The McNair Scholars Program began its fourth summer of programming at the University of St. Thomas in June. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and matching funds from the University of St. Thomas, the program encourages low-income and first-generation undergraduate students and groups traditionally underrepresented in graduate school to continue their education and ultimately receive their Ph.D.
At the core of the McNair Program is the Summer Research Institute, which supports scholars as they pursue advanced research, participate in library literacy seminars, receive extensive tutoring in writing, attend cultural seminars, receive GRE training and take part in graduate school preparatory workshops. This summer, eight scholars, all undergraduate students from the University of St. Thomas, are participating in the 10-week Summer Research Institute while working with faculty mentors from St. Thomas, Macalester College, Hamline University and the University of Minnesota.
The scholars will present their research to the St. Thomas community, their peers and the public at the fourth annual Summer Research Symposium on Thursday, Aug. 11. The morning session begins at 10 a.m. and the afternoon session begins at 1:30 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the Owens Science Center 3M Auditorium. All members, friends and family of the University of St. Thomas community are invited to attend this graduate-style symposium. Research will be presented on a range of topics within the following disciplines:
- Biology
- Economics
- Education
- Environmental Science
- Geography
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Social Work
The McNair Program at St. Thomas has realized significant successes, with alumni of the program matriculating to graduate programs at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of Michigan, Loyola University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Queens University, Ontario, in recent years. For more information about the McNair Scholars Program or the Summer Research Symposium, visit https://www.stthomas.edu/mcnairscholars/ or email mcnairscholars@stthomas.edu
