UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Eberly Family Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries has announced the recipients of its 2026-27 research grants. These awards support scholars, students and independent researchers whose work draws on Special Collections’ distinctive collections and advances new scholarship across disciplines.
This year’s awardees represent a dynamic range of research areas, including art history, immigrant print culture, military memory, inter-American intellectual history and Black diaspora studies. Their projects highlight the depth and breadth of Special Collections while demonstrating the continued relevance of archival research to contemporary scholarship and creative work.
2026-27 research grant recipients:
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Megan Brandow-Faller, City University of New York (CUNY) Kingsborough/CUNY Graduate Center: Dorothy Foehr Huck Award
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A project examining the intersection of art education, racial activism and museum history through the work of Viktor Lowenfeld.
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Brian Thomas, Wayne State University: Dorothy Foehr Huck Award
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A study of German-language broadsides and print materials as tools of cultural identity and memory among early immigrant communities.
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Analisa Novak, University of Chicago: Albert M. Petska Eighth Air Force Award
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An analysis of how veterans shaped and institutionalized the public memory of World War II through organizational and commemorative practices.
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Antonio Barrenechea, University of Mary Washington: Dorothy Foehr Huck Award
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Research supporting a forthcoming monograph on hemispheric literary studies through the Luis Alberto Sánchez papers.
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Deka Bonner, independent researcher and filmmaker: V.P. Franklin African-American History Award
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A documentary and visual research project exploring Black hair as a living archive of identity, resistance and cultural continuity across the global diaspora.
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Each recipient will conduct in-person research using the Eberly Family Special Collections Library’s rare books, manuscripts, archival collections and audiovisual materials. The program reflects the library’s commitment to advancing research, supporting emerging and established scholars, and supporting new interpretations of the historical record.
Awardees will complete their research by June 2027 and will share their findings through a virtual program open to all in the summer of 2027.
Eberly Family Special Collections Research Grants may be awarded to any non-Penn State faculty member, graduate student or independent scholar with a research project that utilizes the Special Collections Library, to support travel and research expenses while utilizing the Library at Penn State University Park. Awards are offered for a variety of research interests, from specific collections to broader subject areas. Applications from nontraditional researchers, students and others for whom the financial costs of research-based travel pose a significant obstacle are encouraged to apply.
For information regarding eligibility, application requirements, grant timelines and to apply for future Special Collections grant opportunities, visit the research grants webpage. For questions regarding this event, including accessibility options, contact the Eberly Family Special Collections library at 814-865-1793 or email spcollections@psu.edu.