The purpose of the Otis Fellowship Program is to encourage among Bates students the kinds of concern for and interests in the worlds of nature that Phil Otis '95 demonstrated. These concerns and interests focused on the consequences for other living things of human pretensions to dominion over the rest of nature. Phil was interested in studying and reflecting upon new and innovative ways to understand, appreciate, and express our interdependencies with the earth. He was especially interested in reflecting upon how diverse cultural perspectives, especially moral perspectives, might contribute to the transformation of attitudes toward nature. Phil trusted new adventures and new personal experiences as occasions that might provide "new beginnings" for appreciating our places within the natural world.

The criteria for the selection of Otis Fellows are:

(1) the degree to which the proposal is an innovative or imaginative way to carry out a personal concern or interest in the natural world;

(2) evidence of academic and other preparation for the kind of activity proposed;

(3) evidence that the proposed activities can be completed in the time allotted and with the funds requested.

Fellowships provide support for a student-designed project, usually undertaken over several weeks during the summer. Academic credit is not granted for Fellowships.

Since the Fellowship program aims to encourage individual students to carry out innovative and imaginative proposals, the grants may not be used to cover the costs of affiliation with another institutionalized project or program unless such participation is a small part of the otherwise individualized activities. Fellowships are not granted to support explicit research goals or programs of either the student applicant or a faculty member.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Eligibility. All full-time first-year, sophomore, and junior students, regardless of major, are eligible to apply. Seniors are not eligible. A joint application with another Bates student is possible. The budget for a joint project may be up to $12,000 if the need for extra funds is justified in the request.

Deadline. Applications must be submitted  to the Dean of the Faculty's Office on February 2.  Proposals will not be accepted after this time.  All interested students are urged to talk with one of the members of the Otis Selection Committee (see next page) prior to completing their essay. Please note: Students planning to study off campus in the 2008-2009 academic year must contact Professor Tom Wenzel in the summer or fall of 2008 to discuss their interests. Students planning to be away in the winter semester may submit an essay by December 3 in order to be interviewed before the end of the semester.

Announcement of the Fellowships awarded is made by March 15. Applicants are informed of the selection before any public announcement is made. Students selected are expected to confirm the acceptance of their awards.

Application package.  Six sets of the following items must be included in the package: (a) application form (http://www.bates.edu/Prebuilt/otis-fellowship-application.pdf; (b) a one-paragraph abstract ; (c) a personal statement of approximately 1,000 words (3-5 pages double-spaced) that describes the focus of your activities, your reasons for doing them, the ways they will be accomplished, and what you predict the experience will mean to you; (d) a short (not more than four typed lines) summary of the activities; (e) a resume-like summary of your academic work to date and other activities that give evidence of your interest in the purposes of the Otis Fellowship; (f) the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three persons who can attest to your qualifications for succeeding in the project; (g) a statement indicating if the project involves the use of animal or human subjects and was subject to review by the Animal Care Committee or the Institutional Review Board, and if so, whether the project was approved; (h) a concise and realistic budget for the project; (i) a project timetable with the begin and end dates of the project (these dates will be used as the basis for the payroll contract).

Awards and budget. Awards, which usually do not exceed $6,000, are made through the Otis Fellowship program. Fellowships are designated as taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service; federal, Maine, Social Security, and Medicare taxes are withheld from payments. Fellows receive their funding through the College payroll system on a schedule agreed upon by the Fellow and the committee. A budget should accompany the application that includes: (1) summer wages of $400 per week for up to ten weeks and (2) any travel or living expenses; modest equipment costs; or translation, guiding, or transcription costs. Students are encouraged to discuss their budget with Kerry O'Brien in the Dean of the Faculty's Office (122 Lane Hall, ext. 6952, email: kobrien@bates.edu).

Academic record. The selection committee may review applicant transcripts.

Interview. The selection committee reviews all proposals and may interview some applicants.

Campus report. Following the completion of the project, each Fellow offers a presentation to the College community. Details of this obligation are discussed with each Fellow.

Selection committee. The Otis Committee welcomes questions. Its members are  Jane Costlow, Professor of Russian and Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies; Lillian Nayder, Professor of English; Jonathan Skinner, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies; Thomas Wenzel, Charles A. Dana Professor of Chemistry; and Kerry O'Brien, Assistant Dean of the Faculty.

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2006 Otis Fellowships

Gabriela Anhalzer and Valerie LaRiviere '07:  The Incan Royal Highway:  A Path from the Past to the Future.  Ms. Anhalzer and Ms. LaRiviere hiked sections of the ancient Incan Royal Highway through Ecuador and Peru where they explored the conservation issues surrounding this highway in regard to using ecotourism as a viable source of environmental conservation.

Jacob Bluestone '07:  A Land of Opportunity:  The Middle; North to South.  Mr. Bluestone spent the summer exploring the Great Plains by documenting the wide open spaces of sparsely populated regions of the United States, and the relationship between topography and its inhabitants through his photography.

Khoa Pham '07:  A Revisiting the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  Mr. Pham traveled through six provinces of Vietnam along the Ho Chi Mink Trail to experience the economic and cultural aspects of various sections across the Vietnam and to explore a personal interest in the social and environment complexities of development.

2007 Otis Fellowships

Kaitlin Galloway '10: El Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrimage of Land and Spirit. Ms. Galloway followed the famous Christian pilgrimage of spiritual awakening across Europe along the El Camino de Santiago route, recording her experience in photography and writing.

Alexander Martin '08 and Benjamin Reilly '08: In the Footsteps of Natives and Northmen: The Northern Forest by Canoe. Mr. Martin and Mr. Reilly paddled the entire 740 mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail from New York to Maine, exploring the legacy of the northern waterways and developing an intimate knowledge of the New England landscape in its wilderness, rural, and urban manifestations.

Tucker Pawlick '09: Towards a Culture of Sustainability. Mr. Pawlick spent three months living and working on three different Mayan farming collectives in Guatemala, exploring how indigenous Mayan agricultural and ecological knowledge and modern permaculture practices combine to provide new forms of ecological sustainability and human relationships with the earth.

Rose Schwab '09: The Spiritual Power of Sustenance-Based Land Use, Romania. Ms. Schwab travelled to Homordszentpeter, in Transylvania, Romania, sharing and connecting with local villagers strong in the Unitarian faith. Ms. Schwab’s spiritual journey began in this region, from which her heritage descends, as she considers a career in the Unitarian Universalist ministry.

2008 Otis Fellowships

Hwi Ling Ng '09: Following the Ganges – A Collision of Flesh and Spirit in Water. Ms. Ng documented in photography and writing the changing phases of the River Ganges from the place of its birth to the point of its union with the ocean, and explored how man has altered the banks and course over the miles.

Ellen Sabina '09: The Faroe Islands. Ms. Sabina traveled to Faroe Islands and explored the relationship between the Faroese people and ocean. Isolated by geography and fiercely proud of their heritage, the people of the Faroe Island depend almost entirely on the sea for survival and adhere to the traditions that sustained their ancestors, including the driving of the pilot whales. 

Anna Skarstad '11: Farming in the Western Fjords of Norway: An Endangered Life? Ms. Skarstad traveled to the Western fjords of Norway, and spent her time between two traditional sheep farms, one located high in the mountains, and the other on a remote, mostly abandoned island. She focused on how and if these farms manage to thrive despite being affected by nature in extreme ways. She questioned the strength and profundity of the relationship these farmers' have with their land. 

08/2008