McNair Mentors

EWU McNair Scholars Present at Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

01/27/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Despite COVID-19, EWU McNair Scholars have persisted through their virtual research internships during the summer of 2020 and continued to present their research throughout the year. This last fall, two EWU McNair Scholars presented at the Murdock College Science Research Conference. This Northwest specific undergraduate conference focuses on sharing and advancing new knowledge in the natural sciences created or discovered through collaborative faculty-student research. Attendance at this conference is by invitation only. The two presentations from our McNair Scholars were:

Rachael is now hard at work completing her graduate school applications. Ashley will continue on another year in her studies and apply to graduate school in the fall of 2021. We're so excited for both of these scholars and their next steps towards attaining their PhDs!

EWU McNair Scholar Julianna Pruneda-Martinez Completes Summer Research Internship

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

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.

EWU McNair Scholar Aulane Mpouli Completes Summer Research Internship

11/18/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Congratulations EWU McNair Scholar Aulane Mpouli for completing her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! Aulane's study is titled Molecular Docking Study of ITPA Protein Substrate Complex. The project is an extension of the work that mentor Dr. Yao Houndonougbo has been doing to apply computational chemistry methods to study protein–ligand interactions and the property structure relationships in materials. Many thanks to Dr. Houndonougbo for his outstanding mentorship. Read more about Aulane's research on her EWU McNair webpage!

Aulane is now hard at work applying to graduate schools across the country. Keep up the exceptional work Aulane! EWU McNair is confident that you will succeed in graduate school and have a great impact on our world.

EWU McNair Scholar Ashley Destin Completes Summer Research Internship

11/18/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne 2 Comments

Congratulations EWU McNair Scholar Ashley Destin for completing her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! Ashley conducted her research on statistical evaluations of skull measurements within and between the three selected North American carnivore groups under the mentorship of Professor Dr. Judd Case in Department of Biology. She measured skulls and looked their size correlation with the body size of possible prey. Many thanks to Dr. Case for his outstanding mentorship. Read more about Ashley's research on her EWU McNair webpage!

Ashley is now hard at work preparing for both Veterinary and graduate school, which she plans to apply for next fall. Keep up the exceptional work Ashley! EWU McNair is confident that you will succeed in graduate school and beyond!

EWU McNair Scholar Alexis Guizar-Diaz Completes Summer Research Internship

11/17/2020 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexis Guizar-Diaz for completing his 2020 EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! With the mentorship of Dr. Edwin Elias, Alexis researched the exponential increase of requested H-2A guestworkers in Washington State and how capital has structured labor conditions. He is currently researching why the rate of positive COVID-19 cases per capita was highest in Washington’s major agricultural counties, what is the relationship to the high number of cases and lack of protections for seasonal agricultural workers, and what is the viewpoint of seasonal workers on the situation. Many thanks to Dr. Elias for his ongoing mentorship for Alexis. Read more about Alexis's research on his EWU McNair webpage!

Alexis is not only conducting ongoing research, he is now hard at work applying to graduate schools and fellowships across the country. Keep up the amazing work Alexis! EWU McNair is confident that you will succeed in graduate school and have a great impact on our communities.

EWU McNair Scholar Mori Williams Completes Summer Research Internship

11/09/2020 by Tennyson, Bryn Leave a Comment

Congratulations EWU McNair Scholar Mori Williams for completing his EWU McNair Summer Research Internship! Mori conducted his research on nutrient concentrations of cyanotoxins at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge under the mentorship of Dr. Camille McNeely in the Department of Biology. He collected samples in the field and then analyzed these samples in the lab. Mori’s hope is to learn more about toxins and toxin flow in water to help prevent pollution and clean it out of our environment. Many thanks to Dr. McNeely for her outstanding mentorship. Read more about Mori’s research on his EWU McNair webpage!

Mori is now hard at work applying to graduate schools across the country with a specific interest in Environmental Toxicology. Keep up the exceptional work Mori! EWU McNair is confident that you will succeed in graduate school and have a great impact on our world.