Castleton University’s McNair Scholars unveiled the results of their summer research at the McNair Scholars Program Research Symposium 2020.
Amanda Richardson, director of the McNair Scholars Program, said the students worked hard to complete really impressive research projects in their field of study under the guidance of faculty mentors.
“The Symposium is the culmination and celebration of their dedication and commitment to academic work and achievement. Because the McNair program’s goal is to prepare students for doctoral study, we hope this experience is one of the first of many research contributions each Scholar will make in their respective fields. Castleton is privileged to have such motivated and diligent students,” Richardson said.
The McNair Scholars Program was first established at Castleton in 2017 and is a federally-funded TRIO Program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The post-baccalaureate program grants a select number of colleges and universities across the country the ability to help low-income and first-generation students – as well as students from groups that are underrepresented in doctoral study – to pursue graduate education.
McNair Scholars take classes on graduate-level research methods and receive advising on the graduate school application process. McNair Scholars also complete a summer research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
This year’s McNair Scholars Research Symposium included presentations from:
Scarlett Pugliese: A Proposed Study of Understanding Mental Health Motives in Individuals Charged with Driving Under the Influence (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Greg Engel)
Summer Lampron: Outcomes of Castleton University Undergraduate Satisfaction and Employment (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Megan Blossom)
Saima Cassell: Library Social Work in Vermont: A Qualitative Study of Emerging Best Practices (Faculty Mentors: Margaret Miles and Dr. Michael Reeves)
Olliver Young: The Mise-en-Scène of Billy Elliot: How Design Portrays Interpretation (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Talbott)
Lyndsey Liebrecht: Québécois à Travers la Mort et le Temps The Use of Necrogeography to Document Franco-American History in Vermont (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Scott Roper)
Skyer Hulser: Who Is Winning the ‘War on Drugs?’ A Study of Psychedelic Policy and Public Opinion (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rich Clark)
Liana Weisse: Examining Confianza in Colorado Public Schools (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Emily Gleason)
Kaitlin Scherber: How COVID-19 Impacts Students on an Individualized Education Program (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leigh-Ann Brown)
Sierra Maxwell: An Explorative Study of the Use of Math Journals in Vermont K-12 Classrooms (Faculty Mentor: Gillian Galle)
Kristopher Thomas: A Proposed Study of Inonotus obliquus (commonly known as chaga) (Faculty Mentor: Preston Garcia)
Linda Rodriguez: Income Instability in a Rural Township Based on the Lethality Assessment Program and Local Law Enforcement Screenings (Faculty Mentors: Heather Porter and Dr. Megan Blossom)
Jessica Casey: Comparing the Effect of Riparian Zones Through O2 (Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andy Vermilyea)
Veronica Bisson: Alcohol Behaviors Research: Locomotion and Anxiety Behaviors in Gromphadorhina Portentosa (Faculty Mentor: Greg Engel)