July 15, 2015

Media Advisory -- Student Research Symposium

Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the McNair Scholars Research Forum and SI Bridges Baccalaureate Poster Forum Symposium this week at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 

The symposium is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 16, in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium. 

This year, 12 students from the McNair Scholars Program and 10 students from the SI Bridges to the Baccalaureate program will present their research at the symposium. Judges will present awards beginning at 3 p.m. 

The McNair Scholars Program is named for the late Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and astronaut who died in the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. The program provides enriched instruction for underserved students. It emphasizes strong mentoring, professional development and research opportunities that promote academic excellence and encourage success at the graduate level. 

The SI Bridges to the Baccalaureate program is funded by the National Institutes of Health and provides paid biomedical and behavioral science research training and professional development for underserved community college students. Students receive assistance in transferring to SIU and completing a baccalaureate degree in science, technology, engineering, math or social science disciplines. SI Bridges is a cooperative effort among SIU, John A. Logan College and Shawnee Community College. 

For more information, contact Rhetta Seymour, associate director of McNair Scholars Program and professional development coordinator for SI Bridges, at 618/453-4585 or rseymour@siu.edu.