Critical Ecologies of Belonging (a film and archive project)
Cristina Grasseni

Speak No Evil
Uzodinma Iweala

Photo Essay: Timbuktu
Uzodinma Iweala

Exoplanets and Extreme Science
Ray Jayawardhana

The City and the Revolution: Shanghai in the Long 1950s
Jin Jiang

Curing Robot Autism
Gal Kaminka

Parenthood of Taiwanese/Chinese Immigrants
Pei-Chia  Lan

Managing Uncertainty: Death and Memory in Modern South Africa
Rebekah Lee

Olympic Urbanism: From Rome to Rio
Judith Grant Long

The Effect of Modern Scientific Methodology on Modern Political Thought
Mortaza Mardiha

Moon of Alabama: From Nazi Germany to Tranquility Base, via the Segregated American South
Diane McWhorter

New National Radio and Interactive Documentary Show, http://karaoehler.com/
Kara Oehler

Sarmiento, Translator: Rehearsals of William Shakespeare´s As You Like It
Matías Piñeiro

Semi-Detached: The Aesthetics of Partial Absorption
John Plotz

Life and Death in a Petersham Cemetery: A Demography of Lichens
Anne Pringle

Early Islamic Urbanism
Nasser Rabbat

The Story of Islamic Architecture
Nasser Rabbat

Visualizing the Wonders of Embryonic Development
Benny Shilo

Goods and Debts in Medieval Mediterranean Europe
Dan Smail

The Reading Practices of the Rabbis
David Stern

A History of the Jewish Book
David Stern

The Aesthetics of Fire: On the Art of Chile Eating
Victor Valle

Apocalypticism and Hierarchy in the Letters of Paul
Emma Wasserman

Building a New War on Poverty
Margaret Weir

Research Partnership Junior PartnersAnne Wells Branscomb Scholars