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TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

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Mathematics

Meet Social Justice in Research Panelist – EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco

05/14/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Dr. Laura Zumidio-Orozco Social Justice Panel 2021

We are honored to have EWU McNair Alumna Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and McNair Program Coordinator at Heritage University, joining us for our "Social Justice in Research" Plenary Session on June 2, at 9 am (register for free here). Dr. Zamudio-Orozco will join 3 other EWU McNair alumni in this panel preceding the EWU Online Symposium, a collaboration between McNair and CSTEM. She earned her PhD in Mathematics Education from Florida International University in the fall of 2019 and worked as an student advisor for EWU McNair in Winter and Spring 2020. Below is an interview with Dr. Zamudio-Orozco about what she's doing now and some of her thoughts on social justice and research.

Our Interview with Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco:

What does “Social Justice in Research” mean to you?

 

For me, social justice in research means that I can bring my experiences as a first-generation Latina and those of my community to investigate unjust issues we have faced and continue to face in education. For so long, I questioned the tracking of students in K-12 education and why so many of my friends were placed in different tracks, which led them to believe they could not succeed in certain classes and often limited their choices after high school. I also questioned why so many students felt disconnected from certain disciplines, especially mathematics, and how that disconnect was part of the teaching and learning practices employed by teachers. My research now is centered on bringing answers to these questions by creating and adopting new pedagogy in the field of mathematics; a pedagogy that attends to student access, achievement, identity, and issues of power that are necessary to empower students to use mathematics as a tool to investigate, understand, and respond to social justice issues in our communities.

 

What do you see as the purpose of academic research in this current moment?

 

This is a hard question because I think back to my understanding of academic research before graduate school, and it was difficult for me to connect theory to my lived experiences. With that being said, in this current moment, I see research as a tool to work with our multiple communities to highlight social injustices and issues that we are facing and also to highlight the strength and knowledge in our communities. This can take many forms; I think back to a recent conversation with a Heritage University McNair Scholar as we questioned the chemical makeup of pesticides invading our communities and how it affects the lives of farmworkers who spend innumerable hours working in the orchards. Now the question becomes, how do we take action as academic researchers to share this information with our communities and to work together to bring solutions to such problems? First, we must do our part to be in proximity to our communities to inform the research questions we ask, the methodologies we utilize, how we analyze data, and most importantly (I think) how we communicate the results to our communities as a means of developing solutions together.

 

How did your undergraduate research experience prepare you for the next steps you have taken?

 

Sometimes I sit in disbelief when I reflect on my graduate school experience and see my diploma because I did not fully understand what graduate school was until I became a McNair Scholar at the end of my sophomore year. I remember sitting in the car with one of my closest friends, Jereny, and talking about wanting to implement pedagogy that reflected students’ lived experiences in the field of mathematics because I was not seeing it my classes at the time. She asked, “Have you ever considered doing a small research study on this pedagogy you talk about and going to graduate school?” The next day I was in a meeting with Dr. Christina Torres García, McNair Director at EWU, and I walked out ready to apply to the McNair Scholars Program. The following summer, I led my own research with the support of mathematics faculty and my McNair family. Working with students at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outreach Center and creating and solving fractions problems was such a beautiful experience. We all felt connected to the teaching and we were having long mathematical discussions about sharing items equally and how that would look based on our individual experiences. Through this experience, I was able to think back to my own K-12 education and reflected on how much more engaged I would have been if I had teachers who used my experiences and identities to enrich the field of mathematics. My reflection then led into my journey as a full-time graduate student; it shaped the research questions I was posing, the methods for my data collection, analysis, and it made my think creatively about how I was going to distribute the knowledge I was gaining in my communities.

 

What advice would you give to an undergraduate researcher?

 

Let your experiences and those of your communities drive your questions, methods, and how you distribute your findings.

 

Talk to others about your experiences with your research mentors. This can be a great strategy to break down what you enjoy about the mentoring relationship and to get support from outside mentors if you are experiencing an unhealthy mentoring relationship. Always advocate for yourself and find mentors who will join you in that journey because it is something that we can always improve as we navigate new spaces.

 

Take advantage of the opportunities presented by mentors at EWU. This is something I wish I would have taken more advantage of as an undergraduate. This does not mean that you have to take all the opportunities because I want you to take care of your overall health, but I do think it is important to listen to those who are advocating for you and listen to their advice when they present you with new opportunities that support your goals.

 

What advice would you give to an undergraduate faculty research mentor?

 

Give students the freedom to share their experiences to enrich the research questions, methods, analyses, and findings when they join a research team and/or when they conduct independent research projects.

 

Provide students with opportunities to ask about your experiences in academia and be open to sharing your journey knowing that everyone has a unique journey.

 

Support students by sharing opportunities, cheering for them during their research presentations, asking about their personal health, and by always advocating for them.

 

Consistently work to understand the power dynamics that exist in your mentor-mentee relationships and strive to reshape that relationship by envisioning students as leaders and knowledgeable research partners. By reshaping our relationships, it allows students to feel more comfortable asking questions and sharing concerns, taking initiative in research projects and conversations, and contributing their experiential knowledge.

Click here to register for the free "Social Justice in Research" panel on June 2nd at 9 am!

Filed Under: 2019-2020 PhDs, Alumni, Alumni Spotlight, EWU McNair PhD's, Mathematics, News, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco, EWU Alum, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Research, Social Justice

Welcome The EWU McNair 2020-2021 Cohort

05/07/2021 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

New Scholars!

The EWU McNair Scholars Program is excited to welcome our new 2020-2021 cohort of McNair scholars!

Operating in a cohort model, these scholars will make connections while acquiring the knowledge, skills, and capacities necessary to successfully navigate the diligence of doctoral studies through immersion in mentored research experiences and scholarly activities.

 

This year we have an additional 6 scholars with a variety of majors including  Psychology, Mathematics, English, Africana Studies and Environmental Biology!

Lucia Roussa Summer Research Acceptance 2021

EWU McNair Scholar Lucia Roussa Awarded CICOES Internship at UW

By Jaeger, Corinne | 04/16/2021
Seth McCullough McNair Scholar Announcements 2021 (1)

Seth McCullough Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 04/22/2021
Lucia Rousa McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Lucia Roussa Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 04/23/2021
Christina Hudson McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Christina Hudson Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 04/25/2021
Nyibol Thareek McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Nyibol Thareek Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 04/27/2021
Green back drop (lime to jade), with title of article, names of scholars and an image of each

EWU McNair Scholars Lucia Roussa and Mori Williams Present at NCUR

By Jaeger, Corinne | 04/27/2021
Darlynne Khayesi McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Darlynne Kahyesi Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 04/29/2021
UW Gabriel E. Gallardo Conference 2021

7 EWU McNair Scholars Participate in Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership, and Advocacy Symposium

By Jaeger, Corinne | 04/29/2021
2021 New McNair Scholars Header

Welcome The EWU McNair 2020-2021 Cohort

By Tennyson, Bryn | 05/07/2021
Ian Campuzano McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Ian Campuzano Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

By Tennyson, Bryn | 05/13/2021

The Trio Ronald E. McNair Scholar program is federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education and searches for ambitious students who are first-generation and low-income, and/or a part of an underrepresented minority group, to introduce them to academic research and offer them effective strategies for entering and completing a PhD program.

 

The EWU McNair program was first implemented in 1995, and since then has helped mentor 41, and counting, students to obtaining their PhDs. Each fall EWU McNair will recruit students who are interested in attending graduate school and enrolls them into a non-credit "Is Grad School For You" canvas course to help guide them through the application process on becoming a McNair Scholar. Applications are reviewed by the EWU Selection Committee, which consists of EWU professors who volunteer their time to review applications and select the next cohort of EWU McNair Scholars. This years committee consisted of Dr. Judd Case and Dr. Margaret O'Connell from the Biology department, Dr. Miguel Novella and Dr. Martin Meráz-García from the Chicana/o/x studies program, Dr. Stephen Tsikalas from the Geology department, and Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart from the Psychology department. EWU Mcnair extends a huge thank you to the behind the scenes Selection Committee. Our work would not be possible without you!

 

Working with and supporting this years applicants through the process of applying to the EWU McNair Scholar program has been an absolute pleasure. Watching these students adapt and persist through the difficult times inflicted by Covid-19 has been an inspiring experience. Not only have these students maintained their academic achievement through rapid change, but they strive and crave more. We look forward for whats to come for this years McNair Scholars!

Filed Under: 2020-2021 Cohort, 2020-21 Awards, Africana Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Chicano Studies, Darlynne Khayesi, English, Environmental Science, EWU McNair PhD's, Geology, Ian Campuzano, Lucia Roussa, Mathematics, McNair Cohorts, Nyibol Thareek, Psychology, Recruitment, Research, Scholars, Scholarships, Seth McCullough, Social Media Tagged With: Dr. Jillene Seiver, Dr. Judd Case, Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart, Dr. Margaret O'Connell, Dr. Martín Meráz García, Dr. Miguel Novella, Dr. Stephen Tsikalas, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship

Nyibol Thareek Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

04/27/2021 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Nyibol Thareek McNair Scholar Announcements 2021

Congratulations Eastern Washington University student Nyibol Thareek! Nyibol has been selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and awarded a summer research internship. McNair Scholars must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, are first generation college students and low-income and/or underrepresented students, and are selected for their promise as scholars and commitment to attaining a PhD. Nyibol is a track and field athlete studying Mathematics and minoring in Biology. Her primary research interests through applied mathematics studies complex systems and dynamics arising in various biological phenomena. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Nyibol plans to test the excitability of mitochondria and its ability to support a traveling wave with her mentor, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Andrew Oster.

 

We're so excited to have Nyibol join us as a McNair Scholar!

 

Filed Under: 2020-2021 Cohort, 2020-21 Awards, Acceptances/Awards, Biology, Mathematics, McNair Mentors, Mentor, Nyibol Thareek, Recruitment, Research, Scholars, Scholarships Tagged With: Biology, Dr. Andrew Oster, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, Mathematics, Mentor

EWU McNair alum Dr. Laura Zamudio earns PhD; Serving as Winter/Spring 2020 Eastern McNair Interim Academic Advisor before joining Heritage University as an Assistant Professor of Math and McNair Program Coordinator

12/06/2020 by Dukich, Cynthia Leave a Comment

Dr. Laura Zamudio is an Eastern Washington University TRIO McNair alum who earned her bachelor's degree from Eastern with a major in math education and a minor in Spanish. As an EWU McNair Scholar research intern, she completed two McNair research projects in math education with Dr. Gayle Milsaps in the summers of 2014 and 2015. After graduating from Eastern, she earned a Ph.D. from Florida International University in Math Education: Curriculum and Instruction in December 2019.

 

The EWU McNair Program was grateful when she was able to make a brief stop back in Cheney to join our team in January 2020 as our Interim Academic Advisor. As a recent McNair scholar who successfully made it through the process of earning a Ph.D., she provided instrumental insights to the potential McNair scholars enrolled in the winter McNair Scholarly Identity class. The course guides first-generation, low-income and underrepresented emerging scholars through the process of defining and preparing to achieve their academic goals as they create academic bios, Curriculum Vitas, and LinkedIn profiles to help them start to identify as a scholar. It also provides a hands-on learning opportunity by encouraging scholars to seek out and apply for Summer Research Opportunities, and each year, some are rewarded with fully-funded SROPs. This process has allowed EWU McNair scholars to participate in SROPs at places like MIT and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

 

Dr. Zamudio worked with the McNair Director, Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, and the McNair Graduate Student Assistant Cori Jaeger to assist students in completing and submitting these SROP applications, just as most schools were announcing their summer research programs would be on-line due to the pandemic. Three scholars, Malachi Chukwu, Wendolyn Martinez, and Aulane Mpouli were selected for these opportunities, with Malachi and Wendolyn being able to complete them virtually at the Laney Graduate School Summer Opportunity for Academic Research (LGS-SOAR) Program at Emory University and the Junior Summer Institute in Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) at the University of Michigan respectively. Aulane's Ohio State University (OSU) research internship was canceled due to COVID-19; however, she was invited to a summer webinar series by OSU to help prepare her for graduate school, and completed an EWU McNair Summer Research Internship project, working online with Eastern chemistry faculty Dr. Yao Houndonougbo. While assisting students in navigating the challenges of upcoming summer research projects, Dr. Zamudio also provided valuable guidance to the scholars accepted into graduate programs as they prepared to make the transition to graduate school during a pandemic.

 

Her experience in on-line and equitable teaching practices was integral to helping the program develop and provide necessary academic support services when McNair was forced to adjust in a matter of weeks to a completely virtual learning environment. In spring, as Eastern continued to offer all of its services virtually, Dr. Zamudio continued to support students as needed in Dr. Torres Garcia's Spring Research Methods class, frequently meeting in one-on-one Zoom sessions while also working closely with the Assistant Director, Cynthia Dukich, and GSA Jaeger, to provide analytical writing feedback for the weekly McNair spring GRE Analytical Writing Seminars.

 

Basically, Dr. Laura Zamudio is a rock star!

 

She now serves in a joint position at Heritage University as an assistant professor in the math department and the McNair Program coordinator. We're so proud of her and excited for the next step in her journey as she continues to support students through equitable education.

 

Click the link to read Dr. Zamudio's dissertation abstract:

Dominant and Critical Mathematics: A Multi-Case Study Examining Mathematics Teachers’ Equitable Teaching Practices

 

 

Filed Under: 2019-2020 PhDs, Alumni, Alumni Spotlight, EWU McNair PhD's, Mathematics Tagged With: Dr. Laura Zamudio-Orozco

EWU McNair Scholar Julianna Pruneda-Martinez Completes Summer Research Internship

11/18/2020 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Julianna Pruneda Res 2020

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Julianna Pruneda-Martinez for completing her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! Under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Winer in the EWU Department of Education, Julianna researched mathematics education through the review of two texts: Taking Action: Implementing Effective Mathematics Teaching practices in Grades K-5 by DeAnn Huinker and Victoria Bill and Making Number Talks Matter: Developing Mathematical Practices and Deepening Understanding, grades 3-10. This research has further encouraged Julianna to dig into what’s working and what’s not working in math education, especially for Latinx students.

 

Julianna is currently continuing her work towards her major in Math Education and building her resume and experience for both her teaching certificate and preparing for graduate school. We’re confident that Julianna will make great strides in the field of education. Many thanks to Dr. Michael Winer for his thoughtful mentorship. To learn more about Julianna and her research, check out her EWU McNair webpage.

Filed Under: 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020 Summer McNair Research Internships, Julianna Pruneda-Martinez, Mathematics, McNair Mentors, Mentor, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Dr. Michael Winer, Education, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, julianna Pruneda-Martinez, Mathematics Education, Undergraduate Research

Julianna Pruneda-Martinez Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

05/26/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Photo of Julianna Pruneda-Martinez next to text congratulating her with red textured border.

Congratulations Eastern Washington University student Julianna Pruneda-Martinez! Julianna has been selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and awarded a summer research internship. McNair Scholars must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and are first generation college students and low-income and/or underrepresented students. They are selected for their promise as scholars and commitment towards attaining a PhD.

 

Julianna is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Math Education (K-8). She has been a College Assistant Migrant Program and Washington State Opportunity scholar. She also volunteered as a Peer Mentor for the Chicanx Peer Mentor Program at EWU. She has already completed fall and winter courses preparing to be a McNair Scholar and is currently enrolled in EWU McNair's Research Methods and Analytic Writing courses, on top of her regular classes. This will not only strengthen her skills for graduate school, but also set the groundwork for her 2020 EWU McNair Summer Research Internship under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Winer, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at Eastern. Her research interests are on Latinx students learning Mathematics.

 

We're so excited to have Julianna join us as a McNair Scholar!

Filed Under: 2019-2020 Cohort, Acceptances/Awards, Julianna Pruneda-Martinez, Mathematics, McNair Mentors, Mentor, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Dr. Michael Winer, Education, EWU College of Social Sciences, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Mathematics Education, Mentor, Summer Research

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