Peter and Ana Lowens University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections Student Fellowship
The Peter and Ana Lowens University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections Student Fellowship Program is open to University of Victoria undergraduate and graduate students from any discipline.
Student fellows undertake an independent research or creative project using rare and unique materials from UVic Libraries Special Collections and University Archives. Projects can include ongoing research or new areas of scholarship.
Student fellows will be provided workshops grounding their research in archival theory, book history, and digital methods, as well as mentorship and support from library staff and faculty.
Read successful project proposals from previous student fellows.
How to apply
Eligibility: The fellowships are restricted to University of Victoria undergraduate and graduate students.
To submit: Please submit a 500 word (maximum) proposal on a project you would undertake using materials from Special Collections and University Archives, and how you would benefit from participating in the program. Submit the proposal to Special Collections and University Archives: speccoll@uvic.ca.
Four students are selected each year. The program welcomes outward, public-facing projects, including exhibitions, podcasts, and lectures, as research outputs.
Questions? Please contact Special Collections and University Archives at speccoll@uvic.ca.
Fellowship details
Student fellows will:
- Conduct research using rare printed materials and/or archival collections from UVic Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives
- Develop primary source literacy and research skills
- Attend six two-hour long workshops during the Spring semester on a variety of topics relevant to primary source research
- Be mentored by library staff and faculty who will provide individualized research support
- Develop a public-facing research or creative output, such as an exhibition (digital or physical), podcast, lecture, or other project. Research and creative outputs will be launched at a public event in May 2023
- Receive a $1,000 research award
Key dates
November 18, 2024: Applications for 2024 Fellowship Program due
December 2024: Applicants notified
Spring 2025: Orientation and workshops
April 25, 2025: Projects due
May 2025: Project launch
Donor biography
Ana and Peter Lowens
Ana and Peter Lowens have been avid readers their entire lives. Peter’s love is the Victorian Era and especially the novels of Charles Dickens. Ana’s tastes go more towards the mystery genre. They both agree that a library is the heart of any community and any university.
When Ana and Peter moved to Victoria in their retirement one of their first excursions was to the campus of the University of Victoria. There they found an active community of students and scholars. They learned quickly that UVic was constantly reaching out to the community, and the library staff willingly shared their expertise and resources. When the idea for creating a library fellowship connected to UVic’s Special Collections was suggested by Professor Leighton of the English Department and Heather Dean from UVic’s Special Collections, Ana and Peter were eager to embrace that exciting opportunity.
Ana and Peter recognize and support the excellent English Department at UVic with the Ana and Peter Lowens Scholarship in Victorian Literature. With the establishment of the Special Collections Student Fellowship, Ana and Peter have the opportunity to allow more students to discover and use the wonderful holdings of the Special Collections at UVic.
Meet the 2025 Student Fellows
Châu Ngọc Trâm AnhChâu Ngọc Trâm Anh is in her first year of graduate study at the University of Victoria, pursuing a Masters degree in Pacific and Asian Studies. Her principal areas of research are the Vietnamese diaspora community in Canada and the self-identity of the second generation. Besides her study focus, she is also interested in media and has 13 years of experience as a voice-over actress. Her aim is to combine the engaging media with research work to bring the public closer to the academic content. |
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Irena Datcu-RomanoIrena Datcu-Romano is in her fourth year of a double major in Religions, Culture, and Society and Writing. Her research interests include food, migration, and queer religiosity. Her poetry has been published in Yolk Literary Journal, EVENT magazine, and others. She serves as a Poetry Editor for This Side of West magazine and is the recipient of the 2024 Andrew Rippin Memorial Scholarship. |
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Liv DunsdonLiv Dunsdon is a fifth-year undergraduate student studying Biology. Her research interests include community and marine ecology, and she's interned in a variety of ecology labs and aquaria, including studying marine ecology abroad in Norway. She's passionate about science communication and spends most of her time in the library, either studying or in her role as a UVic Libraries Student Ambassador. |
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Sarah EvansSarah Evans is finishing her undergraduate in English Honours and Sociology this spring. Her research centres on cultures’ relationships to environment and place in ecocriticism and environmental sociology. This broad scale project takes her interests everywhere from modernism to medievalism. In 2024, she undertook research in Medieval Welsh literature’s portrayal of nature for a JCURA award. By drawing across varied culture and genres, she intends for her research to demonstrate how the Humanities engage and continue to inform contemporary relationships to environment. |
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Details about the 2025 event will be updated closer to the date.
Please contact Special Collections and University Archives at speccoll@uvic.ca with any questions.
Applications for the 2025 Fellowship Program are now closed. Details about the 2026 program will be updated closer to the date.
Please contact Special Collections and University Archives at speccoll@uvic.ca with any questions.