DURANT, Okla. – Scholars from the inaugural cohort of the McNair Scholars Program at Southeastern Oklahoma State University recently presented their summer research projects at a banquet celebrating the initial year of the prestigious program.
The McNair Scholars Program is a TRIO program which supports the development of research skills and expected graduate school enrollment of a group of select students. The program at Southeastern is fully funded by a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Education.
The first class of McNair Scholars at Southeastern consisted of 18 students, with 14 presenting their research at last week’s banquet. Each McNair Scholar is required to then present on this research at a subsequent conference in the coming months, with a number of those already scheduled.
“We are so proud of the work our first cohort of McNair Scholars at Southeastern has done in the initial year, and we look forward to continued excellence as the program continues,” said Darla Ellett, Executive Director of Post-Secondary TRIO Programs at Southeastern. “I’m certain these Scholars will get rave reviews as they present at their upcoming conferences and symposiums. They have set a high bar for our future McNair Scholars and started this program on our campus off on the right foot.”
McNair Scholars presenting at last week’s banquet were:
• Olivia Carmona, a junior Elementary Education major from Madill, Okla., presenting on Enhancing STEM Education for Emerging Bilinguals. Carmona’s faculty mentor is Dr. Kate Shannon.
• Reece Garcia, a junior Pre-Pharmacy and Biochemistry double major from Coalgate, Okla., presenting on Chemical Communications in American Alligators. Garcia’s faculty mentor is Dr. Jake Pruett.
• Lauren Gibson, a senior Vocal Performance major from Antlers, Okla., presenting on Echoes of Mignon: A Historical and Theoretical Analysis of Schubert’s and Wolf’s settings of Goethe’s Text. Gibson’s faculty mentors are Dr. Jeremy Blackwood and Dr. Michael Scheuerman.
• Doris Henderson, a senior Psychology major from Ardmore, Okla., presenting on Providing a more rigorous estimate of structure and characteristics of the Emergency Management academic discipline. Henderson’s faculty mentor is Dr. Joseph Simons-Rudolph. Henderson will also be presenting on this topic at the McNair Research Conference in Waco, Texas, on August 3-4.
• Cynthia Keeth, a sophomore Psychology major from Depew, Okla., presenting on Analyzing the Structure of Emergency Management Degree Programs. Keeth’s faculty mentor is Dr. Joseph Simons-Rudolph. Keeth will also be presenting on this topic at the McNair Research Conference in Waco, Texas, on August 3-4.
• Juan Montes, a junior Pre-Medical Sciences Chemistry/Biology double major from Durant, Okla., presenting on Discovering effective anti-oxidants in Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCM). Montes’ faculty mentor is Dr. Nancy Paiva. Montes will also be presenting on this topic at the OKLSAMP Research Symposium in Stillwater on September 23.
• Donald Oakes, a junior Aviation Management major from Jacksonville, Fla., presenting on Drone Use and the Threats to Privacy. Oakes’ faculty mentor is Dr. Angela Anderson.
• Wren Pettett, a junior Fisheries and Wildlife major from Atoka, Okla., presenting on Mycoremediation of Agricultural Runoff Containing Nitrogen and Phosphorus Using Pleurotus ostreatus. Pettett’s faculty mentor is Dr. Caleb Smith.
• Anna Ritter, a junior Pre-Pharmacy and Biochemistry double major from Atoka, Okla., presenting on Isolation and Analysis of Protein Encoding Sequences from Cercis species. Anna Ritter’s faculty mentor is Dr. Nancy Paiva.
• Jonathan Ritter, a senior Biology and Chemistry double major from Atoka, Okla., presenting on Utilizing Drug Screening Platforms to Identify Effective Anti-Inflammatory Traditional Chinese Medicine. Jonathan Ritter’s faculty mentor is Dr. Ning Wu. Jonathan will also be presenting on this topic at the OKLSAMP Research Symposium in Stillwater on September 23.
• Kendra St. Clair, a senior Psychology major from Durant, Okla., presenting on Evaluating the Use of Music to Lower Students Stress Levels. St. Clair’s faculty mentor is Dr. Amy Madewell. St. Clair will also be presenting on this topic at the Native American Symposium in Durant on November 1.
• Lily-Anna van Gaal, a senior Occupational Safety and Health major from Idabel, Okla., presenting on The Effect of Training in Language Comprehension for Multilingual Individuals in the Construction Field. van Gaal’s faculty mentors are Dr. Mellena Nichols and Dr. Halet Poovey.
• Rebecca Vinson, a senior Psychology major from Marietta, Okla., presenting on The Impact of Academic Stressors on Executive Functioning: ADHD Symptomatology, Perceived Stress, and Academic Burnout in Students. Vinson’s faculty mentor is Dr. Amy Madewell. Keeth will also be presenting on this topic at the McNair Research Conference in Waco, Texas, on August 3-4.
The McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is one of eight federally funded TRIO programs offered within universities and colleges throughout the nation. TRIO programs offer both outreach and academic support services to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who need assistance navigating the academic pipeline from high school to post-secondary education.
More information on the McNair Scholars Program at Southeastern, including application deadlines for the upcoming cohort, is available at www.SE.edu/mcnair.
