[Air-L] Berkman Center Accepting Fellowship Applications for the 2013-2014 Academic Year

[Rebecca Tabasky]

Hi, colleagues,

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University has 
opened our yearly call for fellowship applications. This opportunity is 
for those who wish to spend the 2013-2014 academic year in residence in 
Cambridge, MA as part of Berkman's community of pioneers, and who seek 
to deeply engage in the collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and 
cross-sectoral exploration of some of the Internet's most interesting, 
challenging, and compelling issues.

We invite applications from those who are working on issues related to 
Internet and society who are familiar with the work of the Berkman 
Center as well as those who are not; those studying issues that overlap 
with ongoing Berkman interests and those who will expose us to new 
opportunities and approaches; scholars, practitioners, innovators, and 
others committed to understanding and advancing the public interest; 
those who come from and have interest in countries industrialized or 
developing; and people just beginning their work, in the midst of it, or 
eager to reflect upon it.  Stipends and benefits are awarded to fellows 
on a case-by-case basis. 

The application deadline is January 6, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

More information about this call for applications can be found below and 
at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/opencall20132014.

More information about the Berkman Center Fellowship Program can be 
found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships 
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships>.

A Fellowship Program FAQ can be found at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/faq 
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/faq>.

We welcome you to read more about our fellowship opportunities below, to 
share this announcement with your networks, and to apply!

Many thanks, and all best,
Becca

---
*
Open Call for Fellowship Applications, Academic Year 2013-2014* 
<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/opencall20132014>

*
About Berkman's Fellowship Program*

"The Berkman Center's mission is to explore and understand cyberspace; 
to study its development, dynamics, norms, and standards; and to assess 
the need or lack thereof for laws and sanctions. 

We are a research center, premised on the observation that what we seek 
to learn is not already recorded. Our method is to build out into 
cyberspace, record data as we go, self-study, and share. Our mode is 
entrepreneurial nonprofit." 

Inspired by our mission statement, the Berkman Center's fellowship 
program provides the opportunity for some of the world's most innovative 
thinkers and changemakers to hone and share ideas, find camaraderie, and 
spawn new initiatives. The program aims to encourage and support fellows 
in an inviting and rigorous intellectual environment, with community 
activities designed to foster inquiry and to identify and expose the 
common threads across fellows' individual activities.

Fellows actively participate in exchanges through a weekly fellows hour, 
fellows-run working groups, and a wide-range of Berkman Center events 
and interactions. While engaging in both substance and process, much of 
what makes the fellowship program rewarding is created each year by the 
fellows themselves to address their own interests and priorities. These 
entrepreneurial, collaborative ventures -- ranging from goal-oriented to 
experimental, from rigorous to humorous -- are what ensure the dynamism 
of the fellows, the fellowship program, and the Berkman community.

Additionally, with Berkman faculty, students, staff, and other 
affiliates, fellows help to develop and advance their own work and 
Berkman Center projects, and they learn and teach through courses, 
hacking and development sessions, cultural productions, and other 
diverse gatherings.

Fellows are essential to the Berkman Center as nodes of intelligence, 
insight, energy, and knowledge-sharing. From their diverse backgrounds 
and wide-ranging physical and virtual travels, Berkman Center fellows 
bring fresh ideas, skills, passion, and connections to the Center, and 
from their time spent in Cambridge help build and extend new 
perspectives and initiatives out into the world.
*
About Berkman Fellowships*

An appointment that defies one-size-fits-all description, each Berkman 
fellowship carries a unique set of opportunities, responsibilities and 
expectations. All fellows engage issues related to the fairly limitless 
expanse of Internet & society issues, and are committed to the 
intellectual life of the Center and fellowship program activities. Some 
fellows work as researchers directly on Berkman Center projects. Other 
fellowships consist of independent work, such as the research and 
writing of a manuscript or series of papers, the vision and planning of 
an action-oriented meeting, or the development and implementation of an 
initiative or a study on issues related to the Berkman Center's areas of 
inquiry. 

Fellowship terms typically run the course of the academic year, roughly 
from the beginning of September through the end of May. In some 
instances, fellows are re-appointed for consecutive fellowship terms.

While we embrace our many virtual connections, spending time together in 
person remains essential. In order to maximize their engagement with the 
community, during their fellowship terms fellows are expected to 
routinely spend time in and conduct much of their work from Cambridge, 
in most cases requiring residency. Tuesdays hold particular importance 
as it is the day the fellows community meets for a weekly fellows hour, 
in addition to it being the day Berkman hosts our public luncheon 
series; as such, we ask that fellows commit to spending as many Tuesdays 
at the Center as is possible.
*
Qualifications*

While fellowships are extremely competitive and our standards are 
accordingly high, we do not have a defined set of requirements for the 
fellows we select through our open call; we welcome applications from a 
wildly diverse pool of individuals.

Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum, different life 
paths, and are at all stages of career development. Some fellows are 
academics, whether students, post-docs or professors. Others come from 
outside academia, and include lawyers, philosophers, activists, 
technologists, entrepreneurs, journalists and other types of practitioners.

The commonality between all Berkman fellows is an interest in the 
intersections of the Internet and related emergent technologies, social 
change, and policy and regulatory change, and a commitment to spending 
their fellowship exploring those dynamics in concert with others.

To learn more about the work and interests of our current community of 
fellows, you can read their bios and find links to their outstanding 
work at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/fellows, read their blogs at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/planet/current/, and find them on the 
twittersphere in our list of Berkman community members at 
https://twitter.com/i/#!/berkmancenter/current-people-projects 
<https://twitter.com/i/#%21/berkmancenter/current-people-projects>.
*
Commitment to Diversity*

The work and well-being of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society are 
strengthened profoundly by the diversity of our network and our 
differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, 
religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We actively seek and 
welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, 
and persons with disabilities, as well as applications from researchers 
and practitioners from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods. 
The roots of this deep commitment are many and, appropriately, diverse. 
We are not nearly far enough along in this regard, and we may never be. 
It is a constant process in which there remains much to learn. We 
welcome your inquiries, comments and ideas on how we may continue to 
improve.
*
Stipends, Benefits, and Access to University Resources*
/
Stipends/: Fellowships awarded through the open call for applications 
are rarely stipended. Some fellows receive partial stipends --the award 
of such a stipend is based on the nature of the responsibilities the 
applicant would assume while a fellow, and their relation, relevance, 
and application to Berkman's funded projects. Most fellows receive no 
direct funding or stipend through the Berkman Center, but rather have 
obtained funding through other means, such as an outside grant or award, 
a home institution, or other forms of scholarship.
/
Benefits/: Fringe benefits do not routinely accompany Berkman 
fellowships. Fellows must make their own housing, insurance, childcare, 
and transportation arrangements.
/
Office Space/: Most Berkman fellows work out of the greater-Boston area 
and spend a significant amount of time at the Berkman Center. There are 
many desks and workspaces available for flexible use at the Berkman 
Center, though few fellows are given their own permanent desk or office. 
We endeavor to provide comfortable and productive spaces for fellows to 
work, even if it is not the same space each day. Fellows are welcome to 
host small meetings and gatherings at the Center and on the Harvard campus.
/
Access to University Resources/: Fellows are allowed physical access 
into Langdell Library (the Harvard Law School Library), and fellows are 
able to acquire a Special Borrower Card for privileges with the Harvard 
College Libraries.  At present, we do not routinely provide access to 
the University's e-resources.  Fellows do not have the ability to 
purchase University health insurance, get Harvard housing, or purchase 
Harvard gym membership. Berkman fellows wishing to audit classes at 
Harvard University must ask permission directly from the professor of 
the desired class.
*
Additional Information about the Berkman Center*

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a 
research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and 
help pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift 
from Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center is home to an 
ever-growing community of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates 
working on projects that span the broad range of intersections between 
cyberspace, technology, and society. More information can be found at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.
*
Frequently Asked Questions*

More information about fellows selection and the application process can 
be found on our Fellows Program FAQ at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/faq.
*
Required Application Materials*

1.) A current resume or CV.
2.) A personal statement which should a) frame your motivation for 
applying for a Berkman Center fellowship and b) outline the work you 
propose to conduct during a fellowship. This statement should be roughly 
1,000 -- 1,500 words or should be a multi-media equivalent.
3.) A copy of a recent publication or an example of your work that is 
related to Internet research and inquiry.  If it is a written document, 
it should be on the order of a paper, chapter, or presentation - not an 
entire book or dissertation - and should be in English.
4.) Two letters of recommendation, sent directly from the reference.

In addition to the above materials, we will ask applicants to share some 
additional information in a form as part of the application.

1) Disciplinary background: Up to three disciplines in which you have 
been trained and/or have worked.
2) Tags: Five tags that describe or represent the themes, issues, or 
ideas you know about and on which you propose to conduct work during a 
fellowship at Berkman; and five tags that represent work, themes, 
issues, or ideas that you do not currently know much about, but would 
like to explore and learn more about during a fellowship year.  Each tag 
should be one- to three- words or terms.
3) Berkman projects of interest.
*
To Apply for a 2013-2014 Academic Year Fellowship Through Our Open Call*

Applications will be submitted online through our Application Tracker at 
https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/apply/jobs/7?apptracker_id=3.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the application 
deadline: January 6, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Instructions for creating an account and submitting an application 
through the Application Tracker can be found at 
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/opencall20132014/apptrackerinstructions.

Note related to recommendation letters: Recommendation letters will be 
captured through the Application Tracker, so applicants will need to 
submit the names and contact information for references in advance of 
the application deadline.  References will receive a link at which they 
can upload their letters.  We recommend that applicants create their 
profiles and submit reference information in the Application Tracker as 
soon as they know they are going to apply and have identified their 
references - this step will not require other fellowship application 
materials to be submitted at the same time.