A new scholarship has been introduced to celebrate Ohio’s 200th birthday celebration in 2003.The Ohio Bicentennial Legacy Scholarships program, sponsored by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission and Student Loan Funding Corporation of Cincinnati, was established last year to encourage more research about Ohio’s past.The program allows scholars to work on projects intended to revive interest about Ohio history, said Brian Newbacher, a spokesman for the Ohio Bicentennial Commission.Any student who is in a master’s or doctoral program at any Ohio college or university is eligible to apply for the scholarship, he said.A one-year stipend, $9,000 for the master’s scholarship or $12,000 for the doctoral scholarship, is awarded along with one full year’s tuition. Barbara Terzian, a doctoral student from Ohio State, was one of six recipients of last year’s scholarship winners.Her dissertation, “Frontier Republic to General Welfare State: Ohio Constitution Making, 1801-1912,” focuses on Ohio’s four constitutional conventions, and how the constitution has changed in regards to race, gender and social reform.”This fellowship is great,” Terzian said. “I do not need to work anymore and can now concentrate on my dissertation.”She said she became interested in Ohio constitutional history while working as a law clerk in the Ohio Supreme Court.Scholarship recipients are also required to give two presentations.Ordinary people usually do not have access to scholars’ work, she said. She hopes people can get a better understanding of Ohio’s constitutional history through the presentations.Terzian also plans to publish a book after she graduates this summer. Applications should be made in the form of a research proposal, and recommendation letters from advisors, faculty and/or department chairs should also be included. However, the length of a proposal and the number of recommendation letters are unlimited. Feb. 13 is the deadline for the applications for the 1998-99 academic year. Nine scholarships will be provided and the winners will be announced March 2.