McNair Scholars Newsletter
Augsburg University TRIO McNair Scholars Program
Issue 3, Spring/Summer 2023
Announcements
Augsburg University TRIO McNair Scholars Program receives 5-year grant renewal
Applications are open for 2023-2024 program admission
The TRIO McNair Scholars Program is currently seeking applicants for the 2023-2024 academic year. Eligible students will be current Sophomores or Juniors with at least three semesters remaining before graduation. Other eligibility requirements include:
- U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
- BOTH a first-generation college student AND low-income; AND/OR a member of a group underrepresented in graduate education (Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian, Alaskan Native)
- At least a 2.8 cumulative GPA (3.0+ preferred)
- Available to conduct full-time research during Summer 2024
- Strong interest in pursuing a graduate degree
Program Benefits:
- Paid ($6,000) summer research internship under the guidance of the Faculty Mentor
- Free 2-credit course, MCN301: Research in the Disciplines
- Opportunity to present research at a national McNair conference
- Free GRE prep classes and half off test cost
- Assistance with graduate school applications
- Cultural activities and other cohort-building experiences
For more information, please visit https://www.augsburg.edu/mcnair/ or contact Lara Crombie, Program Coordinator, at crombie@augsburg.edu.
Meet the 2023 McNair Summer Researchers
Logan Bradley
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentors: Drs. Ben Denkinger & Henry Yoon
Investigation of the N170 Event-related Potential Face Effect
Leeroy Doe
Majors: Political Science, Communication Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sarah Combellick-Bidney
The Capacity for Care: Transcending The Personal sphere - A comparative study of mutual aid efforts during the Covid-19 and HIV pandemic
Ifrah Edow
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matt Beckman
An Analysis of Daphnia magna Locomotion and Survival Rescued from Post-Manganese Toxicity
Cynthia Faber
Faculty Mentors: Drs. Ben Denkinger & Henry Yoon
How Polygraphs are Used to Induce False Confessions
Drew Gross
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristen Chamberlain
Anti-Racist Pedagogy: A criteria for the communication discipline to improve multi-dimensional learning
Hafsa Hassan
Faculty Mentors: Drs. Ben Denkinger & Henry Yoon
Effects of the N170 on Facial Perception
Alex Hernandez Olivera
Faculty Mentors: Drs. Ben Denkinger & Henry Yoon
Polygraph Countermeasures
Sandra Messiha
Major: Biopsychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Luke Weyrauch
The research I'm conducting will test for how estradiol contributes to the positive effects in our skeletal muscles. We would see the influences through the proteins determining how they relatively relate in terms of increasing or decreasing in our skeletal tissues.
Natnael Mulu
Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Crowe
Effect of blocking NMDAR on the strength and timing at neural signals in prefrontal cortex and medial dorsal thalamus
Jose Orozco Islas
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Colin Campbell, University of Minnesota
Heart, Lung, and Blood - Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program (LSSURP), University of Minnesota
Edward Stockard Jr.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kao Nou Moua
How does toxic masculinity shape gender identity among BIPOC young adults?
Theo Addotte-Wayo
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matt Beckman
Studies of Gene Expression Across Multiple Stages of Eye Development In Daphnia magna
Scholars in Graduate School
The following Scholars recently graduated from Augsburg and are currently enrolled in graduate programs or were accepted for Fall 2023 admission.
Roseline Ameyaw, Clinical Psychology (Fall '22)
Accepted to the Master of Social Work program at Augsburg University.
Chaltu Bayisa, Social Work ('23)
Accepted to the Master of Social Work programs at Augsburg University (deferred), University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Columbia University.
Madison Blevins, Psychology ('23)
Accepted to the iDREAM Postbaccalaureate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Iowa. Benefits include a $35,000/year salary for program participants, two years of research experience, and assistance with graduate school applications.
Natalia Castillo, Psychology & Spanish ('23)
Accepted to the PhD program in Educational Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Carleigh Drill, Biology ('23)
Accepted to the Master of Public Health program at the Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Dartmouth College.
Shelley Pacheco, Sociology ('23)
Accepted to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Edwin Panora, Physics ('23)
Accepted to the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Ingri Ramirez Martin, Sociology ('23)
Accepted to the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the School of Public Health Maternal and Child Health, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Mackenzie Ray, Mathematics & Psychology (Fall '22)
Accepted to the PhD program in Educational Psychology: Quantitative Methods at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Catching up with alums...
Yee Vue ('20)
Accepted to the Ph.D. program in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Johns Hopkins University
Growing up in a low-income family as a first-generation student and having to navigate around the institutional system has been a challenge. My parents are Hmong Refugees from Laos who came to the United States during the Vietnam War. Even with limited resources, my parents supported my academics even though both never had the opportunity. In preparation for graduate school, I was selected for the Ronald E. McNair Scholars TRIO program in 2016. From there the McNair program has supported and prepared me for graduate school. The McNair program helped me in applying to summer research programs. I did my first research experience at the University of Minnesota in Dr. Penny Kianian's laboratory and, respectively, at Iowa State University the following year in Dr. Diana Bassham's Lab. My summer research experiences, mentors/advisors/friends at Augsburg University, and participation in the McNair college course has paved and formed the foundation of my interest in pursuing a Ph.D.
Currently, I am a post-baccalaureate student at the Mayo Clinic in Dr. Kareem Mohni's laboratory. In the lab, we are focused on determining the role of host proteins in Herpes Simplex Virus 1 DNA replication. This experience has been amazing as I got to experience what it will be like as a 1st-year Ph.D. student. From this research experience, I was awarded a travel award to give an oral presentation of my research findings at the American Society of Virology annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin in July 2022. I am currently helping my advisor write up this work for submission in a scientific article. Lastly, I have accepted and will be a 1st-year student in the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Ph.D. Program at John Hopkins University.
A Year in Photos
Minnesota Private Colleges Scholars at the Capitol
Zyzzogeton Student Research Symposium
President's Dinner for Graduating McNair Scholars
Contact Us
"Tina" Maria Tavera, Director, taveram@augsburg.edu
Cruz Rodriguez, Assistant Director, rodriguc@augsburg.edu
Lara Crombie, Program Coordinator, crombie@augsburg.edu
Email: mcnair@augsburg.edu
Website: https://www.augsburg.edu/mcnair/
Location: Hagfors Center, Ste. 101
Phone: (612) 330-1380
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/augsburg.mcnairscholars/
Twitter: @Augsburg_McNair