Among the income sources I mention on my disclosure page is the Institute for Humane Studies, a libertarian-leaning organization that provides fellowships to grad students doing public policy work. I recently received my award for 2009, and learned that it was made possible by the Searle Freedom Trust. The trust was created by Dan Searle, a successful businessman and philanthropist who passed away in 2007. You can read about Mr. Searle here.
This weekend, I attended a research colloquium for about 40 Human Studies Fellows, at which each participant got a few minutes to tell other grad students about their research. It was an interesting experience because the vast majority of the participants were economists, political scientists, or philosophy. My talk, on RECAP, was the only one that talked about a software project rather than more traditional social science research.
IHS is a great organization, and not just because they support the work of grad students like me. If you’re an undergrad, I can’t recommend their summer seminars highly enough. I attended one as an undergrad and it was one of the most intellectually stimulating weeks of my undergraduate career.
