College of STEM:

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Andrea Castillo, Associate Professor of Biology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Marcos Monteiro. Her research interests focus on studying the molecules in Helicobacter pylori uses to infect and cause gastric disease in humans.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Frank Lynch, Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Nathan Blair. His research interests lie in mathematical modeling of biological processes. He is particularly interested in biological gels, biochemical physiology, perturbation theory, and asymptotic analysis.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Wes Steiner, Professor of Chemistry at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Elvin Cabrera. Presently his research group is interested in the use and development of analytical chemistry techniques to explore a wide variety of research topics involving the physical sciences and/or their applications, for example, to the life sciences.

TRIO McNair Faculty Mentor Dr. Shamima Yasmin, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Erik Almaguer. Her research interests focus on computer graphics, geometric modeling, data visualization, and haptics-based multimodal environment.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. David Daberkow, Associate Professor of Biology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Christina Ramelow. His research interests focus on studying neurochemical messenger dopamine and its role in brain function.

College of  Social Science:

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Edmundo M. Aguilar, Quarterly Professor of Race and Culture at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Ereisa Morales. His research interest centers on catalyzing systemic social change through documentary film in which critically interrogates identity and oppressive experiences.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Amani El-Alayli, Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Acea Sands. Her research interests include stereotyping and discrimination; impression formation biases, and self-perception biases.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kayleen Islam-Zwart, Professor and Department Chair of Psychology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Rachel Silverthorn. Her research interests include forensic populations, women in prison, adjustment to incarceration, sexual victimization, and cognitive and neuropsychological evaluation.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Kassahun Kebede, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Jones, Kimberly. His research interests include international migration, transnationalism, forced migration, medical anthropology, identity, and social conflict.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Okera Nsombi, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Kianna Baker. His research interests focus on history of Blacks in the United States and the African Diaspora, interdisciplinary analyses of African American Studies, the social foundations of education with a particular focus on race, and past and contemporary techniques for oppressing Blacks.

TRiO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Martin Meraz-Garcia, Associate Professor of the Chicana and Chicano Studies Program at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Maria Rivera, Angelica Garcia-Macias and continuing scholar Josiah Van Egdom. His research interests include undocumented students in higher education, revolutionary movements in Mexico, Nicaragua and other Latin American countries; the U.S.-Mexico relations with respect to the war on drugs.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, Assistant Dean and Director of McNair Program at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Marixza Torres. Her research interests focus on historical, social, and political issues affecting Chicanas/Latinas in the Pacific Northwest. Her interest in illustrating the intersections of systematic layers of oppression has resulted in reclaiming the voices of Chicanas and Latinas whose life stories enrich academia today.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Philip Watkins, Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Rosa Espinoza. His research interests focus on gratitude, joy, and their contribution to well-being.

TRIO McNair Faculty Research Mentor Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted, Professor of Political Science-International Affair at Eastern Washington University, is mentoring Abdul Mohammed. Her research interests include on water history with publications on the historical development of major river systems, water use in the American West, and the intersection of race, gender and the environment.