July 14, 2016

McNair Scholars summer program is Friday

Twelve undergraduate students in a program that prepares them for careers in research will present their work at the 13th annual McNair Summer Research Symposium on Friday, July 15.  

The symposium is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Morris Library’s John C. Guyon Auditorium.  The event includes 12 oral presentations from McNair Scholars. Topics include exploring the implementation of the migrant education program in Illinois; family size and the effects of depression and anxiety, and the portrayal of African-American women in reality television. The list of undergraduate scholars, faculty mentors and topics is here. 

Karen Renzaglia, a professor in plant biology and SIU McNair Scholars program director will present opening remarks. Renzaglia and Rhetta Seymour, program associate director, will present awards beginning at 2:30 p.m. 

The Summer Research Institute is an eight-week intensive program that equips McNair Scholars with the necessary research skills to succeed in graduate school.  Students pair with faculty members on their respective research projects. The SI Bridges program is funded by the National Institutes of Health and provides paid biomedical and behavioral science research training and professional development for underserved students at John A. Logan College and Shawnee Community College, who will complete a bachelor’s degree at SIU in science, technology, engineering, math or social science disciplines.  

The McNair Scholars Program honors the late Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and astronaut who died in the January 1986 explosion of the Challenger space shuttle.