Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Tucumcari student’s research at West Texas A&M University was among those highlighted at an event last week that marked a major anniversary of an academic program.
The McNair Scholars Research Showcase was held Oct. 15 in the atrium of Cornette Library on WT’s Canyon campus.
The showcase commemorated the program’s 25th anniversary. A total of 15 McNair students displayed posters and discussed their research with WT students, faculty and staff, as well as community visitors.
Jodi Vance-Furlow, a senior sports and exercise sciences major from Tucumcari, presented her research topic “Examination of GLP-1 Drug Administration for Weight Loss” during the event.
Becoming a McNair Scholar allows students to conduct and present undergraduate research guided by a faculty mentor, said Victoria Salas, director.
“This experience elevates students' options for graduate school, and most of our students are fully funded in graduate programs here and across the country,” Salas said. “For first-generation students, this is life-changing; increasing their level of education changes their lives both economically and intellectually.”
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program, at WT prepares underrepresented, low-income and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities.
In 2022, the program won a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, providing $275,000 in annual funding for five years.
The program has been offered at WT since 1999. In that time 261 McNair Scholars have earned their bachelor’s degrees, and another 154 have earned graduate or professional degrees.
WT’s McNair Scholars program serves 30 students per year who receive the guidance of a mentor overseeing the research project; seminars on graduate school admission process, research methods and financial aid; a $2,800 research stipend; a $300 research supply allowance; tutoring, academic counseling and intense GRE preparation; admission and financial aid assistance; preparation for research conference preparations; fee waivers for graduate applications; and paid conference travel.
McNair was one of six crew members who died Jan. 28, 1986, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launching at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
After his death, Congress named a research program in his honor — the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, or the McNair Scholars Program. It is designed to prepare underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation undergraduate students for doctoral study through research and other scholarly activities.
McNair — who, in addition to his work as a physicist, also was a musician and decorated martial arts champion and instructor — was the second African American to fly in space.