McNair Scholars present research findings at symposium
11/10/2008
Fourteen Lamar University students presented the culmination of their year-long research projects to the university and the community at the Ninth Annual McNair Scholars Research Symposium recently.
For the symposium, the McNair Scholars condensed their research into 15-minute oral presentations, said Daniella Medley, director of the McNair Scholars program. The symposium, including the time allotment, is designed to prepare students for their presentations at various national conferences, she said.
The symposium, which took place Nov. 4 on the eighth floor of the Mary and John Gray Library, garners recognition for the students from the university as well as their families and friends. “It’s a real source of pride for them,” Medley said. “They did a fantastic job.”
The 2007-2008 McNair Scholars are Lucas Brown of Woodville; Rachel Dennis, Keisha Guidry, Christopher Jarmon and Rachel Quinn of Beaumont; Mary Guillory of Port Arthur; Sarah Hale of Nederland; Kristin Ipes of Newton; Callie Summerlin of Groves; Felicia McAdams, Eyerusalem Mulatu, Travishia Pickens and LaShanda Sullivan of Houston; and Luis Dominguez of Los Angeles.
Many of this year’s scholars are psychology majors. Other disciplines represented are finance and marketing, social work, English, dietetics, mechanical engineering, dance, communication, political science and education.
The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, known at Lamar as the McNair Scholars Program, was established by the Department of Education in 1986 and named for astronaut and Challenger space shuttle crewmember Ronald McNair.
“[The program] is an undergraduate research program, federally funded by the Department of Education, for low-income, first-generation or underrepresented students in graduate education,” Medley said.
After they are accepted into the program, students work with a faculty mentor in their department and design a research project. Scholars receive training on time management and research skills, such as how to write a proposal and conduct quantitative and qualitative research. They also are taught how to apply to graduate school. Medley said the program covers the entire application process – including locating financial aid and writing a curriculum vitae and personal statement – as well as interviewing and networking skills. In the summer, scholars visit graduate schools and participate in GRE training and research internships.
“Basically we do anything and everything that we can do to help them get into graduate school because they have the ability, they have the drive, they have the passion, but they may not know how to do it,” Medley said. “That’s what we’re here for. We take them through the entire research process to try to mimic what they would actually do in graduate school.”
Medley said much is expected of a McNair Scholar because much will be expected of them in graduate school. However, in keeping with the spirit of McNair, the program does not focus solely on academics; rather the emphasis is on the “whole person.” In addition to having a doctorate in physics, McNair was a family man who held a black-belt in karate and played the saxophone in a jazz band.
“He had a very well-balanced life, and to get through graduate school, you need to have a balance,” she said. “If you’re always in the lab, or if you’re always in the classroom, or you’re always in the library, you’re going to burn out.”
To prevent burn out, the scholars participate in a variety of cultural trips and social outings. Medley said it is simply another way to make sure students have the tools they need to succeed in graduate school.
The McNair Scholars Program is in its ninth year at Lamar. More than 100 Lamar students have graduated from the program, and 30 are currently enrolled in master’s or doctoral programs.
For more information on the McNair Scholars program, call 880-7582 or visit the McNair office in Room 106 of the Communication building.
