ESG-PKG Fellowships are awarded every year to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who have participated in the Experimental Study Group (ESG) during their freshman year.
We offer fellowships of up to $5,000 in support of public service projects that serve a community and provide an educational service of some kind. In the spirit of ESG, preference is given to projects that have a hands-on component and engage learners in small groups and/or peer-to-peer teaching.
Note: If you are not eligible for an ESG-PKG fellowship, you can still apply for a PKG Fellowship. ESG-PKG Fellowships take place over the summer.
Focus
Your ESG public service project should offer or support an educational experience to a community in need that would otherwise not be available. Projects can involve teaching directly, or can offer support or infrastructure for an established educational program. We encourage collaboration and partnering with existing organizations.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for an ESG-PKG Fellowship if, during your first year at MIT, you were an official member of the ESG community. In addition, you have to submit a complete application online by the deadline below.
Qualification
- Great written and oral communication skills
- Expert knowledge about topics involved in project
- Highly reliable self-starter
- General ability to work well in teams and independently
- Availability to be on site for a minimum of six weeks for your project during the summer
- Ability to be an ambassador for MIT/ESG in the context of your project
Deadline
The deadline to apply for Summer ‘24 ESG-PKG Fellowships is Wednesday, March 20th, at noon. Apply through the PKG Fellowship portal below and select the option for ESG-PKG Fellowship on the first page.
Award Requirements
- A complete and thorough outline of the project and its desired outcome, including the steps that will be taken to assure that outcome
- Detailed budget for the project
- A clearly defined educational component
- You must have been a member of ESG during your freshman year
- Your project can be domestic or international
- A video component will be required for all ESG-PKG projects
- ESG-PKG fellowship awardees will permit ESG and the PKG Center to publicize their project through our websites
- An ongoing commentary about the project will be required throughout the duration of the work. Typically, students post a weekly blog entry or post short videos that report on the progress of their project.
Deliverable
At the end of the project, a short written summary report is required from all fellows, and an informal presentation will be made to members of the ESG community about the experience. Images and video footage collected during the project must be assembled into a short five to eight minute documentary format that can be used to illustrate the project. Six units of independent study credit will be awarded at the satisfactory completion of the summary report and video presentation. Guidance and supervision for the written and documentary aspects of the independent study will be supplied through ESG, as well as the necessary video editing equipment and instruction.
Video Component
Some element or elements of the ESG-PKG projects should be captured using video. The exact footage to be captured is at the discretion of the fellow, but the video must help to tell the story of the project. Footage that might be captured could include: footage that shows the environment where the project is taking place; interview footage with participants served by the project, collaborators, or other project observers; video blogs or other self-interview footage that helps describe the project as it evolves. Footage should have an eye toward telling the story about the project. An inexpensive video camera will be supplied for the duration of the project. Questions regarding the video component should be directed to Graham Ramsay.
Note: Make sure to specify you are applying for an ESG-PKG Fellowship.
