“Before you can make a
dream come true, you
must first have one”
Ronald E. McNair
Messages from McNair
McNair Scholars Program
University of North Dakota
Summer 2016
Upcoming Events
Congratulations Graduates
June 28 to August 4
Hello, my name is Tara Boland. I graduated at the University
of North Dakota in December 2015 with a major in Physics,
Materials Science emphasis, and a minor in mathematics. My
scholastic interest has always been in the sciences, specifically
microscopic. It has always amazed me how the world we live in
and everything around us is made up of so many tiny atoms,
which make the world work. My research is in superconductivity and more recently phononic crystals. After completing my
undergraduate degree in Physics, I applied to a number of Materials Science graduate programs to study the properties of
materials to further advance technology. I was accepted to a number of them and
choose Arizona State University at Tempe in the Material Science and Engineering
Ph.D. Program. After obtaining my Ph.D., I plan to continue my research in materials. I'm working this summer and studying for the upcoming year. I will be moving down to Arizona about July 27th.
Orientation to the Grad
School Process
Tuesdays & Thursdays
2-4 pm in 310 O’Kelly
August 5
Summer Commencement
August 22
4 pm, Fall semester begins
Hello my name is Jordan Jaeger, I graduated May 2016 from the Sociology Program at UND and will be starting graduate school there this fall. I am from Thief
River Falls, MN and I enjoy playing video games, hip
hop dance and hanging out with my friends. After declaring a few majors I have finally found my passion in
sociology and have presented my research at a few conferences. Presenting has been my favorite part of my
senior year and after applying to graduate school I hope
to attend and present future research.
Inside this issue:
Welcome New Scholars
3
22nd Annual Banquet
and Graduation
4
McNair Scholar &
Astrophysics
5
McNair Alumn
Presented June Seminar
5
Words for Wits
6
I don’t know where I would be without the McNair Program. With their determination for their student to succeed they gave me the motivation to move forward with
my passion for sociology and helped me realize there
are others who share my passions. The greatest experience I had with the McNair program was attending the Annual McNair Meeting in
Wisconsin. Here I met others and was exposed to many ideas and topics of research. Although these topics were interesting, the diverse people I met there were
the best part of the whole trip. I think that if anyone is given the chance to be part
of McNair they should be grateful and get the most out of it as they can because
this program offers many opportunities that don’t come around too often.
Hello, my name is Lynn Martell. I completed my
Bachelor of Science in Psychology in May 2016 at
University of North Dakota. My research interests
include eating disorders, substance abuse, and multicultural studies. Last semester, I did research on
peak shift and body image distortion with my mentor, Dr. Adam Derenne. I will be attending the University of North Dakota Ph.D. Program in Clinical
Psychology in the fall 2016. I have been a part of the
McNair Program for nearly a year and am extremely grateful for all the support and guidance.
PAGE 2
Hello, my name is Dana McVeigh. I am a native of Wisconsin, but I have
been in the Grand Forks area for more than 20 years. I will be receiving my
bachelor’s degree in August of 2016 in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology. I will also be receiving a double minor in the fields of Women and
Gender Studies along with Sociology. My last semester at UND will be spent
in Ireland with a Study Abroad opportunity and then it will be time for graduation. I have been accepted into the Master of Geography Program here at
UND and will start my Masters studies in the Fall of 2016. I will continue to
be involved with outreach programs that involve archaeological outreach and
the importance of public involvement in stewardship. My career goal is to
obtain my doctorate and teach the importance of including the public in the
study of the past.
Hello, my name is Kayla Michelson. I am from Moorhead, MN. I graduated this spring from UND with a major in Biology. I have worked in
Dr. Diane Darland’s lab for the past two and a half years through independent research and the REFUNDU and McNair programs. We have
worked on a few different projects. One project was studying the role of
the blood vessel-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor A (Vegf) and its effects on cell fate determination and differentiation
in mouse neural stem cells.
The other project I have been involved with was investigating inflammatory processing in glaucoma progression as part of a larger collaborative project in which Dr.
Darland has been involved for several years. Next year, I am enrolling in the Master of Biology Program at UND, where I will be continuing my current research looking at the role of epigenetic modification in relation to cell fate determination in neural stem cells with Dr. Darland.
Hello, my name is Leah Smith. I graduated from UND in December with a
B.S. in Elementary Education. I am in my first year of Graduate School at
UND pursuing a Master of Elementary Education. I am also a substitute
teacher in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. I hope to have my own classroom this fall. I am from Salida, California and enjoy cake decorating, documentaries, and learning new crafts. I would like to express my gratitude to
Multicultural Student Services and the Ronald E. McNair Program for being
an integral part of my educational success. My goal is to earn a PhD and become a teacher educator. I would like to have a positive influence on as many
people in this world as possible.
Hello all! My name is Feather Tapio. I graduated from the University of
North Dakota in May 2016 with a major in Psychology and two minors in
Women and Gender Studies and Indian Studies. My mentor is Dr. Rachel
Navarro and she is a Professor at the Counseling Psychology and Communities Services. My undergraduate research, An Investigation of Factors
Influencing Stress for College Students of Color, involved doing research
on minority stress among college students of color. In the future, I plan on
doing research with Native American communities, LGBT+ communities,
women & children, and families. I was accepted into the Counseling and
Student Personnel Psychology Graduate Program at the University of
Minnesota. When I am not studying and typing up essays, I like to spend time with my friends. I’m
excited where the McNair Program has taken me in my educational journey.
PAGE 3
Welcome New Scholars
My name is Selena Garza; I have recently finished my first year at UND,
although I transferred here from a different university in Minnesota. Next
semester will be my first year in the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program. I
grew up in Minnesota and traveled quite a bit as a child, but Grand Forks
has always been where I considered home. I am pursuing bachelor degrees
in both the Psychology and Criminal Justice programs here at UND. I am
excited to join this program as it will give me a heads-up on preparing for as
well as getting into graduate school. After that, I plan on furthering my education through obtaining my PhD in Psychology, and using that to become a
professor here at UND. I aspire to be a positive role model not only in the
community, but for my daughter, my future children, anyone who has made it a point to move up
from where they’ve started.
My name is Tori Plant and I am studying Psychology and American Indian
Studies. I will be a senior at the University of North Dakota this fall, and this
will be my first year in the McNair program. I joined the McNair program
because I believe that participating in the program will prepare me for graduate school and guide me through the process. I hope to obtain my Ph.D in Psychology and become a counseling psychologist on a reservation where there is
not enough mental health practitioners. I am from the Turtle Mountain Band
of Chippewa Indians and I want to use my education to give back to my culture as much as it has given to me.
Hello, my name is Caitlyn Shoulder. I am from Rapid City, SD, majoring in
American Indian Studies, Anthropology and minoring in Psychology at the
University of North Dakota. I am currently a junior and am looking forward
to being a part of and working with the people in the McNair Program. I hope
to gain my PhD in either American Indian Studies or Anthropology. With the
help of the McNair program I will better set myself up for success in the future. I plan on working with my local community pertaining to Native American affairs and potentially becoming a professor at a university.
I am Sandi Kruse and am a senior with a lot going on! I am a full member of the Honors Program and am majoring in English and Women and
Gender Studies. Out of the classroom I am the President of both The
Third Wave at UND, the Feminist Organization, and Adelphi, the Literary Society. My research to this point has ranged from gender studies
work presented at the regional Red River Womens Studies Conference to
Postcolonial studies that I am currently working on. Since attending and
presenting at the British Commonwealth and Postcolonial Studies Conference in February I will be assisting my advisor through the summer
in the publishing process for an edited collection on settler narratives.
Next year I will begin work on my undergraduate thesis, Progressive Female Organizations in North Dakota 1960-1980. This is my first year in the McNair program and I
am thrilled at see the opportunities the program brings to my research. McNair is a huge step up
for beginning the process of applying to graduate school in English. When I’m not busy on campus
you can find me in my second life: slinging tacos at the Red Pepper on 42 nd Street.
PAGE 4
22nd Annual Banquet and Graduation Celebration
PAGE 5
McNair Scholar & Astrophysics
Shelley Davis, a McNair scholar majoring in Physics & Astrophysics, has been conducting research with
Dr. Tim Young at the Martens Observatory with the Martens Kraus telescope, a 0.51 meter (20”) diameter
telescope made by PlaneWave and housed in a Technical Innovations 15 ft. diameter Pro-Dome observatory. The observatory’s site in Inkster, N.D.; offers very dark skies, very little light pollution, and little anticipated urban sprawl. In addition, the telescope is designed to carry out observations over the internet and
be as autonomous as possible. The primary goal of the telescope is research, but includes teaching and outreach projects.
The astronomical research that is possible at the Martens
Observatory enhances UND’s capabilities and gives students
advanced knowledge of the operations of large telescopes. In
general, telescope time is competitive on federally funded telescopes. The Martens-Kraus Telescope gives UND students
an unprecedented opportunity to explore the night sky without time constraints.
This is one of the pictures they took while conducting their
research in June 2016. It is of the galaxy NGC 5866 and is
also known as the Spindle Galaxy which is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Draco. This galaxy is viewed
edge on and may be viewed with small telescopes. The picture was taken with a CCD camera using various filters,
downloaded into an astronomy program, and processed to
become the final image that we see here.
McNair Alum Presented June Seminar
Leslie Yellow Hammer, McNair alum and current Biology graduate student,
presented on “Obtaining an NSF Grant to Fund Graduate School” at the June
McNair seminar. This funding pays for her to finish her Master of Biology
here at the University of North Dakota and then enables her to take the funding with her if
she chooses to
pursue her Ph.D.
at another university.
The McNair
scholars found
the information
very helpful stating: “The tips she gave were
very helpful and will be useful in application
processes.” and “ Prepare early and keep trying. You won’t get a grant if you don’t apply.”
Ronald E. McNair Program
University of North Dakota
2891 2nd Avenue North Stop 9027
Grand Forks, ND 58202
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Phone: 701-777-4931
Fax: 701-777-3627
McNair Staff:
Derek Sporbert
TRIO Project Director
[email protected]
Patrice Giese
McNair Assistant Director
[email protected]
Jill Teters
McNair Program Coordinator
[email protected]
Words for Wits
Improve your GRE vocabulary by matching the following words and definitions:
1)
jamboree
a.
the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of
a sound made by or associated with its referent.
2)
paranymph
b.
Hudson Valley: Older Use. doughnut.
3)
onomatopoeia
c.
a person or thing having no equal.
4)
zeitgeber
d.
the study of flags.
5)
nonpareil
e.
a carousal; any noisy merrymaking; a large gathering, often including a
program of speeches and entertainment.
6)
vexillology
f.
to pass over or disregard (a person) by giving a promotion, position, etc.,
to another instead.
7)
overslaugh
g.
an environmental cue, as the length of daylight or the degree of temperature, that helps to regulate the cycles of an organism's biological clock.
8)
olykoek
h.
a groomsman or a bridesmaid.
Answers: 1)e; 2)h; 3)a; 4)g; 5)c; 6)d; 7)f; 8)b.