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One of West Texas A&M University\u2019s most prestigious academic programs recently was awarded more than $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education.<\/p>\n
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program, at WT prepares underrepresented, low-income and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities. The grant provides more than $275,000 in annual funding for five-years.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents who take part in the McNair Scholars Program gain invaluable skills and benefit from intensive mentorship,\u201d said Victoria Salas, director of the McNair Scholars program. \u201cWe are grateful for this continued funding because it helps us continue to serve some of WT\u2019s best and brightest students.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program has been offered at WT since 1999. In that time, 245 McNair Scholars have earned their bachelor\u2019s degrees, and another 146 have earned graduate or professional degrees.<\/p>\n
WT\u2019s McNair Scholars program<\/strong><\/span><\/a> now serves 30 students per year, who receive the guidance of a mentor overseeing the research project; seminars on graduate school admission process, research methods and financial aid; a $2,800 research stipend; a $300 research supply allowance; tutoring, academic counseling and intense GRE preparation; admission and financial aid assistance; preparation for research conference preparations; fee waivers for graduate applications; and paid conference travel.<\/p>\n Fifteen are in the fall 2022 cohort, listed with their current research project:<\/p>\n Samantha Arroyo, senior sports exercise science major from Lubbock: \u201cImpact of Resting Metabolic Rate and Body Composition Knowledge on Nutrition and Exercise Behavior\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Allan Baltazar, senior criminal justice major from Houston: \u201cCrisis Intervention Teams: Models and Their Effectiveness in Police Departments\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Victoria Coleman, senior psychology major from Amarillo: \u201cThe Fact in Fantasy: An Analysis of Expression in Tabletop Roleplaying Games\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Nicholas Dominguez, senior physics major from Hereford: \u201cThe BCS Theory of Superconductivity\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Aurora Garcia-Comer, senior biology, biochemistry, and pre-med major from Borger: \u201cOptimizing Reaction Conditions for Synthesis of Bio-Based Epoxy Resins\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Kimberly Gladney, senior communication disorders major from The Woodlands: \u201cEffects of Masks on Speech and Language Understanding\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Maryann Heffley, senior criminal justice major from Wellington: \u201cSeeking Injustice Through Inadmissible Statements: Selective Hearing or Selective Accountability?\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fatima Hernandez, senior sociology major from Slaton: \u201cParental Perception and Influence on their Latino Undocumented Children’s Educational Aspirations\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Andrea Mata, senior economics and mathematics major from Amarillo: \u201cDevelopment of Latin American Countries: The Educational Gender Gap\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Riley Phipps, senior sports exercise science major from Canyon: \u201cEffects of Prosthetic Knees on Metabolic Expenditure in People with Transfemoral Amputation\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Evelyn Ramos-Rendon, junior Spanish major from Amarillo: \u201cA Feminist Reading of \u2018The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo\u2019\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Andres Rivas, senior plant, soil, and environmental science major from Amarillo: \u201cDetermine and Compare Drought Tolerance in Different Trifolium Species in Water Limiting Conditions in the High Plains Area\u201d;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Delia Salinas, junior accounting major from Dalhart: \u201cDoes Social Media and a College Education Have an Impact on Students\u2019 Financial Literacy?\u201d; and<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Joey Zimmerman, senior biochemistry major from Hutto: \u201cCircadian Regulation of Platelets in Mice.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u201cI wanted to join McNair Scholars to get the opportunity to learn about research and get hands-on experience,\u201d Salinas said. \u201cIn our summer courses, I\u2019ve already learned more about organizational skills, how to plan and the benefit of exploring new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n McNair was one of six crewmembers who died Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger exploded shortly after launching at Cape Canaveral, Fla.<\/p>\n After his death, Congress named a research program in his honor \u2014 the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program. It is designed to prepare underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities.<\/p>\n McNair \u2014 who, in addition to his work as a physicist, also was a talented musician and decorated martial arts champion and instructor \u2014 was the second African American to fly in space.<\/p>\n McNair Scholars are an important component in WT\u2019s goal of becoming a regional research university, as outlined in the University\u2019s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West<\/strong><\/span><\/a> comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign \u2014 which publicly launched Sept. 23 \u2014 has raised about $110 million.<\/p>\n\n