Summer Research at McNair 2025:
The Eastern Washington University (EWU) McNair Scholars Program is proud to announce the successful completion of its 2025 Summer Research Internship. This year, 19 participants engaged in a diverse range of research topics, from the experiences of stigma in foster care/adopted children, imposter syndrome in students of color in graduate school, to breaking the ‘memory wall’ to help create more storage for devices that utilize ferroelectricity. Our summer researchers were Chris Abruscato, Brasin Benjamin, Violet Berry, Alice Chamberlin, Jennifer Dawson, Bryce Drager, Justin Edney, Ryan Finner, Judith Silva-Garcia, Zaid McCurdy, Noemi, Jasmine Joy Paloma, Jazmine Sargent, Maria Sarmiento, Addiswa Tadesse, Jocie Torres, Kayla Dickson, Monique Castellanos, and Chris Nava. (Click on each student’s name to see more about them and their research!) Over eight transformative weeks, these scholars not only delved into their research but also gained essential skills to prepare for graduate school.
In addition to their research activities, participants engaged in 80 hours of graduate school application preparation. This comprehensive training included workshops on writing personal statements, curriculum vitae, researching schools, graduate funding, and reaching out to faculty at potential grad programs.
On July 7-8, 8 of our scholars ventured to Washington State University (WSU) for the Regional McNair PhD Prep Conference. This enriching experience allowed them to build relationships, network, and gain valuable insights into the graduate school journey. The day included graduate student and faculty panels, graduate school applications, funding workshops, and a research poster session. The panel offered a glimpse into what graduate school is truly like, and the poster session gave students the ability to present their research.
The summer culminated with the McNair Summer Research Symposium, where participants presented their research to mentors, family, and McNair staff. Here’s a glance at three of our scholars’ projects: Addiswa Tadesse investigated how cultural identity plays a huge role within individuals’ mental well-being, with a focus on children of Ethiopian immigrants living in the Inland Northwest, by conducting interviews to understand the experiences of Ethiopian children growing up in smaller rural cities. Brasin Benjamin studied the effects of U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958, which highlights the impact Marshallese individuals faced, such as environmental damage, political exclusion, and cultural resilience. Jennifer Dawson examined the intersections of human biology, social structure, and the historical contexts of sexuality, specifically, consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships in capitalist societies. For more information, you can check out more details on these scholars and their research on our McNair Scholars pages. All the scholars’ presentations provided valuable insights into their fields and showcased the hard work of these scholars over the last two quarters.
McNair is so proud of all our scholars and looks forward to their future accomplishments. Thank you to all our faculty mentors and the countless people behind the scenes who help make McNair happen, including VP Heather Veeder, Maxson Stewart, Accounts Payable, the Office for Grants, Research, and Development, and more! Let’s continue to pave the way for future leaders in academia!
