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Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowship

for professionals and college students

photo of Ellen Brenner

The Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowship is one of the three types of awards offered by the CSHL Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology. It was established in 2010 in memory of Ellen Brenner, who was a CSHL librarian and integral member of the lab community for nearly a decade.

Made possible by the generosity of Ellen’s husband, Dr. Steven Brenner, and other donors, the Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowship offers a stipend to work on a mentored project at CSHL. Experienced librarians and archivists at CSHL will serve as mentors to the Brenner Fellows.

Two fellowships with stipends of up to $2000 (part-time for 8 weeks or full-time for 4 weeks) will be awarded each year. We invite applications from scientists, medical professionals, library-science students and graduates, and others—anyone who is exploring a career path that might encompass work as research librarians, science informationists, and/or archivists.

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Ellen Brenner was a reference librarian at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library and Archives. She upheld the highest standards of excellence in her work, while bringing warmth and sincerity to everyone with whom she worked. She had extensive knowledge of medical and science literature, having worked as a reference librarian at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Health Sciences Library, the Milton Helpern Library of Legal Medicine, and at the Cornell University Medical College Library. Her professional contributions led to significant growth of the CSHL Library’s programs and services. This memorial is a testament to Ellen’s understanding of the important interactions between libraries and scientists in the advancement of knowledge.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to library professionals at any career stage, library science graduate students, and anyone with a career in science or medicine who is eager to transition toward work as a science librarian, archivist, or informationist.

Application Deadline

Applications may be submitted at any time. They will be considered on an ongoing basis.

Award terms

Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowships generally involve working part-time (8 weeks) or full-time (4 weeks). Recipients will receive a $2000 stipend. Fellows will be supervised in projects that generally fall into one of two broad categories.

Ellen Brenner Library Fellows will gain experience working in a science library with scientific resources, as well as become involved with various projects at the CSHL Library. They will work at CSHL on projects that expand the Library’s reference services and strengthen its bond with the CSHL scientific community. They may also work on special projects relating to the development of science libraries in the 21st century. To learn more about the Library collections and holdings, please visit our Library Resources information page.

Ellen Brenner Archives Fellows will gain experience working with collections related to the history of CSHL and the history of molecular biology and biotechnology, including both institutional records and manuscripts of prominent scientists in these fields. Fellows will work on projects that are currently underway in the CSHL Archives and the Genentech Center for the History of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Topic areas include digitization, oral history, archives processing, and cataloging/creating metadata. To learn more about the Archives collections and holdings and The Genentech Center for the History of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, please visit our Archives information page.

Ellen Brenner Fellows are expected to submit a brief written report on their work at the conclusion of their fellowship.

The stipend may be used for any purpose, including local travel and living expenses while in residence or working at CSHL.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.

Applications should be submitted electronically via email to ellen-brenner-fellowship@cshl.edu. Please attach all documents in PDF, DOC, or DOCX formats, with a very brief cover letter in the body of the email. Please format the subject line of your application email as “Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowship Application, [Year], [Your Name]”

A complete application package must include the following:

  1. The Ellen Brenner Application Form (pdf).
  2. A statement of purpose
  3. A curriculum vitae. Please include undergraduate and graduate education, dates of study, areas of study, publications, and previous or current fellowships, grants, and awards.

Once under consideration for the Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellowship, applicants may also be asked to provide references or letters of recommendation.

The statement of purpose should be 500-1000 words in 12-point font, double-spaced. It should include a description of your career goals and an explanation of the importance of the fellowship both in relation to your own career goals and the broader discipline.

The selection of Ellen Brenner Memorial Fellows is based on CSHL’s determination of:

  1. Motivation to pursue professional development activities in the areas of science, library and information science, and archives management.
  2. Evidence of the applicant’s ability to succeed as a science librarian or archivist.

If you have any questions about applying, please contact Ms. Tricia Loria: (516) 367-5020 or loria@cshl.edu.

Application Form (pdf)

Year Recipient Affiliation
2023 Coleen Higgins LIU Palmer School, MS Library & Information Science, Sept 2022-current; SUNY New Paltz, BA in English Language and Literature, May 2015
2023 Caroline Williams California Polytechnic State University, BA Philosophy, June 2019
2022 Clare Tonks University of Edinburgh, PhD History, July 2022; Columbia University, MA in History and Literature, October 2015; The George Washington University, BA English Literature and Psychology, May 2014
2020 Antoinette Sutto Harvard University, BA History 2002; Princeton University, PhD History 2008
2020 William Clyde Long Island University, BFA Photography, May 2012; Masters of Library and Information Science, Jan 2019-current
2019 Mirielle Lopez-Guzman University of North Carolina, Marine Biology, May 2016; University of California, Molecular and Cell Biology, May 2010
2019 Siddharth Satishchandran Oregon State University, MA History of Science, June 2018; Florida Atlantic University, BA Liberal Arts, May 2016
2019 Alec Israeli Princeton University, AB in History, expected June 2021
2014 Kathleen Darby
2014 Matt Covey
2013 Brian Soldo
2013 Mona Ramonetti Queens College. MLS December, 2012
2012 Connor Flatz
2012 Amy Driscoll
2011 Judith Wieber
2011 Stephanie Fernandez