May 7, 2009

McNair Scholars prepare for grad school Soaring toward advanced degrees on astronaut's legacy

For some college students, summer is a time to put the books away for a few months.

But that's not the case for a group of CSU Monterey Bay students who will spend their summer conducting experiments, gathering data and summarizing their scientific findings in research papers.

All 25 of the students in CSUMB's McNair Scholars program have summer research projects lined up. Some of them will work with professors on campus, some will head off to other universities and research facilities to do their work.

The McNair Scholars program started last year at CSUMB, funded through the Ronald McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program of the U.S. Department of Education. The goal of the program, named for an African-American astronaut and physicist who died in the Challenger disaster in 1986, is to increase the number of underrepresented, low income and first-generation college students who earn doctoral degrees. The students come from across the academic spectrum - the sciences, humanities and social sciences.

"Undergraduate research is the launching platform for a lifetime of learning and creative activity," said Professor William Head, director of the program. "Through undergraduate research our Scholars are making the link between their classroom and the wider world."

In addition to the summer research opportunities, the McNair Scholars work with faculty mentors, receive academic support services, visit graduate schools and receive help with the graduate school application process. They also benefit from guest lecturers, workshops and a research methods seminar.

Seven students from the inaugural group will graduate on May 16. A new crop of students, who join those continuing with the program, has replaced them. The graduates and the new students were introduced at an event on May 5.

"For most of us, it was the professors who got us through," graduating senior Angelica Plascencia said. "Before I became a McNair Scholar, I didn't know what a Ph.D. was."

She does now - the social and behavioral sciences major has been accepted into a doctoral program at the University of Texas.

McNair Scholars program manager Jessica Brown gave each of the seven graduates a blue cord to wear at commencement. "This is a tradition we're starting," she said. "We'll see more of them in the future."

Graduating from the program (with major and faculty mentor):

Michelle Bueno, social and behavioral sciences, Dr. Rebecca BalesRuben Espinoza, human communication, Dr. Rina BenmayorJessica Floyd, human communication, Dr. Umi VaughanCrystal Forman, environmental science, technology and policy, Dr. Doug SmithAngelica Plascencia, social and behavioral sciences, Dr. Juan GutierrezMaria Reyes, human communication, Dr. Maria VillasenorGerardo Zenteno-Mena, world languages and cultures, Dr. Maria Zielina

After a rigorous selection process, the following students were chosen to join the program:

Scott Bell (psychology), Dr. John BerteauxJena Cleveland (biology), Dr. Aparna SreenivasanEvelyn Duran (social and behavioral sciences), Dr. Rebecca BalesJennifer Estassi (psychology), Dr. Jennifer Dyer-SeymourLydia Jennings (environmental science, technology and policy), Dr. Marc Los HuertosMaren Mitch (environmental science, technology and policy)Imelda Munoz (human communication), Dr. Maria VillasenorAmy Napoli (social and behavioral sciences), Dr. Deanne Perez-GranadosEnrique Villa (social and behavioral sciences), Dr. Juan GutierrezAntron Williams (psychology), Dr. Jennifer Dyer-Seymour

Continuing students:

Xeronimo Castaneda (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Corey GarzaStefanie Gutierrez-Kortman (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Marc Los HuertosAlexis Hall (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Corey GarzaAlison Jones (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Susan AlexanderMegan Kelly (earth systems science and policy), Dr. James LindholmTonnett Kirby (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Fred WatsonSeth Koetke (earth systems science and policy), Dr. Suzanne WorcesterCarolina Melendrez (human communication), Dr. Rina BenmayorSarah Moreland (earth systems science and policy P), Dr. Sharon AndersonMegan Neary (global studies), Dr. Kathryn PoethigJose Pantoja (social and behavioral sciences), Dr. Juan GutierrezAna Quintana (biology), Dr. Henrik KibakAdan Romero (biology), Dr. Steven MooreNorma Vazquez (earth systems science and policy), Dr. William HeadKatie Wrubel (earth systems science and policy), Dr. James Lindholm