Program Prepares Students for Graduate School

Students have the chance to apply for a program that provides the opportunity to work on graduate-level research in preparation for their future as a graduate student.

The McNair Scholars Program was established in 1989 to prepare “First generation, low-income and underrepresented students” for the challenges of graduate school, said Anna Sheppard, the NDSU TRIO McNair Scholars program interim director.

The program recently received the news that they will continue to be funded for the next five years, effective Oct. 1. The program can fund 29 students with this opportunity, and this semester the program is accepting applications for eight openings.

The program was named after Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and Challenger astronaut. Now the program is at over 200 universities, but NDSU is one of the original 14 to receive funding.

Sheppard is looking for “a student who can commit to McNair for two semesters” at least, and is motivated, passionate and driven to complete a graduate program after receiving his or her bachelor’s degree, she said.

Two semesters gives the students time to do the necessary amount of research to complete their honors paper and presentations. Once a student is accepted in the program, he or she will be able to stay as long as they are still working toward a bachelor’s degree.

There is no hard deadline for applications, but they will be accepted into the program as they come in if they meet the requirements.

During the program, students will participate in either a full-time or part-time track. Full-time is 40 hours per month; part-time is 20 hours per month.

Once their research and honors papers are finished, they will present their research at different venues to give them learning room and more experience that can be put on an application for graduate school, Sheppard said.

Students will present their research in a half-hour spring or winter forum that is open to the campus and give a poster board presentation.

Taylor Heck, a senior majoring in dietetics, was featured in the September 2012 publication of McNair Scholars.

“As a McNair scholar, you learn more than just being a scholar; you are able to work collaboratively,” Heck said. Through his experience as a McNair scholar, Heck had the opportunity to do research at the John’s Hopkins University School of Medicine.

If interested in applying for the program, contact Anna Sheppard at anna.sheppard@ndsu.edu or visit www.ndsu.edu/trio/.