As part of the University of Michigan Transfer Bridges to the Humanities@Michigan, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at the University of Michigan (U-M) is partnering with faculty and academic units at select community colleges to build bridges and opportunities to broaden access and participation in scholarly work related to the Humanities.
The Mellon Research Scholar Fellowship (MRSF) is a 20 week paid opportunity that allows current community college students interested in the humanities and related social sciences to perform part-time research alongside University of Michigan faculty (10 weeks per semester).
The humanities comprise a rich and diverse ecosystem of academic disciplines, each of which focuses on a different facet of the human experience. Fields concerned with the study of language, culture, and society are allowed to flourish indiscriminately; artistic expression is cultivated even as it is analyzed. Equally diverse, humanistic research possesses a strong interdisciplinary element that allows for unique, groundbreaking work to be performed.
Contact Information
If you have any questions, please contact the Mellon Scholar Coordinator for UROP, Julie Catanzarite, at jcatanza@umich.edu.
Application: We are not currently accepting applications for this academic year.
Stipend: Research fellows receive a $1,000-2,500 stipend per semester for their participation in the program, dependent on hours worked per week (between 6 and 12). Maximum stipend amount is $5,000 for the academic year.
The program seeks to attract a diverse student population, including women and historically underrepresented students, first generation college students, students from low-income backgrounds, and veterans. Participating in the program will:
- Build a close working student-mentor relationships with UM Faculty and research scholars.
- Connect with representatives from UM Admissions, Financial Aid, and Academic Advising.
- Learn about Transfer Procedures and Strategies.
- Gain access to University of Michigan Campus Resources and Programs.
- Develop students' Professional and Transferable Skills in their field of Study or major.
- Stipend: Research fellows receive a $1,000-2,500 stipend per semester for their participation in the program, dependent on the number of hours worked per week (between 6 and 12). Since there are two semesters, fall and winter, the maximum stipend amount is $5,000.
Applicants must:
- have already graduated from High School (or earned a GED)
- be a currently enrolled student attending Henry Ford Community College, Grand Raoids Community College, or Schoolcraft Community College
- have completed at least 18 credits (or 2 semesters) at the community college level
Please note:
Students who have already received a bachelor's degree will not be eligible to apply.
Students who have already been admitted to UM-Ann Arbor or plan on transferring to UM for Winter 2023 are not eligible to apply.
International Students currently in the U.S.: Because these fellowships come with a stipend, it is important for any F-1 or J-1 status holders to obtain authorization through F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or J-1 Academic Training (AT) to be able to participate. Please consult with your Academic Advisor and International Student Advisor at your home institution to verify CPT/AT eligibility, requirements, and application procedures.
1. Short Video: No more than two minutes in length in which you respond to the prompt: How have you benefited from your interest in the humanities? Feel free to speak generally or focus on a particular lesson, idea, mindset, etc.
You are encouraged to be creative, but be sure that your submission accurately reflects your feelings on the subject. It does not need to be of professional quality; we are looking for consideration and insight into your relationship with the humanities.
Submissions must clearly and exclusively feature the applicant. Submissions in which the applicant is difficult to see or hear will not be accepted.
There is no limit on retakes before submission, but the content should not be read from a script or reproduced in large part from memory.
Submissions may not be edited, except to crop the beginning and/or end for time. Other changes--cuts, on-screen text, adding music, increasing/decreasing feedback, etc.--will result in disqualification.
Submissions must be in MP4 format. Other file types will not be accepted.
Submissions exceeding two minutes will not be accepted, regardless of reasoning.
2. Copy of Unofficial Community College Transcript (upload as a PDF)
3. Current Resume (upload as a PDF)
4. Complete Short Answer Questions
5. Letter of Recommendation from a Community College Faculty Member
2025-2026 UROP Mellon Fellows
Jaron Larson is a mechanical engineering student at Northwestern Michigan College and a member of Phi Theta Kappa, preparing to transfer to the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, followed by a master’s in Biomedical Engineering. Through the Community College Summer Fellowship Program (CCSFP) with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), Jaron conducted research on the biomedical aspects of transportation safety. His project analyzed neck muscle morphology using CT imaging and statistical modeling to improve human body simulations used in crash safety design. His team’s findings, which highlight the statistical significance of anatomical variation in injury prediction, are currently being prepared for journal publication. Outside of research, Jaron is an active member of the Grand Traverse Sunrise Rotary Club, where he contributes to the Born to Read literacy initiative and serves on the Public Image Committee. His long-term goal is to integrate innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship to translate engineering research into real-world solutions that enhance human safety and wellbeing.
Sally Odren is currently studying Sociology at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC). As a Mellon Scholar Research Fellow and former Community College Summer Program Fellow within the University of Michigan’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), I’ve had the opportunity to work on research that examines the implications of the presently limited racial and socioeconomic diversity within the college admissions workforce. At GRCC, I'm a member of the Honors Program and the International Affairs Club. Currently, I’m working on my honors capstone with several other students. We are working to mobilize the campus community to support the goals of a local literacy-focused non-profit. I plan on transferring to the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in the fall of 2025 to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Afterwards, I plan on attending graduate school to earn a PhD in educational sociology. I hope to conduct research within academia or the public sector in the future. These plans are rooted in my experience as a first-generation college student, which continually drives my interest in educational equity.
My name is Alma Frutos and I am currently studying anthropology with an interest in astronomy at Grand Rapids Community College. I am planning on transferring to the University of Michigan for Fall of 2026 where I would like to obtain a major in anthropology and a minor in astronomy to later combine them for a post-grad degree. Through the summer program UROP, I was able to work on the 150th dissertational history of the Rackham Graduate School— where I focused on the Latino experience at the University Of Michigan through archival resources at the Bentley Archival Library as well as interviewing current grad students along with recent alumni. Currently, I am still working on 150th Anniversary Project; by looking at all the past dissertations written through all the departments of the University, I have been able to find the first ten dissertations passed by departments and making an analysis on how dissertations have changed over time along with what different topics may be. Doing research involving higher education is important to me to not just to bring underrepresented voices into the conversation but also show the importance of higher education as a whole.
My name is Christopher Serrano, and I am a current student at Henry Ford College planning to transfer to the University of Michigan to pursue a graduate degree in mechanical engineering. As a hands-on hobby, I enjoy repairing cars and seeing firsthand how modern automotive systems have evolved over the years. In addition, capturing landscapes, cityscapes, and architecture at every place I go is also something I enjoy doing in my free time. Academically, my interest lies in the automotive industry on the innovation side of mechanical design. Recently, I participated in the Battery Workforce Challenge at UM-Dearborn, where I contributed to the hardware design of electric vehicle batteries. This year, I joined the Community College Summer Fellowship Program, researching the quantum properties of semiconducting magnets and exfoliating bulk crystals for future spectroscopy experiments. A future goal I have is to help design advanced vehicle technologies that incorporate sustainability and performance.
Alaina Schnell is a student at Henry Ford College who is Editor in Chief of the college’s student-run newspaper, Mirror News, and is a member of the Honors II Program. She will be graduating from HFC in December with an Associate in Arts in journalism and will transfer to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the Winter of 2026 to study creative writing and literature, with a focus on poetry. While her primary interest is writing, Alaina is passionate about women's reproductive rights; over the summer, she participated in the Community College Summer Fellowship Program (CCSFP), researching reproductive coercion among young women and the feasibility of implementing a pilot website, designed to educate family planning patients in Michigan about reproductive coercion and harm reduction strategies, into pre-appointment material. She is continuing this research under the Mellon Research Scholar Fellowship (MRSF). Researching reproductive coercion has been an invaluable learning experience and reaffirmed her belief that family planning care and information about harm reduction strategies should be easily accessible and affordable to all; Alaina hopes that ongoing and future research in women’s reproductive health will inform public policy.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions about the Mellon Research Scholar Fellowship, please email mrsf.info@umich.edu
GRCC students have been previously funded.
