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McNair Scholars present research

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mcnair_researchThis Monday, July 13, current McNair Scholars will be presenting their research projects on campus.

McNair Scholars are not finished with their final research papers as their projects span over a 10-week period. This event is in preparation for their presentations next weekend at the McNair Scholars Conference held at the University of New York-Buffalo.

The presentations will be held in OGC 114 from 10 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Feel free to drop in for any session. Evaluation forms will be available to help provide the scholars feedback. Continue reading “McNair Scholars present research” →

McNair Scholars ready for research

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Applicants to graduate school encounter intense competition for admission and funding. The McNair Scholars Program helps increase the odds of acceptance to graduate school by offering students a unique research experience during their undergraduate careers.

Participating students spend more than 400 hours exploring topics, developing a thesis, collecting and reviewing data, and preparing a formal presentation of their findings. Research provides the opportunity to develop a mentoring relationship by working one-on-one with a faculty member. Students also gain extensive skills and knowledge in a discipline, experience using methodological techniques, and writing and public speaking practice by submitting papers to professional conferences and journals.

Rebekah Dupont, North Star STEM Alliance Coordinator, taught the research proposal writing course this year. Starting May 18, the following scholars will be conducting research with a faculty mentor and a library mentor . Continue reading “McNair Scholars ready for research” →

McNair Scholars engage in summer research

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mcnair_summer Often in Minnesota, it doesn’t really feel like summer until July arrives. However, for 16 McNair Scholars, this month is less about the blue skies and relaxation as it is about long hours spent hunched over reference books, computer screens, and lab equipment. July marks the peak of the scholars’ summer research projects.

The McNair Scholars Program offers undergraduate students the unique experience of participating in graduate-level activities. One component of the program is an intensive 10-week long summer research project. Participating students spend an average of 40 hours a week exploring their topics, developing a thesis, collecting and reviewing data, and preparing a formal presentation of their findings. Continue reading “McNair Scholars engage in summer research” →

Augsburg and McNair Alum Returns to Help Lead Program

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xiaWhen the previous incarnation of the McNair grant ended in 2003, Xia Xiong-Vang was among the 12 program scholars who finished out the fall and spring semesters with funding from Augsburg. Now the McNair grant is back and so is Xia, but this time as a program administrator and not a student.

Before studying with the McNair Scholars program at Augsburg, Xia did not plan on going to graduate school. Neither of her parents had attended college, making Xia a first-generation college student. “I heard about the McNair Scholars program but did not think much about it until I was encouraged by staff and faculty members to apply. Their encouragement and support meant a lot because they really believed in me, and that made me believe in myself. The McNair Scholars program gave me an opportunity I would not have had otherwise.” Continue reading “Augsburg and McNair Alum Returns to Help Lead Program” →

McNair Scholars Program Returns to Augsburg

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mcnairAugsburg has been awarded the McNair Scholars Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The McNair Scholars Program at Augsburg is funded to serve 25 students who are low-income and first-generation and/or from underrepresented groups in graduate education to prepare them for graduate school through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. The four-year grant totals around $900,000 and has an Oct.1 start date.

This is the second time Augsburg has had a McNair Scholars Program — the first was from 1999-2003 — which has demonstrated great success in the numbers of alums who are enrolled in or have earned master’s and doctoral degrees at prestigious institutions across the country. Dixie Shafer, director of the Office for Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity, said, “[this second iteration of] McNair will draw upon the success and wisdom of our McNair alums to support the new cohort of scholars.”