LAS VEGAS - July 24, 2008 - Fifteen undergraduate students are spending the summer working with top UNLV researchers as part of the McNair Scholars Institute, a federally funded program that provides access and research opportunities for first generation and underrepresented college students.
Coordinated through the UNLV Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach, the institute aims to one day diversify the ranks of American faculty by encouraging undergraduates to consider the possibilities of graduate education through a research experience with mentor faculty. In addition to the research component, students attend professional and financial aid workshops, doctoral studies preparation seminars and have an opportunity to present their work at regional and national research conferences
Among the program's participants is Juan Plata, an undergraduate engineering student who's already found success in the field of biomedical engineering. Plata spent last summer with the institute researching molecular techniques that could result in reliable mobile sampling of DNA, and hopes his academic success as a Colombian immigrant leads to a future in research and serves as a message to other underrepresented students that a career in higher education is possible.
"The McNair program not only offered an opportunity to get a head start on my graduate studies, but also a chance to share what I've learned with other minority students considering a career in research," said Plata. He'll spend this summer working with engineering professor Woosoon Yim on a project examining ways to improve airway flow for people with obstructive sleep apnea.
Students will share the results of their research during the annual McNair Scholars Symposium Oct. 22 at UNLV. Below is a list of participating students and their research topics.
2008 UNLV McNair Scholars
Kathleen Bell (Fine Arts) - First hundred years of filmmaking in Las Vegas
Ava Bookatz (English) - Dynamics of chaos-theory in Thomas Bernhard's Heidenplatz
Vascheral Carter (Education) - How music education affects academic performance
Nydia Diaz (Cultural Studies) - La Malinche's role in Latin America women's literature
Kimberly Hackstock (Social Work) - Kinship liaison and relative-child caregivers
Amris Henry-Rodgers (Psychology) - Post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. soldiers
Shaida Jetha (Psychology) - Emotional memory and aging
Julio Luna (Psychology) - How 6 & 12 month old infants categorize faces
Charles Mao (Business) - Effect of patents on innovation and access to pharmaceuticals
Juan Plata (Engineering) - Biomedical engineering: Obstructive sleep apnea
Sandra Ramos (Psychology) - Correlation between exotic dancers and childhood abuse
Precious Rideout (Criminal Justice) - "Stop snitching" mind-set on criminal justice process
Benjamin Watrous (Psychology) - Anxiety and bipolar disorders and neuro-cognitive deficit
Chet Whitley (Kinesiology) - Effect of retrolocomotion on low back and hamstrings
Ilse Zuniga (Political Science) - Examination of the powers and working of Federal Reserve
