Every year, MHS选择一个或多个高中学生为我们的约翰·温斯洛普学生奖学金. 该奖项鼓励高中生在他们选择的研究项目中使用MHS的国家重要文件. 学生使用MHS的材料进行历史研究并创建一个项目(通常是课堂作业), both in our archives or digitized online. This project can be something assigned in a class, a National History Day project, or something of the student’s invention! Both student and teacher each receive $350 to support their research. Applications for the 2020 student fellowship are due on 11 February 2020. Learn more and apply!
In 2019, 来自剑桥韦斯顿学校的艾拉·阿穆雅和她的老师詹娜·沃尔夫获得了我们的学生奖学金，研究1784-88年阿比盖尔·亚当斯对法国和英国的外交使团. 艾拉在我们的研究馆员的支持下，在MHS图书馆工作了几个月，并制作了一个在线展览. Read Ella’s account of her experience at the MHS, where she describes exploring the collections, speaking with historians, and using a microfilm reader for the first time.
Investigating Abigail Adams: My Time as a John Winthrop Student Fellow By Ella Amouyal, Cambridge School of Weston
Abigail Adams (Mrs. John Adams) by Benjamin Blythe, c. 1766
我在2019年春天作为约翰·温斯洛普学院的学生研究员的经历是一个不可思议的学习机会. My research focused on Abigail Adams’ time in Europe, and my final project was the creation of an online exhibit, I aimed to produce an engaging, interactive experience that would impact and educate a wider audience.
My exhibit explores Abigail Adams’ time in Europe through three lenses: patriotism, economics and education. These lenses allowed me to clearly specify the ways Europe influenced Abigail Adams. When I began my research, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of secondary and primary sources; I had so many questions–too many, perhaps. 我发现专注于更简洁的渠道对我的范围和组织有极大的帮助.
我通过阅读二手资料开始了这个项目，以帮助我在更广泛的背景下构建我的研究. This was first step was key, 因为它让我更了解我的主题所基于的时间和地点, and exposed me to the questions, ideas and observations of professional researchers. My advice to a future student fellow would be to start by 探索马萨诸塞州历史学会已经出版的二手资料. These sources will help you uncover new primary sources during you discovery phase, and they will help you to understand the subject more broadly. The MHS is an institution available to all learners; being a fellow affords you more access to the Society’s incredible collection of materials and helpful experts.
My next step was to attend one of the many lectures the Society offers regularly. You should, too. 我有幸参加了亚当斯家报纸负责人主持的一场即兴演讲. If you are a fellow, 参加MHS的讲座或其他活动是接触专家的好方法, ask questions, and enhance your knowledge. 谈论你的研究和听取专家的研究是进行研究最重要的方面之一. Historians are tasked with educating, so there is nothing to be scared about. 更重要的是，他们可能会很高兴看到一个对这门学科感兴趣的年轻学者. Capitalize on the opportunity and seize it. The process of being a fellow is not just to learn about the past; it is also to learn how to communicate, ask questions, stay organized and do independent research.
As you conduct your own research, remember your work does not have to be limited to primary sources offered by MHS. 当你探索多种学习途径并平衡你的主要证据来源时，你的研究将变得更加强大, secondary sources, their context and analysis. 然而，寻找和分析第一手资料是这项工作中最重要的部分. And it’s work.
When you conduct your research using the online catalog Abigail, remember one thing: it has a learning curve. It can be quirky. 一些快速提示:我发现查找特定的单词和短语可能会令人困惑，并产生成千上万的结果, which are impossible to navigate. One way to mitigate this potential problem is to search by specific dates; for instance, 我的研究重点是阿比盖尔·亚当斯1784年至1788年赴欧洲的外交使团, 这使我能够通过她在这四年期间写的信件来限制主要来源.
如今的学生在成长过程中相信互联网掌握着打开每扇门的钥匙, remember that not all of the Society’s holdings are available digitally. This is where the excitement of visiting the MHS came in; I had the opportunity to spend hours pouring over documents in the Reading Room and Library. The Society is a warm, inviting and open environment. 一开始我害怕去参观，因为我不熟悉历史档案或大型研究图书馆. Don’t be nervous. 记得协会的使命是教育，所以我立刻感到被接受和邀请. In addition, the building itself is a work of art–there is so much to see. Alas, most of my visit was spent with a machine new to me–the microfilm.
This contraption is, quite simply, a film roll that includes photographed versions of historical material. 图书管理员非常好，帮助指导我完成使用缩微胶卷的步骤. 我以前对缩微胶片一无所知，但我认为它是一种了不起的设备，因为它有助于保存原始信件，使人们更容易安全地访问这些材料. What’s more, reading the historical handwriting can also be extremely difficult. I asked the librarian if the letters I was looking at had been transcribed, which helped me see them in a more legible, modern font.
A photo of a letter on microfilm taken during my first visit to the MHS library, photo by Ella Amouyal
Conducting research with the MHS was an amazing opportunity and I learned a lot. 我了解了阿比盖尔·亚当斯迷人的智慧和意识形态，也了解了一些新的历史人物，比如亚当斯的朋友和知己——一个我以前不认识的人——默茜·奥蒂斯·沃伦. I also learned that research is not always about sitting in the library, spending hours analyzing an original letter. It’s also about organization, retooling a question or avenue to explore, and most importantly, time management. Research is not always about reading books either; sometimes it entails pouring over transcribed documents online in your pajamas while drinking tea, or even awkwardly learning to scroll through microfilm. But it’s in these moments that you learn and grow the most. This is why conducting research is a rewarding opportunity for every student, even those who do not want to be historians or archivists. 研究可以教会你一些对每个学科和工作都很重要的技能，比如同理心和批判性思维. 这就是为什么我打算在今年春天向我高中的历史系提出一个小型单元，利用MHS阿比盖尔目录的免费资源分析第一手资料.
我常常在想，当一个十几岁的女孩在300年后看到她写给朋友的亲密信件时，她会作何感想, family and acquaintances and the letters she received. I wondered if she would have been shocked or perhaps happy. Abigail was always a forceful proponent of female education, one of the many reasons why I find her fascinating and inspirational. 她知道女人可以像任何男人一样研究她的文字，这可能会给她带来极大的骄傲和快乐.
如果你对历史和研究感兴趣，我强烈建议你申请成为一名研究员. 约翰·温斯洛普学生奖学金可以让你接触到成千上万的信件和材料，这确实是一个独一无二的项目, enlightening experience for all students interested in delving into American history.
