U of M McNair Scholars to display summer research projects
When: 2 to 4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 1
Where: Mississippi Room, Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E. Minneapolis
Who: Twenty-one McNair Scholars
Contacts: Bruce and Sharyn Schelske, McNair Program Directors, (612) 625-0772
Bob San, University News Service, (612) 624-4082
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/26/2006) —Can poetry be incorporated into rap music? How do income levels of families vary by regions in the Twin Cities? Has the no pass, no play policy been effective in helping high school athletes excel both on the field and in the classroom? Those topics, and some scientific research that only scientists can understand, will be presented by the University of Minnesota’s 2006 Summer McNair Scholars from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the Mississippi Room of Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E. Minneapolis.
The annual poster presentation will showcase the work of 21 students from four Minnesota colleges who have been studying at the university for 10 weeks this summer under the guidance of faculty mentors.
The McNair Scholars Program, now in its 14th year at the University of Minnesota, is named after Ronald McNair, the African American astronaut who died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and operated by the TRIO Program in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning in the College of Education and Human Development. It aims to encourage and assist minority, disabled or low-income undergraduates to enroll in graduate programs or professional schools. Besides conducting hands-on research, participants have been attending motivational workshops, graduate record exam prep classes and research writing workshops.
“This gathering will provide an excellent forum to display the research efforts of these McNair Scholars along with the faculty mentors,” said Bruce Schelske, co-director of the McNair Program. “In addition, the reception will provide us with the opportunity to thank individuals who have contributed time and effort to help make the program a success at the University of Minnesota.”
Since 1991, the McNair Program has sponsored more than 300 students. Of those, 60 percent have gone on to graduate school.