This program invites arts and humanities faculty at Oregon State University to propose a residency in a place uniquely suited to provide resources, context or community for their research or creative work. Or, if your research doesn't require a specific place, but you need time to work on your project, you can propose a residency in a space that is fundamentally designed for intellectual activity, such as a pre-existing residency location that requires participants to pay for their stay. 

Inspiration and Ideas: 

• A musician or visual artist developing a piece inspired by the Civil Rights Movement proposes a one-month residency in Montgomery, Alabama  
• A historian studying commercial fishing proposes a residency at Hatfield Marine Science Center for one week each month over winter term  
• An ethicist studying immigration rights proposes a residency at the US/Mexico border for two months over the summer  
• A poet and a literary critic propose a five-day residency to write a collaborative creative-critical work at Playa, Centrum or another location designed for intellectual or creative activity 

Some sample pre-existing residency locations include: 

• Playa Self-Directed Residencies in Summer Lake, OR 
• H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Western Cascades, OR 
• Centrum in Port Townsend, WA 
• Mineral Arts and Residencies in Mineral, WA (application necessary) 

Please consider the following when developing your proposal: 

• Pre-existing residencies: PRAx offers a range of residency opportunities including the Spring Creek Project Faculty Residency and the Long-Term Ecological Reflections Residency, which are designed to support work at the intersection of arts, humanities, and environmental science. If those programs do not align with your project, we invite you to propose a residency suited to your needs. 
• Connection to your research: Carefully consider how a residency in this place will contribute to your research (e.g., affordances of being in a specific place, access to uninterrupted time for solitude and focus, or a location to come together with your collaborators).  
• Location: Please propose a location that supports your scholarship or creative work such as archives, museums, galleries, sites of ecological or cultural significance and/or research hubs. You are also welcome to propose a location that is near people who are key to your research such as oral history subjects, collaborators or interviewees.  
• Collaborators: If collaboration is important to your residency, you’ll be asked to provide information about potential collaborators.  
• Activities: Develop a plan for how you will spend your time during your residency. This could include things like writing or painting, visiting museums or archives, interviewing people at specific sites, collaborating with colleagues or working in a studio. 
• Lodging: Locations could include a hotel, Airbnb, cabin, campground or pre-existing residency site. 
• Duration: We encourage you to plan as much time as possible and we recommend at least seven days in residency.  
• Schedule: You are welcome to divide your residency into multiple stays (e.g., three long weekends) or to plan a longer stay (e.g., 2-4 weeks in one location). Please plan on completing your residency within one year of the award.  
• Budget: You will not be required to submit receipts for your expenses, but we will ask for a high-level budget including estimated costs for travel, lodging and food.  
• PRAx will transfer funds to the recipient’s academic unit for disbursement.  

An orientation to this program for awardees will be held at PRAx on March 16, 2026 at 3:30pm. 

PRAx Collaborative Faculty Fellowships offer Oregon State University faculty a unique opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary collaborative inquiry for a year. The program supports collaborations and projects that have the potential to help people better understand the world, envision more just futures and address complex challenges.

There are two branches of this fellowship: one for faculty in the arts and humanities and one for faculty in the sciences and engineering. In both cases, fellows identify a question, project or issue in their own research that could benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration, and PRAx pairs each fellow with someone working in another discipline whose own professional interests or creative practices align.

Together, the collaborative pair partner for a year on curiosity-driven exploration of questions and ideas central to their shared interests. The fellowship culminates in a public-facing offering such as a reading, panel discussion, exhibition, concert, podcast or video series.  

Inspiration and Ideas 

• An art historian and a computer scientist create an exhibition that questions AI-produced art  
• A literature scholar and a veterinarian write about representations of animal-borne disease  
• A composer who investigates the rhythms of human and nonhuman systems collaborates with a gravitational astrophysicist 
• An Indigenous Studies professor and a botanist collaborate to grow, harvest, and weave baskets from traditional materials  
   

For OSU Arts & Humanities Faculty

All OSU faculty in the arts and humanities are welcome to apply to collaborate with a researcher in any field of science or engineering. The process of pairing faculty fellows will be led by PRAx staff, and the collaborator may be from OSU or elsewhere. We use the following broad definitions to identify collaborators:  

• Science includes physical sciences focusing on non-living systems (e.g., chemistry, astronomy and astrophysics, geosciences, etc.), life sciences focusing on living organisms and life processes (e.g., biology, ecology, genetics, neuroscience, etc.) and formal science focused on abstract systems and logic (e.g., mathematics, computer science, statistics).  
• Engineering includes mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, computer, biomedical, aerospace, environmental, materials, etc.  

Science and Engineering faculty selected as collaborators for this program will have: 

• A compelling research portfolio. 
• An interest in humanities or arts methodologies and/or practices. 
• An openness to multi- or interdisciplinary collaborations. 
• A commitment to learn alongside the faculty fellow in creative practices or research activities and to involve the fellow in scientific investigations, research, lab and/or field work, and experiments when appropriate. 

For OSU Science & Engineering Faculty

Faculty working in any field of science or engineering with active research portfolios are welcome to apply to collaborate with an artist, writer or humanities scholar, internal or external to OSU. The process of pairing faculty fellows will be led by PRAx staff. We use the following broad definitions to identify collaborators: 

• Arts include visual arts, performing arts and media arts. 
• Creative writing includes fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. 
• Humanities include academic disciplines that explore and interpret human culture, such as language, literature, history, ethics and philosophy. 

Artists, writers and humanities scholar collaborators selected for this program will have:

• A compelling visual, performative, multimedia, creative or scholarly practice. 
• An interest in scientific or technical research and discoveries. 
• An openness to multi- or interdisciplinary collaborations. 
• A commitment to learn alongside the faculty fellow in lab or fieldwork activities and to involve the fellow in artistic investigations, the creative process, humanities research and experiments when appropriate.

FOR ALL 

TERMS AND EXPECTATIONS

This fellowship thrives on clear communication and mutual respect, deep curiosity about inquiry and research, and openness to new experiences or unexpected insights. The nature of the collaborative relationship in this program is complementary rather than supplementary.  

Applications are accepted from individuals only. If you are working on a project with multiple faculty collaborators or in a team-based lab, please choose one person to submit an application. 

Most teams will develop their project over a year, though projects can be extended to accommodate situations like fieldwork schedules. 

Fellows will: 

• Involve their collaborator in research activities, readings, current projects, relevant exhibitions, lab or field experiences, and gatherings relevant to the discipline, with the goal of clarifying methodologies and research questions. 
• Participate in “reverse residency” activities by learning about their collaborator’s methods of research, writing, creative practice, lab or fieldwork and/or attend relevant gatherings. 
• Work with PRAx staff and the collaborator to develop a work plan and budget. 
• Participate in quarterly online check-ins with program leaders.  
• Participate in public programming and events connected with the fellowship. 
• Submit a brief final reflection on the experience (3 pages max) and provide programmatic feedback throughout the fellowship. 

FELLOWSHIP OFFERINGS

Fellows will receive:

• A unique opportunity to learn alongside an artist, writer, humanities scholar, scientist or engineer who is interested in questions connected with their research.  
• Engage in collaborative methods of inquiry and experimentation that can lead to new perspectives, insight and forms of outreach. 
• Support from PRAx staff on fellowship activities. 
• Support in coordinating and showcasing the process and outcomes of the fellowship. These may take a variety of forms: a public presentation, performance, installation, short film, lectures, panel discussion, small publications, etc. PRAx will work with fellows and collaborators to shape mutually beneficial outcomes. 
• Typical awards are $15,000, and fellows are required to share funds with collaborators.   
• Fellows in the arts and humanities will use a portion of the funding to engage science or engineering collaborators in shared research question(s) and public facing work. Science and engineering collaborator funding may support a range of connected expenses such as time, travel or field/lab experiences.  
• Fellows in the sciences and engineering will use a portion of the funding (typically 75%) to support the arts and humanities practice of the shared research question(s) and public facing work. Artist and humanities collaborators will use the funding to support their time, travel and material costs on the project. Collaborators will receive a flat payment through a personal service contract with OSU.
   

PROGRAM & APPLICATION DATES

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens. 
• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable. 
• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status. 
• By May 1, 2026: PRAx pairs fellows with collaborators.   
• June 2026: Program orientation. Fellowship begins. 
• September 2027 and beyond: Public event(s) featuring the process and work from collaborations.  
   

REVIEW & SELECTION:  

Applications will be reviewed by a diverse selection committee from relevant fields. This program opens for application annually. If you are not awarded a fellowship, we encourage you to reach out for feedback and re-apply. Contact residencies.prax@oregonstate.edu. 

PARTNERS & COSPONSORS

PRAx Faculty Fellows are supported by the L.L. Stewart Endowment, the Office of the Provost, and the Mary Jones and Thomas Hart Horning Endowment, the College of Liberal Arts.  

The Long-Term Ecological Reflections program invites artists, writers, musicians, and scholars to H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Blue River watershed in Oregon, where scientists are engaged in long-term research. The mission of this program, set to span 200 years (2003 to 2203), is to bring together diverse voices to create a living, growing record of the changing forest and the changing relation of people to forests over time. Rather than bringing a predetermined project to the Andrews (e.g., finishing a novel, revising a book chapter), we ask that residents bring an experimental, curious mindset, be fully immersed in the forest, and let a project develop in relationship with their experience and with the ecological research happening in this ever-changing place. 

There are two branches of this program: residencies open to all and a residency open to Oregon State University faculty members.  
 

Eligibility:

• For open residencies: U.S.-based creatives and/or humanities scholars from any field whose work in any genre or medium reflects a keen awareness of the natural world and an appreciation for multiple ways of knowing, and who are interested in developing new work connected with the Andrews and the mission of the Reflections program are welcome to apply.   
• For the OSU faculty residency: OSU faculty working in the arts and humanities who are interested in developing new work connected with the Andrews and the mission of the Reflections program are invited to apply.  
• Open residency applicants may apply individually or in a collaborative group of up to four people. If the latter, only one individual should apply, and information about collaborators should be included in the application. 

Residency Offerings 

• Open call residents receive a $1500 honorarium and up to two weeks in residence at H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. This residency time may be consecutive (i.e., two weeks in a row) or completed in multiple blocks (e.g., two, one-week stays or multiple long weekends). Additional residency time may be possible if a project would benefit and if space and funding allow. 
• OSU faculty residents receive a $500 honorarium and one week in residence at H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. 
• Details about the residency location can be found here. Additional information and an onsite orientation will be provided to residents.

Residency Expectations

These residencies are intended to provide concentrated time for work that promises to contribute to explorations of human relationships with the rest of the natural world. Residents are expected to engage with the forest, to create new work inspired by their experience, and they are encouraged to submit work connected with their residency to an online permanent collection. 

• By June of the year following award, residents are asked to provide a 1- to 2-page letter describing contributions of their experience in the forest.  
• Residents are asked to acknowledge the support of the Spring Creek Project and H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest in any relevant publication, performance, or exhibition. Residents retain creative rights to all work.  
• OSU faculty residents are invited to integrate their Reflections work into course materials or to create a connected student experience.  

Program & Application Dates

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens. 
• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable. 
• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status. 
• May 2026 – May 2027: Complete residency time at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.  
• June 2027: Submit final report.  

Review & Selection

Residents are selected by an external review committee. Committee members may include writers, artists, musicians, humanities scholars and alumni of the Long-Term Ecological Reflections program. Reviewed applications consist of a statement of interest, a work sample, and a vita that includes a list of work published, exhibited, performed, and/or in progress.

 

This is a Spring Creek Project residency hosted in partnership with the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest.

Overview:

Presented in collaboration with schools in the College of Liberal Arts, the Center for the Humanities Faculty Research Fellowship offers OSU faculty the time and support to develop research and writing projects, opportunities to discuss work among a community of scholars, and occasions to share ideas with diverse public audiences. Note: prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials.
 

Eligibility:

This opportunity is open to Oregon State University faculty actively engaged in humanities research as stipulated by their position description.
 

Terms and Expectations: 

• Engage with a substantial research project involving humanistic methods with intent toward publication. 
• Participate in fellows’ cohort activities during the academic year including quarterly meetings and at least one public presentation.
• Present work in progress to a public audience once during the academic year. Staff will work with fellows to determine the most useful format for presentation (e.g., a talk, workshop, etc.). 
• Within 4 weeks of the end of the academic year, fellows will submit a 1–2-page letter describing what they accomplished during the fellowship and how their experience benefitted the project.
• Fellows are invited to acknowledge Center for the Humanities support in published work connected with the fellowship project.
   

Fellowship Offerings: 

Determined in consultation with school directors, each fellow will receive: 

• A one- or two-course reallocation during the academic year following application. 
• Opportunities to discuss work in progress with a supportive community of scholars and with a general public audience.   
   

Program and Application Dates: 

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens.
• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status.
• Academic year 2026-27: Fellows engage in research and writing, attend cohort meetings, and share work in progress.
   

How to Apply: 

All applications are due January 5, 2025, via Submittable. Interested faculty should first consult with their school director on the feasibility of course reallocation during the fellowship year. Applications consist of the Submittable form, a project abstract (300 words max), a narrative proposal (up to 5 pages double-spaced), and a current CV. 

The narrative proposal should include an overview of the research project that speaks to the review criteria outlined in the below section as well as a brief timeline of work to be accomplished during the fellowship term.  
 

Review and Selection: 

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Proposals are evaluated based on need, scholarly merit, clarity of thought and purpose, and potential for making an original and significant contribution to humanistic understanding/creative production. 

• The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and its value to the humanities and/or a broader public.. 
• The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work, including the soundness of expected outcomes, publication format, and potential venues of dissemination.
• The probability that the fellowship will enable the applicant to achieve the expected outcomes.  
• Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, as well as the clarity of expression.
   

Partners and Co-sponsors: 

Faculty research fellowships are sponsored by the Center for the Humanities working in partnership with schools in the College of Liberal Arts.  

Overview:  

The Center for the Humanities Summer Writing Workshop offers support to OSU faculty working on a research and writing project grounded in the humanities. Fellows receive a summer stipend and opportunities to receive and provide feedback via a series of in-person meetings. Note: prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials.
 

Eligibility:

This opportunity is open to Oregon State University faculty actively engaged in humanities research as stipulated by their position description.
 

Terms and Expectations: 

• Make progress on a substantial research project with intent toward publication.
• Participate in a six-week writing workshop during summer term, meeting regularly in person. While efforts will be made to accommodate fellows’ schedules, in-person availability is a requirement.
• Share a 15- to 20-page excerpt from a work in progress one week before scheduled workshop and read and respond consistently to other fellows’ work.
• Within four weeks of fellowship end, fellows submit a 1–2-page letter describing how the project benefitted from program participation.
   

Fellowship Offerings:

Each fellow will receive a $4500 summer stipend and opportunities to receive feedback on work in progress within a supportive community of scholars.
 

Program and Application Dates:

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens.
• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status.
• Summer 2026: Work on writing projects and engage in workshop with other fellows.
   

How to Apply:

All applications are due January 5, 2026, via Submittable. Prospective applicants must discuss support and course scheduling needs with their school director before submitting materials. Applications consist of the Submittable form, a project abstract (300 words), a narrative proposal (4–5 pages, double-spaced) and a CV. The narrative proposal should include an overview of the research project that speaks to the review criteria outlined in the below section as well as a brief timeline of work to be accomplished during the fellowship term.  
 

Review and Selection:

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Reviewers will consider:

• The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and its value to the humanities and/or a broader public.
• The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of summer-term work.
• Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, as well as the clarity of expression.

Overview: 

The Center for the Humanities Summer Teaching Innovation Fellowship supports the development of new courses and redesign of existing courses in the humanities at Oregon State University. Fellowships prioritize course proposals that advance the goals of schools within the College of Liberal Arts and that reflect the university’s core values and mission. Proposed courses should incorporate one or a combination of the following:

• Community-engaged, object-based, field-based, or experiential student-learning opportunities.
• Ideas for activities or assignments that involve innovative, evidenced-based approaches to learning and instruction.
• Content, teaching methods, and outcomes that energize student interest in the humanities and that demonstrate the value and impact of humanistic perspectives.
• A focus on questions of global, regional, and/or local significance.
   

Eligibility: 

This opportunity is open to all tenure-stream and fixed-term instructors at .5 FTE or higher in the College of Liberal Arts who are proposing a new or revised, on-campus or hybrid, repeatable course in the humanities. Please consult with your unit lead or school director before applying.
 

Terms and Expectations:

• Develop a new or substantially revised course offering with the intent to teach the course within the next 3 academic years. 
• Participate in fellows’ cohort activities during summer (July, August, September) including a series of meetings  held either online or in person. 
• Present ideas in a roundtable discussion or workshop during the term following the fellowship.  
• Within four weeks of fellowship end, submit a reflection letter (1–2 pages) on how your course development benefitted from this program.
   

Fellowship Offerings:

• A summer stipend of $4500. 
• Opportunities to engage with a supportive community and occasions for knowledge exchange and feedback.
   

Program and Application Dates: 

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens.
• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable.
• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status.
• Summer 2026: Fellows work to design or redesign courses and engage in program activities. 
• Fall 2026: Fellows present in a roundtable or workshop.
   

How to Apply:

Applications are due January 5, 2026 via Submittable. Answer questions in the form below and upload a proposal (up to five double-spaced pages including a narrative description plus any supplementary materials/reading lists), and a current CV. Proposals should include:

• A description of the course, the new instructional approach and/or content, planned assessment activities, outcomes, class productions, rationale for the level of the course, a tentative reading list, and, if applicable, community partnerships.
• A statement of purpose emphasizing expected benefits to student learning, school goals, humanities engagement, and, if applicable, community partners.
• If the proposal involves the redesign of a current course, address how the course will substantially differ in content or pedagogical approach.
• A brief outline of work to be performed during the fellowship.
   

Review and Selection:

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Reviewers will consider: 

• The feasibility of course implementation and alignment with school and university goals.
• Prospective significance of impact on teaching practices and student learning outcomes.
• Inclusion of innovative methods of student engagement and/or objects of study with the humanities. 
• The vision of how course outcomes would benefit students, the humanities, and communities beyond the university.

The Arts and Humanities Opportunity Fund provides flexible support for faculty research and creative activities in the arts and humanities. Awards are designed to cover a wide range of projects at any point in the research process.

Small awards are those up to $1,500, while large awards fall between $1,501 and $10,000. Possible uses are outlined below, and we welcome proposals that speak to other faculty research and creative practice needs, as well. Please note that expenses related to course development and travel are typically funded at the school level or through campus-wide programs such as e-campus, DPO, WIC and the CTL.  

Eligibility:

• Awards are available to all faculty working on arts and humanities projects who are employed at .5FTE or higher.

Award Offerings: 

• Small awards, up to $1,500, may cover needs such as indexing, imaging permissions, or subventions for books under contract; book manuscript workshops; materials for a creative project; trainings to support research, scholarship, or teaching; archival research, or supplemental conference registration or travel.  
• Large awards, $1,501 - $10,000 are designed for projects with wider impacts, such as developing or hosting a conference or workshop on campus; developing and hosting an event connected to your scholarship; hiring a research assistant; or developing an exhibit connected to your artistic project.  

Terms & Expectations:

• PRAx will transfer funds to the recipient’s academic unit for disbursement. 
• Recipients of large grants will submit a 1-to 2-page report at the end of the activity describing how the funds supported their project.

Program & Application Dates:

• Applications are due by the Monday of Week 4 during Fall, Winter, and Spring terms. Applicants will be notified of status by the end of Week 8.  

Review & Selection: 

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working across the arts and humanities. Reviewers will consider:  

• The feasibility of the project and alignment with the goals of the faculty member, school and university.  
• Prospective significance of the project’s impact. 
• Centrality of arts and/or humanities methods and practices to the project. 

The year-long PRAx Student Fellowship offers Oregon State University undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to explore the intersection of two disciplines or ways of looking at the world. Fellows will develop a creative project informed by active engagement with research at OSU in one of four fellowship tracks: Art+Science, Art+Engineering, Humanities+Science, or Film+Science. Fellows will be awarded $1,000, ongoing networking opportunities and mentorship as well as an invitation to an optional interdisciplinary immersive group retreat at PLAYA in Summer Lake, Oregon, in June, 2026.
 

Application Deadline: 11:59pm on Saturday, January 31, 2026. 

Applicants will be notified of status by Friday, March 13.
 

General Eligibility Criteria 

• Both graduate students and upper-division undergraduate students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 are eligible to apply.
• This is a year-long program and students must be enrolled at OSU throughout the fellowship (spring 2026 through spring 2027). We recognize that some students may not be available during the summer term—this will not affect eligibility.
• Each fellowship track may include additional eligibility requirements, so please read the track descriptions here for details.
   

Fellowship Expectations

Before you apply for a fellowship, please make sure you will be able to meet these expectations for the year:  

• Attend an in-person fellowship orientation the afternoon of Friday April 24, 2026. 
• Meet each month (in-person or virtually) with two mentors in your fields of interest. At least one of your mentors must be from OSU. At least one should be confirmed before applying. Please read the fellowship track descriptions for additional information about mentors.
• Provide a work plan at the beginning of fall term and a progress report in winter term. 
• Attend program meetings and events September 2026 through June 2027. 
• Be actively engaged with science or engineering research on campus. For example, you might attend lab meetings, participate in field work, or take part in discipline-focused discussion groups.
• Collaborate with other fellows to 1) develop and participate in a public event/exhibition in spring 2027, 2) provide images and project statements to help create a public document cataloging fellowship outcomes, and 3) provide programmatic feedback and tips for future fellow success.

How to Apply:  

• Answer application questions in the form below. 
• Provide a 1 - 2 page max reference letter from a faculty member who can speak to your qualifications for this fellowship and your ability to work both independently and collaboratively. The letter may be uploaded by the applicant or emailed directly by the faculty member to Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu. Please inform your nominating faculty member of this choice.  
• Upload or link to any additional materials requested in questions specific to your chosen fellowship track (Part 2 in the form).
• Submit your application form and any additional materials.  
   

More information: 

This program was initiated by the Arts-Sci Faculty Group at OSU to provide students with the opportunity to explore and create at the intersection of two ways of looking at the world. Fellowships are coordinated by the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts and the OSU Arts-Sci Faculty Group, and they are sponsored by a number of colleges, units, and programs on campus as well as external support foundations. For more information about these fellowships and sponsors, please visit the program page or contact joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu. 

Oregon State University graduate students from any field who work at the intersection of the humanities, writing, and environmental sciences are invited to apply for a residency sponsored by the Spring Creek Project. To be eligible, students must be engaged in a writing and/or research project (e.g., a thesis, independent study, or internship) that aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and applications must include a recommendation letter from a nominating faculty member. 

Residents receive exclusive use of the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for approximately one week as well as a stipend of $250. The cabin offers a profound experience of concentrated solitude and simple living that is conducive to curiosity, reflection, and sustained focus. Within 4 weeks of the session end, residents will provide a short letter describing their experience at the cabin and how it influenced their work.  

Graduate students may apply for a solo residency or a collaborative residency with one other student. If applying collaboratively, each student will need to submit an application and faculty recommendation letter. If awarded collaboratively, each student will receive $250.

Dates and Application Deadline

One spring break session is available:

• · March 22 – 28

One summer session is available:

• June 14 - 20
   

Application deadline: 11:59pm on Monday, January 5, 2026

Materials will be reviewed by a selection committee familiar with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and applicants will be notified of status by February 16. 

Two documents are required for applications to be considered complete:

• From a faculty member: a one-page recommendation letter that speaks to the content and direction of the proposed project and the student’s responsibility and ability to live respectfully in a nature preserve. This letter can be submitted directly by the faculty member via Submittable, so student applicants should share the link to this page with their referee when requesting a recommendation.
• From the student: a one-page narrative letter that describes the proposed project, communicates how the project aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and notes how time at Shotpouch Cabin would benefit project advancement.

For More Information

Please visit our website and/or contact Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu.

About Shotpouch Cabin

The Cabin at Shotpouch Creek is a comfortable retreat nestled in the Oregon Coast Range on a 70-acre nature preserve about 25 miles west of Corvallis. It overlooks Shotpouch Creek, a tributary of the Tum Tum River in the Marys River Watershed. From the cabin, miles of hiking trails climb into the forest- and fern-covered hills. The cabin is furnished with two bedrooms, a well-equipped, simple kitchen, electric heat, and a landline telephone. There is no internet or cell phone service. Students must be highly responsible and respectful of the values of the retreat and in a position to benefit from prolonged solitude and silence. The cabin and land are entirely smoke-free, and we cannot allow pets. Residents must provide their own transportation to the cabin. More information will be provided before the stay.
 

About the Spring Creek Project  

The mission of the Spring Creek Project is to bring together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another. Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists, and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, we work to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world.   

Oregon State University faculty are invited to apply for a Spring Creek Project Faculty Residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek. To be eligible, applicants must be engaged in a writing and/or research project aligned with the mission of the Spring Creek Project. Those working on projects at the intersection of environmental science and writing, art, music, social science, or the humanities would be a good fit. Faculty may apply for a solo residency or a collaborative residency (the collaborator is not required to be OSU-affiliated). 

Residents receive exclusive use of Shotpouch Cabin for approximately one week. The cabin offers a profound experience of concentrated solitude and simple living that is conducive to curiosity, reflection, and sustained focus. Residents will provide a short letter describing their experience and how it influenced their work within 4 weeks of session end.
 

Dates and Application Deadline

Two residency sessions for faculty are available during summer:

• Session 1: July 11 – July 17
• Session 2: August 1 – August 7
   

Application deadline: 11:59pm Monday, January 5, 2026. 

Applicants will be notified of status by February 16.  
 

Review and selection

Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, the Spring Creek Project works to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world. A committee composed of writers and researchers familiar with this mission will review all applications.  
 

For More Information

Please visit our website or contact Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu.
 

About the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek 

The Cabin at Shotpouch Creek is a comfortable retreat nestled in the Oregon Coast Range on a 70-acre nature preserve about 25 miles west of Corvallis. It overlooks Shotpouch Creek, a tributary of the Tum Tum River in the Marys River Watershed. From the cabin, miles of hiking trails climb into the forest- and fern-covered hills. The cabin is furnished with two bedrooms, a well-equipped, simple kitchen, electric heat, and a landline telephone. There is no internet or cell phone service. The cabin and land are entirely smoke-free, and we cannot allow pets. Residents must provide their own transportation to the cabin. More information will be provided before the stay.
 

About the Spring Creek Project  

The mission of the Spring Creek Project is to bring together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another. Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists, and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, we work to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world.