Robert A. Rescorla Undergraduate Research Fellows Endowed Fund
There is an excitement about doing research which is difficult to match. It is a heady experience to be the first to know something, whether it is a fact about the physical world, a new understanding of a piece of art or literature, or an novel appreciation of a social interaction. It is the kind of experience that motivates our faculty; and it is the kind of experience that will excite our undergraduates, helping to instill a love of learning. – Robert Rescorla, “Undergraduate Research Experience”, ALMANAC, Dec 6, 1994
Endowed with a gift from Shirley A. Steele in memory of her late husband, the Robert A. Rescorla Undergraduate Research Fellows Endowed Fund supports 5 students per summer conducting research on human thinking and behavior as part of the MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program. Rescorla Fellows will be selected and identified from among the pool of applicants to the annual Summer Fellowship Program as those with a particular interest in human behavior and thinking.
Students awarded Rescorla Fellowships receive a stipend of $5000 for ten weeks of full-time research in a MindCORE faculty behavioral lab. Students do not need to apply for the Rescorla Fellowship, they will be identified from among the applicants to the MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program.
Applications for the program are due annually in January.
Rescorla Fellows to Date:
- Nicole Henry (2022)
- Rebecca Hennessy (2022)
- Olivia Maltz (2023)
- Jamaal Spence (2023)
- McKenna Sun (2023)
- Samuel Wiltjer (2022)
Robert A. Rescorla (1940-2020), Emeritus Professor of Psychology and former chair of the Department of Psychology and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, was, according to Professor of Psychology Paul Rozin, “the world’s most distinguished scholar in the area of the psychology of animal learning and a great teacher. He was perhaps the greatest pure experimental psychologist of the 20th century and a passionate advocate for undergraduates.” Shirley Steele recalls, “Bob thought it was important for undergraduates to understand and participate in real research. His own college research experience was transformative, and it is only fitting that part of his legacy will be to create similar opportunities for generations of students.”
Click here to return to the main MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program page.