Tempestt Gavins, a junior English Education major, and a member of the Honors Progam, has been selected to participate in the Arts and Humanities Summer Institute at the University of Delaware.

The Arts and Humanities Summer Institute (AHSI) is a rigorous four-week program designed to prepare undergraduate students for graduate-level coursework in the humanities.  Participants are highly motivated students entering their junior or senior year of an undergraduate degree program.  According to the University of Delaware’s website, the program provides opportunities for students to explore their interests in the humanities by designing experiences that allow them to conduct various forms of research, both archival and object-based, at regional and campus research libraries as well as at nearby historical societies. AHSI makes these unique experiences available to students from historically underrepresented groups who will be classified as rising juniors or seniors in the Summer 2010. Gavins will participate in seminars, develop an original research project with guidance from a faculty mentor, and present her findings at a public research symposium at the Institute’s end.

Participants are selected through a competitive application process and receive a $2000 stipend. Other benefits from selection include housing, transportation to and from the University of Delaware, and course materials.  To ensure that they are well informed about funding opportunities, application procedures for graduate study, and career opportunities in humanities education and research, AHSI participants will meet with current graduate students and the directors of graduate programs in the humanities. Opportunities to work with undergraduates enrolled in other summer programs on campus (e.g., McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research Fellows) will also be made available.