The Kelly Adirondack Center funds two eight-week summer fellowships open to all Union College students. The goal of the program is to support students doing scholarly work on the Adirondacks under the guidance of a faculty sponsor. Preference will be given to students submitting proposals for work using collections of the Adirondack Research Library.
In addition to participating in the activities of the Union Summer Research Fellows as a group, the Kelly Adirondack Center Fellows will also participate in a two-day trip to the Adirondacks. KAC Fellows are expected to do most of their work at the Center at 897 St. David’s Lane, Niskayuna. Transportation to and from campus will be provided. Each student receives $3,800 stipend.
The range of inquiry supported is broad and ideally interdisciplinary. Potential subject areas might include – but are not limited to – the history of environmental policy, management, or recreation in the region, Adirondack literature, or cartography. Previous topics include:
- The history of conflict between businesses and environmentalists in the Adirondacks, i.e. logging and milling on Lake George, paper mills in Glens Falls, mining at Tahawas, and damming for hydroelectric power.
- Conflict over development of infrastructure supporting communities, businesses, and recreation within the Forest Preserve including how State and local interests are reflected in public policy.
- The history of the Adirondacks as a casualty of climate change and a laboratory for understanding and recovery.
To learn more about the fellowship, visit the Kelly Adirondack Center's website here.