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TRIO Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

Eastern Washington University

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Conference Presentation

EWU McNair Scholar Christina Hudson Presents at National Association of African American Studies & Affiliates 2022 Conference

04/28/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

In February, EWU McNair scholar Christina Hudson presented at the National Association of African American Studies & Affiliates 2022 Virtual Conference, held online. She presented her 2021 Summer Research Internship project The Characterization of African Religion. For this project, Christina was mentored by Dr. Okera Nsombi. Christina is double majoring in English studies and Africana studies, and minoring in religious studies. She also serves as the ASEWU Diversity Representative.

When asked about the most valuable aspects of attending and presenting at this conference, Christina said she had the opportunity to make some awesome connections.

It was so great to meet and connect with so many amazing scholars and professors from different universities.

Christina would like to let other McNair scholars know that presenting at conferences is a great opportunity to talk about your research and to make important connections. While the idea of presenting at a conference may seem intimidating, “it can be a really fun experience filled with amazing scholars who are just as excited to hear about your research as you are to talk about it.”

Christina will begin her PhD studies in Africology and African American studies at Temple University next fall.

Filed Under: 2020-2021 Cohort, 2021-22 Presentations, Africana Studies, Christina Hudson, English, News, Religious Studies, Research, Scholars Tagged With: Africana Studies, ASEWU, Conference Presentation, Conferences, Dr. Okera Nsombi, English, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, EWU Summer Research Internship, Mentor, NAAAS, Religious Studies, Temple University

EWU McNair Scholar Seth McCullough Presents at Murdock College Science Research Conference

02/15/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

 

Seth McCullough Presents at Murdock ConferenceIn 2021, EWU McNair Scholar Seth McCullough presented at the Murdock College Science Research Conference. The conference focuses on sharing and advancing new knowledge in the natural sciences created or discovered through collaborative faculty-student research, and attendance is by invitation.

 

We asked Seth a few questions about his experience at the Murdock Conference to help newer McNair Scholars gain an idea of what to expect and how to prepare when they present at conferences.


What were the most valuable aspects of attending and presenting at this conference?

Murdock was my first in person conference, so being able to go in person and see how multi-day conferences operate was nice. The most valuable aspect of the conference was being able to present my research to people I did not know who are part of the scientific community. I enjoyed being able to see what other students in the region are researching, and I found it to be a great learning experience. I thought it was nice when other students and judges came around to ask questions about my research. The more questions I am asked about my research, the more I learn and the better I am at knowing what is important to explain when describing my work.

 

What would you tell other students and/or McNair scholars about attending and presenting conferences? 

Don't be afraid to go to and present at conferences. I was nervous before my poster session, but once I got started, everything flowed smoothly. After I explained my work to the first couple of people, I had a good routine down. I would suggest that students practice presenting to friends and family, preferably someone who doesn't know anything about your research. If you can explain your research to someone who is not an expert in your field, in a way that they can understand it, then you are golden. Also PRINT YOUR POSTER EARLY and be very familiar with your poster and presentation!

 

Seth was recently accepted to the Master of Professional Science program at the University of Miami. Congratulations on your presentation at the Murdock Conference, Seth, and thank you for sharing your experience and advice! Click here to read more about Seth and his research.

Filed Under: 2020-2021 Cohort, 2021-22 Presentations, Biology, Environmental Science, News, Research, Scholars, Seth McCullough Tagged With: Advice, Biology, Conference Presentation, Conferences, Environmental Science, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, Murdock

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

04/29/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

UW Gabriel E. Gallardo Conference 2021

EWU McNair Scholars Rachael Pentico, Lizeth Bañuelos, and Malachi Chukwu presented last week at the virtual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium hosted by the University of Washington. Four other EWU McNair Scholars attended: Alexandria Coronado, Wendolyn Martinez, Christina Hudson, and Aulane Mpouli. This was the first annual Gabriel E. Gallardo Research, Student Leadership & Advocacy Symposium (GEG Symposium) hosted by the University of Washington’s Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (UW OMA&D). This builds on UW McNair’s 28-year legacy of hosting a Pacific Northwest Undergraduate Research Conference and is intended to honor the legacy of Dr. Gabriel E. Gallardo who passed away last year after a lifetime of service to educational equity, particularly on behalf on TRIO McNair, TRIO-SSS, and CAMP students. This symposium provides an amazing opportunity for undergraduate researchers to meet other scholars and to share their research in a unique, exciting and supportive environment. A huge thank you to EWU McNair Faculty Mentors for encouraging and supporting scholars with their research and presentations! Below are some quotes from our scholars about the value of the experience.

On Attending the Conference:

Attending the conference was such an enriching experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet professors doing work in my area of interest at UW and to make important connections. I would recommend attending conferences to other students because it is an invaluable opportunity to ask questions and do some important networking."

- Christina Hudson, 2021 EWU McNair Scholar

Attending the conference was an insightful and meaningful. I attended: Finding Your Community, Imposter Syndrome, the Student Leadership Panel, Meditation and Stretching, Mental Health in Graduate School, Building Positive Mentoring Relationships, Self-Advocacy and Speaking Up for Yourself, and the Networking Fireside chat with Graduate Students from social sciences. These provided such honesty and great advice to successfully building relationships, your community, and taking care of your mental health."

- Lizeth Bañuelos, 2020 EWU McNair Scholar

On Presenting:

This was the first time that I pre-recorded a poster experience and it was such a great experience. It calmed the nerves I would have had if I presented live. I enjoyed familiarizing myself with this process. Take advantage of these opportunities, they are worth it. The nerves are worth it."

- Lizeth Bañuelos, 2020 EWU McNair Scholar

Check out Our Scholar's Presentations!

EWU McNair Scholar Presentations at the UW Conference:

To watch Lizeth's presentation" First-Generation Latinx Students' Academic Experience: The Role of Institutional Supports During the Pandemic, click here!

 

Click here to see Malachi's poster: Projects of Economic and Social Development in the Global South: The 20th and 21st Century Trends and their Effects.

 

Click here to see Rachael's poster: A Review of Plant Soil Feedbacks and their Importance for Palouse Prairie Restoration and Management.

 

EWU McNair Encourages Scholar Presentations at Conferences

 

EWU McNair encourages all of its scholars to present at conferences such as NCUR to network with those in their field and to build confidence, gain experience, and to strengthen Curriculum Vitae's (CV) for applying to graduate school. In addition to the UW conference, this school year scholars have presented at the Baylor McNair Research Conference, the Murdock College Science Research Conference, and the National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Conference. Typically most EWU McNair Scholars also present at the EWU Symposium. Last year we may have set a record with 18 scholars presenting last spring!

 

This year, to ensure our scholars have this opportunity, EWU McNair is partnering with CSTEM at EWU to host a symposium on June 2nd. The symposium will begin with a Social Justice in Research Panel with EWU McNair Alumni at 9 am. Click here to register for the event for free!

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
Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

EWU McNair Scholars Present at Murdock College Science Research Conference 2020

By Jaeger, Corinne | 01/27/2021
Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference

Nine EWU McNair Scholars Present at Baylor McNair Research Conference

By Jaeger, Corinne | 10/09/2020
18 Scholars Present at 2020 Symposium

18 EWU McNair Scholars Present at EWU Virtual Symposium

By Jaeger, Corinne | 06/10/2020
Darlene Gilroy Murdock 2.jpeg

Darlene Gilroy, EWU McNair Scholar and Environmental Geology major, attends prestigious Murdock College Science Research Conference in Vancouver, WA

By Patolo, Najeda | 11/14/2019
Rosa_Baylor

McNair Scholar, Rosa Espinosa Zuniga, presents at Baylor University in Texas

By Patolo, Najeda | 10/09/2019
Abdu Mohammed Visiting Congressional Reps

Abdulrazik Mohammed Travels to DC to Attend the 7th Annual International Symposium on Women and Genocide in the 21st Century: The Case of Darfur

By jlittleton1 | 12/04/2018

 

The EWU McNair staff are proud of all of our scholars for the hard work they've put into their research and sharing that research with the broader community.

Filed Under: 2018-2019 Cohort, 2019-2020 Cohort, 2020-2021 Cohort, 2020-21 Presentations, Africana Studies, Alexandria Coronado, Aulane Mpouli, Biology, Chemistry, Christina Hudson, English, Environmental Science, International Affairs, Lizeth Banuelos, Malachi Chukwu, Political Science, Psychology, Rachael Pentico, Research, Scholars, Wendolyn Martinez Tagged With: Africana Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Conference Presentation, Dr. Aryn Ziehnert, Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted, Dr. Lindsey Upton, Dr. Majid Sharifi, Dr. Okera Nsombi, Dr. Rebecca Brown, Dr. Yao Houndonougbo, English, Environmental Science, EWU McNair Program, EWU McNair Scholar, International Affairs, Palouse Prairie, Political Science, Presentations, Psychology, Research, Summer Research Internships, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee Presents Poster at the American Society of Criminology Conference

12/03/2019 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presents her research poster with Mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton at the American Society for Criminology Conference in 2019.
EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presents her research poster with Mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton at the American Society for Criminology Conference in 2019.

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee presented her research poster, “Prisoner Reentry: College Perceptions of Reentry Barriers in a Northwest Community” this November at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference. With the support of her mentor, Dr. Lindsey Upton, Theresa studied the college community’s perception of barriers to reentry that might interrupt, or help, successful reentry for inmates and developed an informational poster to present her research.

 

Theresa talked with us about how valuable she found the experience.

 

“The time I spent at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference, located this year in San Francisco, California, was incredible! I presented my research in poster format, and was able to meet some interesting contacts from universities across the country. Among those contacts was current McMair scholar Cheyenne McQuain from (St. Lawrence University, New York) along with a variety of professors from: Old Dominion University, Sam Houston University, Florida State University, Kansas State University and American University—to name a few. I attended multiple university socials and was able to converse with professors and graduate students about life at their university and upcoming or current research opportunities. However, this opportunity was not all work; I was able to taking a walking tour of San Francisco with a handful of professors to learn about past criminal history and activity within the area. It was a chilling and unforgettable experience that I now share with the attending professors—professors who work with and for potential graduate programs I’ll be applying to. Therefore, this experience was immensely valuable in regards to networking!

 

Networking wasn’t the only benefit I experienced, however. An invaluable and profitable bit of knowledge that I gained was obtained through observation. It was interesting and helpful for me to see how professionals in the field (a field I hope to join) conduct, investigate, and present their research. This information will help me prepare for future presentations and conferences.

 

Personally, I believe that I made a memorable impression and a handful of useful contacts to assist me in obtaining my future goals. All in all, this experience was life changing and unbelievably enjoyable.”

 

The EWU McNair Scholars Program works with each student to get them connected to research opportunities, supports them in completing their research papers and preparing for conferences and presentations, and we require scholars to attend at least one conference for exactly the reasons Theresa illustrates so well above.

 

We are so excited that Theresa had such a great experience and proud of her work as a McNair Scholar!

EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee and her mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton take a walking tour of San Francisco on their trip to the American Society of Criminology Conference.
EWU McNair Scholar Theresa Lee and her mentor Dr. Lindsey Upton take a walking tour of San Francisco on their trip to the American Society of Criminology Conference.

Filed Under: 2018-2019 Cohort, McNair Mentors, News, Psychology, Research, Scholars, Sociology and Criminal Justice, Theresa Lee Tagged With: Achievement, Conference Presentation, Conferences, EWU McNair Scholar, McNair Scholar, McNair Scholars Program, Mentors

Abdulrazik Mohammed Travels to DC to Attend the 7th Annual International Symposium on Women and Genocide in the 21st Century: The Case of Darfur

12/04/2018 by jlittleton1 Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Scholar Abdulrazik (Abdu) Mohammed lived in an Internally Displaced camp in the Sudan for two years as a child, then spent five years in a Kenyan refugee
camp with his family, who had been forced to flee their home due to the ongoing violent conflict in Darfur. “Life was like a prison there,” he says of the camps. “Nowhere to go, few thoughts for the future.” His life changed significantly, however, when he along with several of his family members were granted refugee status, allowing them to emigrate to the U.S. He arrived in Spokane Washington as a teenager, unable to speak English, but determined to do everything possible to make the most of his fortune and to use his opportunities to give back to others. He was enrolled in the Ferris High School English Development Program (ELD) program where he was supported by numerous Ferris ELD teachers, including EWU alumna Mandy Manning ’98, who won the 2018 National Teacher of the Year award. Mr. Mohammed rewarded the support of the Ferris ELD program, along with others at Ferris and in the Spokane community, with his focused hard work.

He awoke each morning at five so he could get to school at six to work on his English and catch up with his high school classmates. He was able to complete the requirement to graduate from Ferris in 2015, doing a freshman year at Whitworth University before transferring to EWU in fall 2016, where he chose to study international affairs. As he has moved through his coursework at Eastern, he became increasingly interested in research and the possibility of going to graduate school, so he applied for the McNair Scholar program. Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar in March 2018, he conducted a McNair Summer 2018 Internship project: The UN Response to Darfur: Aid, Security and Conflict Resolution, with faculty research mentor, Dr. Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted, professor in political science. With her encouragement, and the support of McNair travel grant funds, Mr. Mohammed recently attended the 7thAnnual International Symposium on Women and
Genocide in the 21stCentury: The Case of Darfur 
at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C. In addition to presenting at the conference on a panel,  met with congressional representatives on Capitol Hill, and was able to meet and have conversations with faculty, researchers and professionals in many fields related to the topic.

When asked how his EWU international affairs major prepared him for this experience he stated: “Understanding global governance and how it works to solve global problems was beneficial in terms of engaging with like-minded people as well as explaining my research topic. For example, understanding how the International Criminal Court [ICC] works was important. Part of my research includes one of the most controversial criminal case the ICC worked on, the Darfur case. When I met the international persecutor who handled this case, the knowledge and the skills I gained through my EWU major helped me ask the right question and have a constructive discussion with him.”

He believes that all students should try to attend a conference: “It opens one’s mind beyond the imaginable. Whether it is academic or activism and or action-based conference, it is not possible to return without some form of knowledge that would fit your interests. You get an idea of what others are doing and what your undergrad or overall academic experience can contribute in real life. You also gain connections and opportunities that might open your doors to future.”

Always thinking about how he might make a positive difference in the world he adds: “Some of the most important outcomes of getting such an opportunity is building experiences and knowledge to learn how education can be applied to the real world to benefit others.”

Filed Under: 2017-2018 Cohort, AbdulrazikMohamed, Events, News, Political Science Tagged With: Celebration, Conference Presentation, McNair Scholar, News

McNair Scholars Representing EWU at National Latinx Psychology Association Conference in LaJolla, CA

11/29/2018 by jlittleton1 Leave a Comment

EWU McNair 2018 summer research interns, Rosa Espinosa-Zunigaand Marixza Torres, recently represented Eastern Washington University at the National Latina Psychological Association Conference in LaJolla, CA. This professional conference included prominent Latinx psychologists from around the country along with graduate students and a handful of undergraduates like Ms. Torres and Ms. Espinosa-Zuniga, who both presented posters showcasing their McNair research internship projects. Ms. Torres’s poster was titled Needs and Challenges of Latinx Families of Children with Autism, and presented the results of the McNair project she completed with the guidance of her McNair faculty research mentor, Dr. Christina Torres, EWU McNair Director. Ms. Espinosa-Zuniga’s poster was titled Gratitude, Spirituality and Religiosity in the Aging Population, and showcased the results of the project she conducted with her McNair research mentor, Dr. Phillip Watkins, EWU professor of psychology.

Max and Rosa are both majoring in psychology, and were encouraged to submit abstracts to the NPLA conference by Dr. Nallelly Galvan, a fellow EWU McNair Scholar psychology alumna who conducted her McNair research internship with Dr. Russell Kolts. She earned her bachelor’s degree from EWU and then continuing her education to earn a master’s degree from Indiana University in Counseling Psychology, as well as an educational specialist degree in Community Mental Health and Public Health. She then completed her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois, and accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Justice as a staff psychologist and served as the suicide prevention program coordinator at a medical center for female offenders. Currently within the agency, she is the coordinator of the only federal residential drug abuse program designed for monolingual Spanish speaking female offenders which she developed and implemented, and for which she was the recipient of a prestigious national award within the agency in 2014.

EWU McNair is everywhere!!!

 

Filed Under: 2017-2018 Cohort, Acceptances/Awards, Events, MarixzaTorres, News, RosaEspinosaZuniga, Scholars, Social Media Tagged With: Achievement, Celebration, Conference Presentation, Events, McNair Scholar, News

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