McNair Scholars Program University of Nebraska–Lincoln Welcome, 2018 McNair Cohort! Fall 2018 McNair News Nestor Hernandez is a sociology major from Lincoln, Nebraska. He is working with Dr. Lisa Kort-Butler from the Department of Sociology. Juliana Rodriguez is a biological systems engineering major from Omaha, Nebraska. She will be working with Dr. Greg Bashford from Biological Systems Engineering. Nancy Nguyen is a biochemistry major from Lincoln, Nebraska. Nancy is conducting research with Dr. Wayne Riekhof from the Department of Biochemistry. Logan Miller is a psychology major from Palos Park, Illinois. Logan is conducting research with Dr. Mike Dodd from the Department of Psychology. My-Linh Luc is a microbiology major from Papillion, Nebraska. She is working with Dr. Angela Palmer- Wackerly from the Department of Communication Studies. Aleece Barnard is a civil engineering major from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Aleece will be conducting research with Dr. Christine Wittich from Civil Engineering. Baudelio Abrica is a psychology major from Riverside, California. He will be conducting research with Dr. Lorey Wheeler from the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools. “True courage comes in enduring, persevering, and believing in oneself.” – Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D. McNair Scholars
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McNair Scholars ProgramUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
Welcome, 2018 McNair Cohort!
Fall 2018
McNairNews
Nestor Hernandez is a sociology major from Lincoln, Nebraska. He is working with Dr. Lisa Kort-Butler from the Department of Sociology.
Juliana Rodriguez is a biological systems engineering major from Omaha, Nebraska. She will be working with Dr. Greg Bashford from Biological Systems Engineering.
Nancy Nguyen is a biochemistry major from Lincoln, Nebraska. Nancy is conducting research with Dr. Wayne Riekhof from the Department of Biochemistry.
Logan Miller is a psychology major from Palos Park, Illinois. Logan is conducting research with Dr. Mike Dodd from the Department of Psychology.
My-Linh Luc is a microbiology major from Papillion, Nebraska. She is working with Dr. Angela Palmer-Wackerly from the Department of Communication Studies.
Aleece Barnard is a civil engineering major from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Aleece will be conducting research with Dr. Christine Wittich from Civil Engineering.
Baudelio Abrica is a psychology major from Riverside, California. He will be conducting research with Dr. Lorey Wheeler from the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools.
“True courage comes
in enduring,
persevering, and
believing in oneself.”
– Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D.
McNair Scholars
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McNair Scholars Tackle Graduate-Level Challenges
“During the past year in the McNair program I have grown as an individual and as a scholar. I have learned that academia is more than just showing up to your classes and giving your best effort. Being a scholar is about investigating important questions through research.” – Trevor Fellbaum
During the McNair Summer Research Experience (MSRE), Scholars have the opportunity to explore their research topic under the guidance of a faculty mentor and to develop skills critical for success in graduate school. After successfully completing their projects during the 2018 MSRE, ten UNL Scholars presented their results at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA. At the end of MSRE, we ask the Scholars to reflect on what it means to be a McNair Scholar, as well as on their summer research experience and presenting at a national McNair conference. We’ve included some of their remarks on the following pages.
“McNair has been and most likely will continue to be the greatest aid I have for achieving my goal of earning a Ph.D. Being a part of this community and knowing I will always have a place with UNL McNair is truly amazing.” – Ashleigh Herrera
“Looking back at the things I’ve learned through the McNair program and MRSE has lead me to believe that I am a better scholar and I’m more prepared to handle graduate school and in turn my own life and future.” – Taylor Billington
“After the McNair research experience, I have been able to identify what I want to do with my life after I graduate. I want to continue researching nutrition in to graduate school. I’ve learned much more about my field throughout the journey. For example, I have learned where some of the best obesity research centers are in the U.S., which is where I want to work and attend graduate school.” – Darius Fox
“The MSRE experience has reaffirmed that I am on the right path. I enjoy what I do, and want to continue the research I’m doing. I had respect for academia before, but now, I have a better idea of what they go through all the time. My career aspirations of becoming a professor and researcher at an R1 institution have remained the same.” – Kiley Gilbert
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Thank you to all of the faculty, postdoctoral, and graduate student mentors who contributed their time and expertise to work with McNair Scholars during the 2018 McNair Summer Research Experience and who continue to support the Scholars’ research and graduate application efforts.
Your support is invaluable to the success of our program!
“Though challenging, MSRE has solidified my goal to attain a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. By conducting research and presenting my project to a broader audience, it gave me a lot of perspectives and validated the importance of my aspirations.” – Elizabeth Otto
“McNair has had a tremendous impact on my life. With McNair, I was able to learn about graduate school and decide that I wanted to obtain my Ph.D. As I begin to think about my future academic endeavors, I think about what this means to my family, my community, McNair and myself. As I think about how far I have come and how far I want to go because of my support systems.” – Maham Javaid
“After MSRE, I understand what it means to be a scholar. Grades should not be the driving force for a scholar. Being a scholar is all about having a drive to learn. Classes are meant as a way to help you better understand the general area of your research questions, but it is still the scholars job to take their knowledge and use it. ” – Mark Nail
“By becoming a McNair scholar, I have become open to knowledge and new opportunities. Before MSRE, I didn’t like coming out of comfort zone. This opportunity has also allowed me to become more responsible, complete tasks efficiently and on time, and stay committed to my responsibilities.” – Mahnoor Javaid
“Through the MSRE, I had the opportunity to experience the full breadth of a research project – I created and submitted a proposal, studied the published literature, executed my research, analyzed data, wrote a graduate-level research paper, and presented my findings in a professional forum. Through the McNair Program, I have been given the opportunities and resources necessary to successfully prepare for a future of scholarly success.” – Carolyn Herrera
Students Driven by Passion for Research
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Congratulations to December 2018 McNair Grad!
Carolyn Herrera, Raymore, Missouri, earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in December 2018. She conducted her McNair research project with Dr. Kathryn Holland from the Department of Psychology on sexual assault, PTSD, and reporting attitudes in the U.S. Department of Defense. Carolyn is looking forward to entering graduate school in Fall 2019.
The McNair Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Mentoring Program offers our UNL McNair Scholars a supportive community, as well as advice, insight, and encouragement as they conduct research and prepare to enter graduate school. In turn, it offers our mentors a chance to gain experience mentoring a rising scholar associated with one of the nationally-recognized Department of Education TRIO programs.
We’d like to welcome the 2018-19 McNair postdoctoral and graduate student mentors! They include: Safiya Beckford, nutrition & health sciences; Shaina Kumar, psychology; Marc Lussier, computer science & engineering; Alexandra Martin, nutrition & health sciences; Behrooz Motealleh, chemical & biomolecular engineering; Chaise Murphy, nutrition & health sciences; Aldo Raeliarijaona, physics; and Casey Tisdale, psychology.
Since the UNL McNair Scholars Program began in 1995, we’ve served 295 undergraduates.
Excluding the continuing Scholars, 97.8 percent have earned their bachelor’s degree. Forty-two UNL McNair Program alumni have achieved Ph.D.s, 135 have earned master’s degrees,
and 19 have earned professional degrees. Currently, 24 UNL McNair alumni are enrolled in
Ph.D. programs, 6 are pursuing master’s degrees, and 3 are pursuing professional degrees.
2018-19 Postdoctoral & Grad Student Mentors
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The McNair Program is a focused, comprehensive program that provides much more than advice on how to prepare for entrance to a graduate program. Participating Scholars become an integral part of a learning community, receiving support from each other, McNair Program staff, UNL faculty, and other resources as they develop the research skills they need to prepare for the next stage in their educational careers.
Scholars Awarded 2018-19 Research Grants
For the 2018-19 Academic Year, 11 UNL McNair Scholars received research funding from the Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experiences (UCARE) Program, as well as from the National Strategic Research Institute, the IANR ARD Undergraduate Student Research Program, and departmental funding.
Scholar Project Title and Faculty Research Advisor
Cole Dempsey UCARE Project: Analysis of a Mobile Support System for Gait RehabilitationFaculty Advisor: Dr. Carl Nelson, Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Darius Fox UCARE Project: The Effect of Caloric Restriction on Resting Metabolic RateFaculty Advisor: Dr. Karsten Koehler, Nutrition & Health Sciences
Kiley Gilbert UCARE Project: The Effects of Patriotism and Immigration on Cultural IntertiaFaculty Advisor: Dr. Cynthia Willis-Esqueda, Department of Psychology
Daisy Guiza Beltran
IANR ARD Project: Structural and Mechanical Analysis of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis WhiB7 in Stress Response and Antibiotic Resistance. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Limei Zhang, Department of Biochemistry
Colton Harper UCARE Project: Dynamic Energy Requirements by MC Circuits Engineered for Communication Among Biological Cells. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Massimiliano Pierobon, Computer Science & Engineering
Maham Javaid UCARE Project: The Effects of Chromatin on Suppression of X-linked Gene in Drosophila testes.Faculty Advisor: Dr. Colin Meiklejohn, School of Biological Sciences
Sonoor MajidUCARE Project: Assessing the impact of DHA on fatty acid profiles and circulating serum biomarkers, lipocalin-2/NGAL, insulin, and leptin, of food insecure pregnant women in ZambiaFaculty Advisor: Dr. Concetta DiRusso, Department of Biochemistry
Mark Nail National Strategic Research Institute Project: Unmanned Aerial System for Underground Sensor Installation. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Carrick Detweiler, Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Nancy Nguyen Departmental Funded Project: Defining the Mechanism of Action of Plant Derived Polyacetylene Antifungal Compounds. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Wayne Riekhof, Department of Biochemistry
Elizabeth Otto UCARE Project: Hip-hop Music and the Sexualization of African American WomenFaculty Advisor: Dr. David DiLillo, Department of Psychology
Juliana RodriguezUCARE Project: Surface Interaction of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria: An Effective Step towards Robust Biosensor Development. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Rajib Saha, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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McNair Scholars disseminated their research findings at local, regional, and national conferences during Summer and Fall 2018:
Taylor Billington – Billington, T., Centurion, M. (2018, July). Simulation of the Propagation of Low Energy Electrons. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Billington, T., Centurion, M. (2018, July). Simulation of the Propagation of Low Energy Electrons. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Trevor Fellbaum, Jr. – Fellbaum, T., Soh, L. (2018, July). Investigation of Agent and Task Diversity on Agents’ Emergent Behavior in an Open Multi-Agent System Environment. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Fellbaum, T., Soh, L. (2018, July). Investigation of Agent and Task Diversity on Agents’ Emergent Behavior in an Open Multi-Agent System Environment. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Darius Fox – Fox, D., Martin, A., Murphy, C., Koehler, K., (2018, October). Contribution of Body Composition and Metabolic Adaptations to the Decline in Resting Metabolic Rate During Prolonged Calorie-restricted Weight Loss. Poster presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the Nebraska
Physiological Society, Omaha, Nebraska.
Fox, D., Koehler, K. (2018, August). Body Composition and Metabolic Adaptations Contribute to the Decline in Weight Loss. Poster presentation at the 2018 Summer Research Program Symposium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Fox, D., Koehler, K. (2018, July). Body Composition and Metabolic Adaptations Contribute to the Decline in Weight Loss. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California. Fox, D., Koehler, K. (2018, July). Contribution of Body Composition and Metabolic Adaptations to the Decline in Resting Metabolic Rate during Prolonged Calorie-Restricted Weight Loss. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Lizeth Fraire - Fraire, L., Holland, K. (2018, August). Confidential Campus Resource Use Among Queer & Straight Sexual Assault Survivors. Poster presentation at the 2018 Summer Research Program Symposium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Kiley Gilbert – Gilbert, K., Willis-Esqueda, C. (2018, August). Blaming the Innocent: The Effects of Biases on Latino Exonerees Culpability. Poster presentation at the 2018 Summer Research Program Symposium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Gilbert, K., Willis-Esqueda, C. (2018, July). The Taint of Criminality and Public Opinions of Latino Exonerees. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Gilbert, K., Willis-Esqueda, C. (2018, July). The Effects of Biases on Latino Exonerees’ Perceived Guilt. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Scholars Report Research Findings at Conferences
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Ashleigh Herrera –Herrera, A., Cornelius, C. (2018, July). Quaternary Ammonium Containing Multi-Block Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Based Anion-Exchange Membranes. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Herrera, A., Cornelius, C. (2018, July). Quaternary Ammonium Containing Multi-Block Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Based Anion-Exchange Membranes. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Carolyn Herrera – Herrera, C., Holland, K. (2018, November). Don’t Tell: Sexual Assault, Institutional Environment, and Mental Health in the U.S. Department of Defense. Poster presentation at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) 34th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
Herrera, C., Holland, K. (2018, July). Don’t Tell: Sexual Assault, Institutional Environment, and Mental Health in the U.S. Department of Defense. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Herrera, C., Holland, K. (2018, July). Don’t Tell: Sexual Assault, Institutional Environment, and Mental Health in the U.S. Department of Defense. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Maham Javaid – Javaid, M., Mieklejohn, C. (2018, July). The Effects of Chromatin on Suppression of X-linked Genes in Drosophila testes. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Javaid, M., Mieklejohn, C. (2018, July). The Effects of Chromatin on Suppression of X-linked Genes in Drosophila testes. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Mahnoor Javaid – Javaid, M., Atkin, A. (2018, July). MicroRNAs in Dietary Exosomes and their Potential Impact on the Human Body. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Javaid, M., Atkin, A. (2018, July). MicroRNAs in Dietary Exosomes and their Potential Impact on the Human Body. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Mark Nail – Nail, M., Elbaum, S. (2018, July). Drone Payload for Safely Carrying and Deploying Multiple Smaller Rotary Drones. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Nail, M., Elbaum, S. (2018, July). Drone Payload for Safely Carrying and Deploying Multiple Smaller Rotary Drones. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Elizabeth Otto – Otto, E., Kumar, S., Meyer, C., DiLillo, D. (2018, November). Music’s Impact on the Sexualization of Black Bodies: Examining Links Between Hip-Hop and Sexualization of African American Women. Poster presentation at the 2018 Association for Behavioral and
Otto, E., DiLillo, D. (2018, August). Oh my God, Becky, Look at Her Butt!: Examining African American Womens Sexualization in Hip-hop Music Through Testing Implicit Biases. Poster presentation at the 2018 Summer Research Program Symposium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Otto, E., DiLillo, D. (2018, July). The Sexualization of African American Women in Music. Oral presentation at the 2018 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.
Otto, E., DiLillo, D. (2018, July). Examining Links Between Sexualization of African American Women and Sexualization in Music. Oral presentation at the 2018 McNair Summer Research Colloquium, Lincoln, Nebraska.
More Regional and National Conference Presentations
Visit www.unl.edu/mcnair/ for more informationfacebook.com/unl.mcnair I @UNL_McNair
McNair Alumni – keep us informed as you advance through your career, including
progress in graduate school, publications, and other milestones. You may update your
information at anytime: http://www.unl.edu/mcnair/scholarupdate.shtml
Doctoral and Master’s degrees earned in December 2018Karise (Carillo) Curtis, Ph.D. (McNair Scholar 2009-11) earned a master’s degree in criminal justice in December 2012 from University at Albany–SUNY and earned a Ph.D. in criminal justice, with a focus on comparative criminology of violence, from SUNY-Albany in December 2018.
Bryan Hermosillo (McNair Scholar 2013-2015) earned a master’s degree in geology in December 2018 from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Career Updates
Nathan Palmer, Ph.D. (McNair Scholar 2004–2006) has been promoted to assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Georgia Southern University.
Alumni Publications
Reinaldo Alcalde – Sivaguru, M.; Saw, J. J.; Williams, J. C.; Lieske, J. C.; Krambeck, A. E.; Romero, M. F.; Chia, N.; Schwaderer, A. L.; Alcalde, R. E.; Bruce, W. J.; Wildman, D. E.; Fried, G. A.; Werth,C. J.; Reeder, R. J.; Yau, P. M.; Sanford, R. A.; and Fouke, B. W. “Geobiology Reveals How Human Kidney Stones Dissolve in Vivo.” Scientific Reports 8, no. 1, September 2018.
Pruden, A.; Alcalde, R.E.; Alvarez, P.J.J.; Ashbolt, N.; Bischel, H.; Capiro, N.L.; Crossett, E.; Frigon, D.; Grimes, K.; Haas, C.N.; Ikuma, K.; Kappell, A.; LaPara, T.; Kimbell, L.; Li, M.; Xu, L.; McNamara, P.; Seo, Y.; Sobsey, M.D.; Sozzi, E.; Navab-Daneshmand, T.; Nguyen, T.; Raskin, L.; Riquelme, M.V.; Vikesland, P.J.; Wigginton, K.; and Zhi, Z. “An Environmental Science and Engineering Framework for Combating Antimicrobial Resistance.” Environmental Engineering Science, May 2018.
Rowles III, L.S., Alcalde, R. E., Bogolasky, F., Kum, S., Diaz-Arriaga, F. A., Ayres, C., Mikelonis, A.M., Toledo-Flores, L.J. Alonso-Gutiérrez, M.G., Pérez-Flores, M.E., Lawler, D.F., Ward, P.M., Lopez-Cruz, J. Y., Saleh, N. B. “Perceived versus Actual Water Quality: Community Studies in Rural Oaxaca, Mexico.” Science of The Total Environment, May 2018.
