Philosophy Fellowships

Our fellowship programs are opportunities for scholars and students in the Helena, MT and surrounding areas to research and write about topics that are important to them, as well as design and co-direct various Merlin philosophy in the community activities and events.  Fellows will work under the mentorship of a Senior Fellow and create a project (or series of projects) that contributes to and advances philosophical sensitivity, awareness, understanding, and engagement about a variety of issues.  Fellows will receive an honorarium and research and writing projects will be published on the Merlin website, as well as other forums, as applicable; philosophy in the community projects will take place in Helena, MT and surrounding areas (as well as others locations across the state, as applicable) and archived on the Merlin website, as well.

Community Scholar Fellowships

The Merlin Community Scholar Fellowship will provide you with a chance to network with thinkers in diverse fields of study and apply philosophy to your chosen area of focus.  The program is ideal for people who value critical, creative thinking, have a knack for (or would like to develop a knack for) communicating complex and nuanced ideas in non-technical terms, believe in the importance of sharing ideas and broadening perspectives, and have a strong compassion for humanity and the environment.

Student Scholar Fellowships

The Merlin Student Scholar Fellowship will provide you with a chance to work with thinkers in diverse fields of study and apply philosophy to your chosen area of focus.  The program is ideal for students who value critical, creative thinking, have a knack for (or would like to develop a knack for) communicating complex and nuanced ideas in non-technical terms, believe in the importance of sharing ideas and broadening perspectives, and have a strong compassion for humanity and the environment.  Priority will be given to applicants interested in developing and co-directing community activities and projects (that apply your research and writing ideas in the community), as opposed to research and writing projects sans the community element.

2021-2022 Merlin Student Scholar Fellow

Read Spring 2022 Announcement

Julianna Breit is our 2021-2022 Merlin Student Scholar Fellow. Julianna is our first undergraduate fellow.  A junior at Carroll College, she is double-majoring in Biochemistry and Philosophy with minors in Ethics and Value Studies, Neuroscience, and Chemistry.  Valuing inquisition, creativity, integration, restoration, and understanding, Julianna strives to unite philosophy and neuroscience.  

Her current research interests include Phenomenology of Emotion, Trauma, and Empathy.  She is interested in pursuing a holistic perspective of body and mind that will help to inform her understanding of the human experience and her work in the field.

Recently, Julianna participated in the prestigious Exeter Summer College Programme at the University of Oxford, where she studied the Neuroscience of Stress and Trauma under Dr. Zoltan Sarnyai (MD, PhD, M.S.). With Merlin, she will be continuing her research on the neuroscientific and philosophical implications of sadness and grief.  

Her fellowship involves a combination of research, writing and philosophy in the community activities.  Learn more about Julianna here!

Winter 2021 Project

Spring 2022 Project

2019-2020 Merlin Community Scholar Fellow

Thomas Baumeister, PhD was our 2019-2020 Community Scholar Fellow.  His work focused on research, writing & philosophy in the community projects related to the human-nature relationship.  His fellowship resulted in several published pieces in local and state-wide papers on various environmental and conservation-related issues.  We continue to work with Thomas in various capacities and love having him part of our regular philosophy in the community activities!

2019-2020 Merlin Student Scholar Fellow

Henry Kramer was our 2019-2020 Student Scholar Fellow. His philosophy in the community projects focused on the human-nature relationship, environmental ethics, ecology, phenomenology, and imagination, myth, and story.  A lover of inquiry and wonder, clarity and understanding, and being immersed in the great outdoors, Henry’s philosophical interests lie in the phenomenology of nature (i.e., eco-phenomenology) and the phenomenology of imagination and story. Over the course of his young life, he has served as a panelist for the United Nations, a speaker on Tedx, and a guest lecturer at Hunter College, as well as a coordinator and facilitator for the Joseph Campbell Mythological Roundtable at the Center for Symbolic Studies in Rosendale, NY and a work-study assistant to cultural ecologist and philosopher David Abram. Henry graduated from the University of Montana, Missoula in the Summer of 2020 with an MA in Environmental Philosophy and an MA in Literature.  He currently teaches philosophy at Carroll College and Hunter College.  We will be continuing our work with Henry in the coming years.  Keep a look out for workshops and walks led by him!

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