Dartmouth has selected five scholars to be the first members of the Society of Fellows initiative, out of an initial applicant pool of more than 1,700 postdoctoral fellows, English professor Donald Pease said. The selected fellows will begin three-year fellowships this fall and will conduct research at the College for at least one year, vice provost for academic initiatives Denise Anthony said.
The fellows are Caitano da Silva, who got his electrical engineering degree at Penn State University; Yvonne Kwan, a sociologist from the University of California at Santa Cruz; Vanessa Freije, a historian from Duke University; Bess Koffman, who has a degree in earth and climate sciences from the University of Maine and Katharine Kindervater, who has a degree in geography from the University of Minnesota.
The professors who will serve as mentors to the scholars narrowed the total applicant pool down to 15-20, Dever said. The professors then interviewed these scholars and decided on the 10-12 best choices, and Dever then made the final selection.
The candidates were chosen based on the creativity of their scholarly work, their interest in an interdisciplinary conversation and their potential fit with campus activity, Anthony said.
Pease said he was pleased with the fellows, adding that they represent a variety of interconnected disciplines. He will not work directly with any of the fellows because they are not within his department, but Pease said he will still talk to the fellows about their projects, listen to their presentations and help them communicate with professors and undergraduates doing thesis work.
“The fellows are all mediators — they are simultaneously scholars working at the cutting edge of their own disciplines and figures who can build bridges between and across the divisions, not only within the arts and sciences but also bridges between and across the professional schools,” Pease said.
Pease said he was looking forward to having intellectual conversations with the fellows.
Interviewed fellows noted a variety of reasons for applying, including the ability to work with students and use College resources.
Da Silva said he applied because the combination of independent research with teaching and training at a prestigious university is a unique opportunity.
His research will consist of examining the production of gamma rays and x-rays by lightning and thunder storms and how it interacts with the atmosphere.
Da Silva said he is looking forward to working with physics professor Robyn Millan and engineering professor William Lotko, as well as to interacting with students.
“This opportunity is unique — it is most likely one of the few postdoctoral positions that combines independence to perform the research I want to develop,” he said. “It will involve some teaching and some training related to teaching.
Koffman said she applied because she wanted to work with the earth sciences department, and in particular with earth sciences professor Erich Osterberg, on new ice cores to develop more accurate climate records.
She also said she was excited to be part of a campus community and to teach a class, as she is primarily engaged in research.
Kwan said she applied due to the time and resources that would be provided to her, as they will help her publish her current research and start her next research.
As a sociologist, she specializes in the research of trans-generational transmission of trauma in the Cambodian-American community. Her theory is focused on an interpersonal connection and group identification levels.
She said she is looking forward to working with the Salvadorian community in the northeast to examine the ensuing trauma in foreign countries following U.S. military intervention, working with the Gender Research Institute at Dartmouth and collaborating with sociology professor Deborah King.
Freije said she applied due to the support the school would offer as she converts her dissertation about the history of free speech issues in Mexico into a book. She wants to teach a class on the history of censorship in a global context with a focus on Latin America.
“I was about to finish my Ph.D. and I knew that the Society of Fellows at Dartmouth would offer the opportunity of three years of support after completing my Ph.D., and I saw this as an opportunity to be a part of what seems to be a very vibrant and intellectual community,” Freije said.
Anthony said that the fellows are expected to find their own living space, but will be provided with offices.
The fellows will receive $59,200 per year plus benefits, being broken up into $4,600 every month and $4,000 a year for program-related costs. The fellows will also have access to all Dartmouth resources, Anthony said.
They will be required to teach one course a year, but will not be teaching courses in the fall or winter, Anthony said.
Anthony said that the fellows will be required to stay for one year and will have the possibility of renewing their stay for one or two more years.
The maximum number of scholars at any one time is 15. Next year five more will be recruited and the year after that it will depend on how many more are coming back, Anthony said.
