On Friday, August 2, thirteen UW–Madison McNair Scholars presented their research at the 2024 McNair Scholars Summer Research Experience (MSRE) Virtual Symposium. The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholars Program is a nationally recognized Federal TRIO program that prepares first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented college students in graduate education for doctoral study. Eligible McNair Scholars must participate in the MSRE at least once, ideally the summer before their senior year. This program prepares the scholars for the graduate application process and enhances their research experience.
Dr. Audra Hernández, program director, welcomed everyone with an introduction to the McNair Scholars Program and the Summer Research Experience. Students Alex Tellez, a senior studying astronomy-physics and philosophy, and Christine Becerra-Lopez, a senior studying psychology and Chicane and Latine studies, then shared their reflections. Both students spoke on how the McNair Scholars Program prepares them for graduate school through research and life skill development while providing a safe space for diverse and underrepresented students to pursue their interests.
After a short slideshow celebrating memories of the McNair cohort, the research presentations began. The presentations were divided into two sections. The first section included one breakout session for social sciences and humanities (SSH) and one for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The second section included two STEM breakout sessions. A list of all scholar presentations is laid out below.
Section 1
SSH
Moderator: CJ Greer
Christine Becerra-Lopez
Topic: Solving Math Problems Together: Exploring Translanguaging in Spanish-English Bilingual Children
Mentor: Dr. Martha Alibali
Xóchitl Quiñones
Topic: Just a Girl: Weaponized White Feminity
Mentors: Dr. Michael Wagner/co-Dr. Marie-Louise Mares
Myriam Jaramillo
Topic: A Cycle of Distress: The Effects of Incarceration on Men’s Mental Health and Subsequent Challenges for Reentry
Mentor: Dr. David Pate
STEM
Moderator: Audra Hernández
Mushtaq Ali
Topic: Improving Plant Health in Lunar Regolith Using Plant Root Microbes
Mentors: Drs. Burcu Altekin; Simon Gilroy (PI)
Alex Tellez
Topic: Cosmic Encounters: Investigating Galaxy Mergers and Star Formation in Compact Steep Spectrum Sources
Mentor: Dr. Keith Bechtol
Hermary Gonzales
Topic: Evaluating the use of non-invasive swabbing in barred owl diet analyses
Mentor: Dr. Zach Peery
Janae Adams
Topic: Circulating Fatty Acids In High vs. Low Feed Efficient Cattle
Mentor: Dr. Heather M. White
Section 2
STEM
Moderator: CJ Greer
Fernando Zacahua
Topic: Testing SHY: The Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis of Sleep
Mentor: Dr. Chiara Cirelli
Jehona Zeneli
Topic: Chemical Apocalypse: Revealing the History of PFAS Contamination
Mentor: Jamie Schauer
Tiberius Jean-Remy
Topic: Viral gene delivery of human tau in rat hippocampi to model tauopathy
Mentor: Dr. Corinna Burger
STEM
Moderator: Tiffany Vanphravong
Dominique Gooden
Topic: Developing Scalable Yields of Monomeric P1C10 Protein for Administration to Glioblastoma Brain Tumors
Mentor: Dr. Eric Shusta
Amaya Stanley
Topic: The Blood Brain Barrier: The Role of NOTCH3
Mentors: Drs. Hope Holt; Sean Palecek (PI)
Jacob Blanchar
Topic: Heritable Traits Accompanying Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Female Rhesus Macaque Monkeys
Mentor: Dr. David Abbott
You can find detailed abstracts for all presentations in this document.
Please join us in congratulating our scholars for their excellent work.