The American West Center at the University of Utah is pleased to offer two graduate
student fellowships for research on the American West during the 2020-2021 academic
year. The fellowships honor the late Professor Floyd A. O'Neil (1927 - 2018), Director
Emeritus of the Center and Professor Emeritus of History.
O'Neil fellowships provide up to $2,000 to pursue research on an aspect of the American
West, including the region’s history, politics, environment, society, culture, literature,
geography, or peoples. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to submit applications.
All applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate program at the University
of Utah and remain so throughout the period of the fellowship.
Students are required to complete a research paper within the academic year. This
paper may also be used as a seminar paper, thesis chapter, journal article, etc. A
copy of the paper must be given to the American West Center, and the student is required
to acknowledge the American West Center’s support in that paper, and all subsequent
research and publications that might result. The recipient will also give a presentation
on their research in Spring 2020. Upon request the recipient may be provided office
space at the Center and may receive individual guidance from the Center's faculty
and staff.
Hannah Smay receives 2018-19 Floyd O'Neil fellowship
The American West Center awarded Hannah Smay, Environmental Humanities master’s student, one of the two Floyd O’Neil Fellowships for 2018-19. This fellowship, in honor of the late professor Floyd A. O’Neil, is
awarded to a student doing research in the American West. Ms. Smay’s research focuses
on “The Seismic West.” The fellowship provides $2000 to Ms. Smay to use in her study
of earthquakes in the West. She was selected for this opportunity using the following
criteria: scholarly potential of the applicant herself, scholarly significance of
the project, clear research approach and plan, knowledge of source materials related
to the proposal, and the project’s focus on the American West.
Ms. Smay’s work seeks to reimagine the Anthropocene to include the increased risk
of seismic disasters caused by precarious placements of cities and facilities in the
seismically active West. Her project draws on traditional and scientific knowledge
of earthquakes and looks at historical explainations of earthquake-related catastrophe.
With her undergraduate roots in Portland, Oregon where “the big one” could potentially
wipe out the Pacific Northwest plus her current enrollment in University of Utah which
like much of Salt Lake City sits on a fault line, the potential for earthquake disaster
is never far from Ms. Smay’s mind. Because of where she lives and studies, her ambition
and curiosity, she is exceptionally passionate about the work she is doing.
As a Floyd O’Neil Fellow, Ms. Smay can seek guidance and additional research support
from the American West Center. In recognition of this support, she will present her
research findings at the American West Center in Spring ‘19.
How to Apply
Deadline: May 31, 2021
To apply, submit the following:
- A completed application form
- A research proposal, including a budget outlining how the research funds will be spent
(up to four pages)
- One letter of recommendation from an academic source
- Current transcript
- CV
Recipients will be selected on the following criteria:
- The applicant demonstrates scholarly potential
- The scholarly significance of the project
- The applicant demonstrates knowledge of source materials related to the proposal
- The applicant clearly states her/his research question
- The American West is a central focus of the research project
Application materials should be submitted to Michelle Judd at michelle.judd@utah.edu or mailing address: Michelle Judd, University of Utah, American West Center, 1995
de Trobriand St., FD618C, Salt Lake City, UT 84113 by May 31st, 2021. If you have any questions, you can email Michelle or call her at 801-581-7611.
