Overview
Each spring, four to six Brown sophomores are selected as Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows. Starting in the summer after their sophomore year, students receive two years of financial support to conduct research and participate in other activities as part of a community of scholars.
The MMUF Program has four seminal components:
- Undergraduate research: Each Fellow conducts an individual research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Fellows begin their research the summer after the sophomore year and continue through the junior and senior years. Such research helps prepare Mellon fellows for graduate study in their chosen disciplines.
- Engagement in an intellectual cohort community: Fellows meet regularly with other Fellows, graduate students, and faculty for forums, colloquia, and other activities.
- Intensive faculty mentoring and support: Fellows work closely with faculty members in their chosen disciplines and receive additional guidance from Brown's Mellon Faculty Advisory Board and program staff.
- Undergraduate and graduate school financial support: Fellows who remain in good standing with the program receive a stipend for each of the two summers of their fellowship and for each semester of their junior and senior years. In addition, students receive up to $10,000 in loan repayment.
Sample Calendar of Required Activities
Fall Semester
| Fall Planning Meeting & Summer Research Roundtables | Early September |
| Wellness Workshop | Early September |
| 2-Day GRE Preparation Course (seniors) | Mid- September |
| Library Resources and Content Management | Mid- September |
| Workshop: Research Design and Getting the Most Out of Mentoring Relationships | Late September |
| 2-Day New England Regional Conference | Late September |
| Workshop & Panel: Graduate School Application Process | Mid-October |
| Field trip to GRE Exam (seniors) | Mid-October |
| Mellon Alumni Lecture | Early November |
| Workshop: Planning for a Gap Year, Navigating the Job Search | Early November |
| Under/Graduate Student Mixer | Early December |
| Institute for Recruitment of Teachers presentation and individual interviews | Early December |
| Semester Wrap-up Holiday Party |
Early December |
Spring Semester
| Spring Planning Meeting | Early February |
| Writing Symposium: Yale University | Late February |
| Thesis Proposal Overview (juniors) | Late February |
| Wellness Workshop | Early March |
| Mellon Alumni Lecture | Late March |
| Induction Ceremony for New Fellows (sophomores) | Early April |
| Junior Research Roundtables (juniors) | Mid-April |
| Senior Celebration |
Late April |
| Senior Research Presentations (open to the public) |
Early May |
| 4-Day Mellon Scholar Start-Up | Early May |
| Commencement Celebration/Mellon Alumni Keynote | Memorial Day Weekend, May |