[Air-L] Berkman Center Accepting Fellowship Applications for the 2013-2014 Academic Year
Rebecca Tabasky
rtabasky at cyber.law.harvard.edu
Thu Oct 18 09:43:35 PDT 2012
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.
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