Political Science

Richard Murphy Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar and Awarded Summer Research Internship

06/29/2022 by Liina Koivula Leave a Comment

Richard Murphy Selected as an EWU McNair Scholar Congratulations to new McNair Scholar Richard Murphy! Richard 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.

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.

Richard Murphy is an undergraduate student at Eastern Washington University. His three declared majors are Philosophy, Political Science, and International Affairs with an emphasis on Global Socio-Economic Development. Richard is also pursuing a minor in Spanish. As the Vice President of both the Philosophy Club and the International Affairs Community at EWU, Richard recognizes the utility of taking 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 what traveling to other countries can provide to diversifying one’s exposure, and has translated that into his studies revolving around International Affairs. Under the mentorship of Professor Thomas Hawley, PhD, Richard plans to focus his research on the phenomena of societal internalization of Neoliberalism, and the societal consequences of establishing competitive markets in historically non-marketed realms of our lives.

We look forward to accompanying Richard 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.

Dr. Lindsey Upton: A Thoughtful, Engaged Mentor Makes a Difference in the Lives of First Generation Scholars

11/05/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

EWU McNair Faculty Mentor, Dr. Lindsey Upton, “It was a really rewarding experience to talk through scholars’ ideas and facilitate their first foray into research.” Mentees include Alexandria Coronado and Theresa Lee

EWU McNair Faculty Mentor Spotlight: Dr. Lindsey Upton

by Cori Jaeger, EWU McNair Program Academic Advisor

When I spoke with Dr. Lindsey Upton about being a McNair faculty mentor, it was no surprise to me that she’d been in touch with EWU McNair alumna Theresa Lee recently. Dr. Upton mentored Theresa for two summers as she researched Prisoner Reentry: College Perceptions of Reentry Barriers in a Northwest Community. As I worked with Theresa over the last two years it was clear that she felt supported by her mentor and saw Dr. Upton as someone she could reach out to anytime.

Dr. Upton is a wonderful McNair mentor. She is very hands on with mentees, as well as supportive, open-minded and dependable. I would have had a much harder time with my McNair research project as well as graduate admission if I didn’t have her. I am grateful to have found such an outstanding mentor and friend.” – Theresa Lee, EWU McNair Alumna

Theresa was accepted to 5 graduate programs and is currently attending the Bowling Green State University Sociology PhD Program with full funding. She relayed to Dr. Upton that grad school was hard but going well and she was deeply grateful for the preparation she had at EWU, especially through the McNair program and Dr. Upton’s mentorship. In fact, one of her professors at BGSU told her that they were impressed with her level of preparedness.

Dr. Upton also mentored Alexandria Coronado who was accepted to three graduate programs and is currently attending the University of Alabama’s Political Science PhD Program with full funding. Clearly Dr. Upton’s mentorship has had a powerful impact on both of these students and made a significant contribution to their competitiveness as PhD applicants. She is passionate about teaching research and service. When asked about what her experience as a mentor was like, she said,

It was a really rewarding experience to talk through scholar’s ideas once a week and facilitate their first foray into research.” - Dr. Lindsey Upton

McNair faculty mentors formally take on their mentorship in the spring supporting students as they hone in on their research topic and methodology. Then, they meet regularly with them throughout the summer as the students conduct this research and work on a high-level research paper they can submit as an example of writing for graduate school applications. The depth and rigor of this research is what helped Theresa be so well prepared.

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

Dr. Upton’s favorite memory of mentoring was going to the American Society of Criminology Conference with Theresa. She remembered her own first experience at a conference and how she caught the bug for research there. It was incredibly rewarding to see her scholar have that same experience and excitement as a first-generation college student. While McNair encourages and pays for students to attend conferences, not all students and mentors take up this opportunity. Fortunately, Dr. Upton helped Theresa know about and participate in this 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.

Theresa agreed that it was momentous:

The time I spent at the American Society of Criminology (ASC) conference was incredible! I attended multiple university socials and was able to converse with professors and graduate students about life at their university and research opportunities. It was interesting and helpful for me to see how professionals in the field conduct, investigate, and present their research. All in all, this experience was life changing and unbelievably enjoyable.” – EWU McNair Alumna Theresa Lee

Dr. Upton recognizes that mentoring is a commitment, but she said it was a reasonable one and the benefits are high. She indicated your main role as a mentor is to facilitate the experience. You spend about one hour a week with scholars most weeks and then a few times more than that, such as to help with a particular part of data analysis that an undergrad might not know how to do yet. Further, she noted that McNair really works to prepare students for research, academic writing, and graduate level engagement and skills. Students came to her with questions and information and took an active role in their research. McNair also provides funds for students to travel to conferences and to purchase research supplies.

McNair does a really excellent job on guiding the students through research. Students would bring such amazing questions to their meetings, questions that got deeper and deeper, and this really prepares them for the research and for graduate school. It really is a great partnership between faculty and McNair. Students would constantly reflect back and what a positive experience they were having with McNair.” – Dr. Lindsey Upton

Theresa Lee Graduate School Acceptances 2021 SC

Alexandria Coronado Graduate School Acceptances 2021 TX

Theresa Lee Graduate School Acceptances 2021 01 (1)

Alexandria Coronado Graduate School Acceptances 2021 AL

McNair is grateful to Dr. Upton and all of our McNair faculty mentors. Without them, the program couldn’t run. They provide critical support and guidance for students as they grow their research skills. Moreover, it’s this research experience that allows many of our McNair Scholars to go straight from their undergraduate degree to a PhD program. In addition, McNair mentors often are able to find the perfect students for the program. As soon as I reached out to Dr. Upton about recruiting a new cohort of scholars she immediately said she had a few students she would encourage to participate as well as invited us to provide a promotional video and flyer she could share in her current online course. This kind of engagement is why the EWU McNair program remains strong regardless of the pandemic. This last year, even with scholars being 100% virtual for their McNair experience, we had 13 scholars apply to graduate school who collectively received 36 acceptances, many of which included funding.

This year, EWU McNair is recruiting for as many as 19 new scholars. If you are a student and you’re interested in graduate school, please complete our eligibility questionnaire or just stop in Monroe 107 and say hello! If you are faculty and would like to get involved, please nominate a student and send them our way, or email us. The success of McNair, reflected by our 41 (and growing!) scholars who’ve already attained their PhD’s, really does take a partnership between faculty, McNair, and the scholars themselves.

EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado Awarded Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellowship

05/11/2021 by Jaeger, Corinne Leave a Comment

Alexandria Coronado McNair Fellowship Award 2021

Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexandria Coronado! Alexandria has been selected as a Capstone McNair Graduate Council Fellow in the Graduate School of the University of Alabama, where Alexandria was accepted by the Political Science PhD Program. This prestigious fellowship provides a stipend for Alexandria's 1st, 3rd, and 5th year of graduate school, with her department providing fellowships for the 2nd and 4th year. Alexandria was also accepted by the Political Science Masters Program at Saint Louis University with full funding and Texas A&M's Bush School Masters of Public Service and Administration program. Alexandria has already found a place to stay in Alabama and is excited to start her path towards her doctorate.

Alexandria is majoring in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-Law and minoring in Anthropology. At Eastern, she is involved in the Honors Program as well as the International Affairs Community. Her research interests revolve around the ever-growing economic inequalities in the United States. For her EWU McNair Summer Research Internship, Alexandria did research on the food and housing insecurity of undergraduate college students under the mentorship of Dr. Lindsey Upton. She presented her research proposal for this project at the EWU 2020 Virtual Research Symposium.

The EWU McNair staff are so excited for Alexandria and we know she'll do amazing things at whichever program she decides to attend! Click here to read more about Alexandria or her research.

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

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

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

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

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.