Acceptances/Awards

Marisa Janke Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

06/16/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Marisa Janke! Marisa was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of her passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school.

The federally-funded TRIO Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program at EWU selects motivated and talented juniors and seniors who are first-generation and low-income college students, and/or from groups underrepresented at the doctoral level to introduce them to academic research and provide them with effective strategies for getting into and graduating from PhD programs.

Marisa Janke is an undergraduate at Eastern Washington University studying Philosophy. Marisa’s intellectual passions are founded in the arts. In high school she studied viola privately with Dr. Philip Baldwin (Whitworth University) and was a member of the Spokane Youth Orchestra and other local groups. She earned her Associate of Arts degree from Spokane Falls Community College with a concurrent completion of her Yoga Instructor Certification in 2013. She then went on to play music with an independent ensemble in Seattle from 2016-2019, professionally recording three full length vinyl records and completing two tours across the United States. She worked briefly at a law office in Seattle before deciding to return to Spokane where she is now endeavoring a major in Philosophy with a minor in French. It is her current focus and desire to earn acceptance into a PhD program for philosophy in the specified field of Philosophy of Mind. For her McNair Summer Research Internship she will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Kevin Decker.

We look forward to accompanying Marisa as her research unfolds!

Saul Bautista Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

06/15/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Saul Bautista! Saul was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school.

Saul is an EWU junior majoring in History, studying the historical socio-political climate of Latinoamerica’s diverse cultures. Under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Lenti, Saul’s summer research will examine the history of the multiple governments of Central America with a focus on the treatment of the indigenous people in the region by the Honduran government, where the educational system of Honduras actively attempts to undermine the presence of native Americans in the history of the country. He plans to go on to obtain a PhD in History.

We look forward to accompanying Saul as his research unfolds!

Badradin Mohammed Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

06/14/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Badradin Mohammed! Badradin was selected by the McNair Scholars’ selection committee on the basis of his passion for research, commitment to attaining a PhD, and overall potential for success in graduate school.

Badradin Mohammed is an undergraduate student at Eastern Washington University majoring in International Affairs with an emphasis on global security processes and a minor in Political Science and a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion. He is the president of the International Affairs Community and a member of the PoliSci Book Club. His research is focused on Water Security and economic development in the global south. For his 2022 McNair Summer Research Internship, he will be working on the Nile River Conflict with his mentors, Dr. Kristin Edquist and EWU McNair Alum, and Ph.D. Candidate Alberto Felix Beltran.

We look forward to accompanying Badradin as his research unfolds!

EWU McNair Scholar Richard Murphy Selected for the Jeffers Chertok Memorial Scholarship

06/13/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to new EWU McNair Scholar Richard Murphy! Richard has been selected by the EWU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences to receive the Jeffers Chertok Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship was created to honor the life of Professor Jeffers W. Chertok, PhD, who worked at EWU for more than 34 years. He was well known on campus for his scholarship, generosity and passion for Eastern. Dr. Chertok passed away in 2004, but his legacy towards EWU continues with this scholarship.

Richard is an undergraduate student with declared majors in Philosophy, Political Science, and International Affairs with an emphasis on Global Socio-Economic Development and a minor in Spanish. Richard serves as Vice President of both the Philosophy Club and the International Affairs Community at EWU, advocating for interdisciplinary approaches to our most sophisticated and pressing issues of the 21st Century. As a student ambassador with the People-to-People program, Richard experienced first-hand how traveling to other countries can diversify one’s exposure, and has translated that into his studies in International Affairs. Under the mentorship of Professor Tom Hawley, PhD, Richard plans to focus his 2022 McNair summer research project on the phenomena of societal internalization of Neoliberalism, and the consequences of establishing competitive markets in historically non-marketed realms of our lives.

EWU McNair Scholar Edith Melendez Accepted to Northern Arizona University PhD Program

06/09/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Edith Melendez! Edith has been accepted as a doctoral student at Northern Arizona University in the Combined School/Counseling Psychology program. Edith graduated from EWU in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Developmental Psychology with minors in Psychology and Spanish. As a McNair Scholar, Edith worked with Dr. Shanna Davis on a research project titled Developing a Support Center without Borders: Enhancing Services for Students Without Documentation.

She was then accepted to five graduate programs: San Jose State University, University of Arizona, New Mexico State University, Penn State, Harrisburg, and Oregon State University. She began attending New Mexico State University in the fall of 2018. Edith currently holds an Ed.S. and serves as a licensed school psychologist at the Gadsden Independent School District.

The EWU McNair staff are excited for Edith and we know she will contribute high quality, impactful research in her graduate program. Click here to read more about Edith and her achievements during her time as a McNair Scholar.

EWU McNair Scholar Lucia Roussa Receives Excellence in Academic Achievement Award

06/07/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Lucia Roussa! Lucia has been selected by the faculty of the Environmental Science Program to receive the “Excellence in Academic Achievement Award” for 2022. Lucia’s professors remarked about her active pursuit of undergraduate research experiences, success in obtaining competitive summer research opportunities external to EWU, and experience as a McNair scholar to further prepare herself for her goal of attending graduate school and ultimately becoming a research scientist. Her professors noted that she executed a successful project on aquatic invertebrates at Turnbull Scholar in summer 2020 despite the COVID-19 constraints, and that she is currently in the midst of an exciting project examining the algal symbionts of freshwater sponges using molecular techniques.

Lucia is double majoring in Environmental Science and Biology at EWU. Her research interests include Phycology, marine microbiology, and conservation science in coastal marine ecosystems. In 2021, Lucia participated in an EWU McNair Summer Research Internship under the mentorship of Dr. Camille McNeely, Professor of Biology, where she investigated the relationship between freshwater algal abundance and diversity by analyzing the eutrophication of wetlands in Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. She then went on to work with Dr. Jessica Allen to analyze the phylogeny of freshwater sponges across greater Eastern Washington.

Lucia was one of only 13 interns selected for an internship quantifying Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia labiata) using aerial photographs with CICOES (Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies) through the University of Washington under mentor Dr. Julie Keister. Lucia was invited to continue participating in this research.

Lucia will begin attending North Carolina State University’s Doctoral program in Marine, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences in Fall 2022.