HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

The Bunting Institute and This Year's Fellows

Shelter for Scholars

Radcliffe College's Bunting Institute provides shelter from the storm of everyday life for dozens of women scholars, researchers, and artists of all kinds every year.

The year at the Bunting may be a gift of time, but it is not a year of rest. It is a year of focused effort the fellows use to challenge themselves and push their boundaries.

In its own words, the Bunting Institute has "helped women earn university tenure, obtain appointments to national offices, garner distinguished awards like Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, 'Obie' Awards, and MacArthur Fellowships, develop world-premiere performances and art exhibitions, and publish celebrated novels and nonfiction."

Each year 40 fellowships are offered in seven different categories, including those available to women in all fields, such as the Bunting Fellowships, to those targeted at women in specific fields, such as the Biomedical Research Fellowships or the Peace Fellowship.

The Bunting Institute was founded by Radcliffe College's fifth president, Mary Ingraham Bunting, in 1960. The Institute was set up to combat society's low expectations for women with a facility that would support promising women in their work, allow them to share ideas, and help them reach their full potential.

Since its founding, 1,200 fellows have spent time at the Bunting. The fellowships, with and without stipends, come with office space at the Bunting, class auditing privileges and access to libraries at Harvard and Radcliffe, and a chance to be part of a community of women scholars and artists.

"There is a spirit at the Bunting which is very galvanizing and encouraging," said Sheila Kennedy, a Bunting Fellow and associate professor of architecture at the Graduate School of Design.

A Look at Some of This Year's Fellows

Bunting Fellows - approximately 40 each year - are women who are already accomplished in their fields and show promise to achieve even more.

Here is a brief look at the work of a few of this year's fellows:

Deborah Woodcock: A climatologist and associate professor of geography at the University of Hawaii, Woodcock is looking for characteristics in the wood of modern trees that are affected by temperature and precipitation, such as the size of internal vessels that conduct water. Once it is determined how those characteristics fluctuate with climate, researchers can examine fossilized wood for clues about the climate in early history.

Tamar Diesendruck: An independent composer, Diesendruck is composing two pieces of music. The first is an orchestra piece for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony. It is scheduled to premiere in April. The second is a piece for string quartet for the Pro Arte Quartet at the University of Wisconsin.

Christina Shea: An independent writer, Shea is writing a novel about three generations of Irish-American women, centered on the lives of two sisters who emigrate from Ireland in the early 1900s. Shea, who is Irish-American, said the book is an exploration of sisterhood and religious faith, because one sister leaves her Catholic faith while the other maintains it. The book is expected to be published in the fall of 1999.

Sheila Kennedy: An associate professor of architecture at Harvard's Graduate School of Design and principal in Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Kennedy is examining how leftover spaces, from stairways and halls to the hollows in walls, can be used to enhance a building's purpose. For example, a school stairway landing could be enlarged to make room for a small library.

Carol Mason: An independent scholar, Mason is researching and writing a book on the debate over abortion. She is examining both sides in their relative perspectives: pro-choice activities amidst the demise of radical feminism, and the pro-life fight amidst the rise of the radical right.