Institute Supports Graduates and Undergraduates

The Maxwell Institute continues to encourage and support the work of graduate and undergraduate students through two funds.

Nibley Fellowship Program

Each year at this time we remind graduate students about the Nibley Fellowship Program and its application deadline. Named in honor of the late eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, this program provides financial aid to students enrolled in accredited PhD programs in areas of study directly related to the work and mission of the Maxwell Institute, particularly work done under the auspices of one department of the Institute, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, such as studies of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, the Old and New Testaments, early Christianity, ancient temples, and related subjects. Applicants cannot be employed at the Institute or be related to an Institute employee.

Those interested in applying for the first time or who wish to renew their fellowships for the 2007—2008 academic year should know that the deadline for submitting a completed application form and all supporting documentation is August 31, 2007. To obtain guidelines and an application form, contact M. Gerald Bradford, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University, 200 WAIH, Provo, UT 84602 (telephone: 801-812-1329; e-mail: bradfordmg@aol.com).

The Maxwell Institute awarded Nibley Fellowships to 16 graduate students for the 2006—2007 academic year.

Continuing Nibley Fellows are Sharon Mar Adams, biblical interpretation, philosophy, theology, Department of Religious and Theological Studies, Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver; Jared William Anderson, history of the Bible, gospel traditions, textual criticism, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Lincoln H. Blumell, early Christianity, Department and Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto; David E. Bokovoy, Hebrew Bible and ancient Near East, Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University; Corey Daniel Crawford, Hebrew Bible, preexilic history, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; Matthew J. Grey, ancient Mediterranean religions, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Cameron Gabe LaDuke, Judaism of the Second Temple period, Department of Biblical Studies, Yale Divinity School; Paul Derek Miller, theology, ethics and culture, School of Religion, Claremont Graduate University; Brent James Schmidt, Greek, New Testament, early Christianity, Department of Classics, University of Colorado, Boulder; Thomas Benjamin Spackman, comparative Semitics, Hebrew Bible, Arabic, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago; Valerie Triplet-Hitoto, Second Temple period, Department of Religious Sciences, École Pratique des Hautes Études, La Sorbonne, Paris; Shirley (Shirl) Irene Wood, biblical interpretation, New Testament, Iliff School of Theology, University of Denver; Mark Alan Wright, Mesoamerican archaeology, Maya religion and epigraphy, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside.

New Nibley Fellows are Matthew Bowen, biblical studies, Department of Theological and Religious Studies, Catholic University of America; Matthew P. Yacubic, Mesoamerica, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside; John D. Young, religious and cultural history, medieval studies, University of Notre Dame.

Russel B. Swensen Endowed Mentorship Fund

The Russel B. Swensen Endowed Mentorship Fund was created as a result of a generous gift from Robert (Bob) Gay in honor of his father William (Bill) Gay. This fund was named in honor of a beloved BYU professor and was created in 2002 to provide grants to selected undergraduate students each year who are pursuing degrees in fields of study related to the Maxwell Institute's broad areas of interest and who have secured an agreement to conduct research under the supervision of a BYU faculty member.

The Maxwell Institute awarded Swensen mentorships to four Brigham Young University undergraduate students for 2006. David Linhorst is conducting research on "The Mormon Doctrine of Deification." His faculty mentor is Professor David Paulsen of the Department of Philosophy. Paul Lambert is focusing on a specific phase of Joseph Smith's translation of the King James Bible. Thomas Wayment, professor of Ancient Scripture, is his mentor. Frank Kelland is using magnetic resonance imaging to read the text of ancient carbonized papyri. His mentor is Travis Oliphant, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Stanley Thayne is concluding research on the "History and Perceptions of Mormonism in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania after 1829." His mentor is Professor John Spencer Fluhman of the Church History and Doctrine Department.

The Swensen Mentorship recipient for 2007 is Christopher J. Dawe. He is conducting research on the ancient practice of ritual anointing known as Chrism recounted in the Gospel of Philip and Cyril's Mystagogical Catechesis. His faculty mentor is Ancient Scripture professor Gaye Strathearn.

Swensen Mentorship grants are administered by BYU's Office of Research and Creative Activities (ORCA). For information about the Swensen Mentorship Fund, contact M. Gerald Bradford at address, phone number, or e-mail listed above.