McNair Scholars

2020-2021 Scholars

Name

Program

Project

Mentor

Bailey Adams

Planning, Public Policy & Management / Entrepreneurship

Black Americans and the American Police Force

Dr. Nikki Chery, University Counseling Center

Emily Boyce

Biochemistry

Assembly and function of the photosynthetic pathway

Alice Barkan, PhD, Biology

Desiree Casanova

Psychology / Disability Studies

Does Memory Heal? Finding a Correlation Between Adolescent Drug Abuse and Deficits in Adult Memory Recall

Ruth Ellignsen, PhD, Psychology

Dr. Sarah DuBrow, Psychology

Emily Duru

English / Creative Writing

Black Womanhod in Contemporary American Literature

Dr. Courtney Thorsson, English

Alyssa Fuentez

Human Physiology

Environment Enrichment Effects Neural Activity in Primary Visual Cortex

Denise Piscopo, PhD, Institute of Neuroscience

Jyhreh Johnson

Biological Anthropology & Linguistics / African Studies

Quantifying Cranial Shape Change Due to Aging: Expanding Forensic Age Estimation Techniques and Understanding Adult Human Ontogeny Through a Geometric Morphometric Approach

Dr. Stephen Frost, Anthropology

Cat Luna

Psychology / Planning, Public Policy and Management & Nonprofit Administration

Pick Me Up: A Study on Daily Stress and Time Management in Nontraditional Students with Children during COVID-19

Christabelle Dragoo, McNair Scholars Program & Prevention Science

Bob Choquette, Planning, Public Policy and Management

Lukas MacMillen

Biology

Condition and Environment Dependent Recombination

Dr. Nadia Singh, Biology

Alexie Malone

Political Science / Ethics, Legal Studies & Business Administration

Politics and the Two-Party System

Mikhail Myagkov, Political Science

Nicole Wales

Physica & Chemistry / Mathematics

Correlations Between Neighboring Minima in the Energy Landscapes of Athermal Glass Systems

Dr. Eric Corwin, Physics

 

2019-2020 Scholars

 

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Nitan Avivi-Stuhl

Mathematics / Computer Science

Matroid Theory

Dr. Mauricio Gomez Lopez, Mathematics

Desirae Brown

Sociology / French

The Effects of University Student Demands and Protests on Administrative Responses, Diversity Numbers, and Retention Rates

Dr. Debra Thompson, Political Science

Ally Carlile

Biology / Mathematics & Chemistry

Behavioral Correlates in Sleeping Laboratory Mice

Dr. David McCormick, Institute of Neuroscience

Matthew Dawson

Biology & Psychology

Cell Specific Ablation in Zebrafish: an Examination of Social Behavior

Dr. Philip Washbourne, Institute of Neuroscience

Dr. Christina Karns, Psychology

Dr. Laurie Ehlhardt Powell and Dr. Melissa McCart, Center on Brain Injury Research and Training

Ashley Easter

Family and Human Services / Sociology

Exploring Factors Associated with Obesity in Rural Oregon

Dr. Elizabeth Budd, Family and Human Services & Prevention Science

Lisa Guerricabeitia

Psychology & Theater Arts

Parsing Influences of Dysregulation on Eating Habits in Rural School-Aged Children

Dr. Nichole Kelly, Counseling Psychology

Joan Hicks

Psychology / Global Health

Age-related and culturally specific causes of depression underdiagnosis among older adults

Dr. Josh Snodgrass, Anthropology

Alicia DeLouize, M.A., Anthropology

Neila (Nina) Kerkebane

Economics / Mathematics

Impact of Tuition Increases on the Enrollment Rates of Low-Income Students

Dr. Jonathan Davis, Economics

Ash Martins

Sociology / Psychology

TBD

Dr. Jocelyn Hollander, Sociology

Tristan McKibben

Biochemistry / Ethics

TBD

TBD

Joe Moore

Sociology

Gentrification and Eviction Crisis: Tacoma

Dr. Clare Evans, Sociology

Antonio Munoz

Biology / Psychology

Odor Concentration Change Sensing in Mice

Avinash Singh, Biology

Allysia Rainey

Psychology

The Association Between Socioeconomic Status and Depression in Adolescent Females

Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer, Psychology

Meghan Ramirez

Psychology / Sociology & Anthropology

The Effects of Natural Sounds on the Autonomic Nervous System

Dr. Christina Karns, Psychology

Dr. Melissa McCart, Center on Brain Injury Research and Training

 

2018-19 Scholars

 

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Morgan Bunch

Psychology

The Effect of Simulations on Perceptions of the Validity of Expert Testimony

Dr. Robert Mauro, Psychology

Faith Collins

Psychology

The Effect of Delta-Frequency Music on Insomniac Sleep Onset Latency

Teresa Hawkes, Neuroinformatics Lab

Dr. Don Tucker, Psychology

Kylie Davis

Psychology

TBD

TBD

Ana Garibay-Mares

International Studies, Chinese & Planning, Public Policy & Management / Business Administration

Belt and Road Initiative: the Sino-Samoa Pact

Dr. Yvonne Brown, International Studies

Elmira Louie

Comparative Literature and English

A Woman's Voice: Strategies of Feminist Translation Practices in Spanish, Persian, and Turkish Poetry

Dr. Leah Middlebrook, Romance Languages and Comparative Literature

Aaron Macarthur

Psychology

The Closeness Communication Bias: A Replication

Dr. Dare Baldwin, Psychology

Netanel Weinstein, Psychology

Alvy Macias-Gonzalez

Sociology

TBD

TBD

Shawn Melendy

Biochemistry

Effects of Adipocyte-Specific p85α Overexpression on Insulin Signaling Mice

Dr. Carrie McCurdy, Human Physiology

Dr. Byron Hetrick, Institute of Molecular Biology

Sky Ramirez-Doble

Environmental Science

Local scale variation in microbial composition and function across tropical land use gradients

Dr. Krista McGuire, Biology

Stephanie Ostresh, Biology

Zora Rose

Psychology and Philosophy

The Impact of Auditory Theta Stimulation on General Affect, Working Memory Capacity and Attention

Dr. Dasa Zeithamova, Psychology

Dr. Michael Posner, Psychology

Taylor Guthrie, Psychology

Anais Niko Verhoeven

Psychology

Regulatory success and eating disorder symptomatology: does cognitive reappraisal sores predict specific eating disorder risk?

Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer, Psychology

Dani Cosme, Psychology

Mat Wilson

Anthropology

Impact of a High Male Skew on the Sexual Behaviors of Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Dr. Frances White, Anthropology

Kylen Gartland, Anthropology

Scott Ziegler

English

Antagonistic River: The Agency of Nature in Northwest Literature

Dr. Gordon Sayre, English

Dr. Stephanie LeMenager, English

 

2017-18 Scholars

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Jared F. Acosta-King

Psychology

Odor Sampling Behavior in Autism Model Mice

Matthew Smear, Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience

Cheyenne D. Collins

Anthropology, Honors College

Preliminary Decomposition Student within the Willamette Valley of Oregon: Multi-Regional Comparison and Sharp Force Trauma Effects

Jeanne McLaughlin, Anthropology

Carina Garcia

International Studies & Sociology

The Role of the State in Human Rights and Migration: Conflicting Discourses in Mexican Migration Policy

Kristin Yarris, International Studies

Ellen Scott, Sociology

Bianca Flynn

History

Environmental Racism in Native American Communities Near the Hanford Nuclear Reservation

Ryan Jones, History

Steven Beda, History

Lana Huizar

Psychology

Examining Depression and Social Support among Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Laura Lee McIntyre, School of Psychology

Taylor Contreras

Physics

The Search for New Particles Decaying to W+ Final States NSF Duke/TUNL Research Experience for Undergraduates

Alfred T. Goshaw, Physics, Duke University

Stephanie Majewski, Physics

Jack C. Wiegand

Anthropology & Medieval Studies

Sugar Refinement Techniques from Medieval Documentary and Material Records: A Text-aided Experimental Archaeology Case Study

Daphne Gallagher, Anthropology

Gantt Gurley, German and Scandinavian

Regina Psaki, Romance Languages

Scott Stull, Anthropology, Ithaca College

Elizabeth Witcher

Psychology & Sociology

The Role of Social Media in the Emotional Lives of People with Vitiligo

CJ Pascoe

 

2016-17 Scholars

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Bradley M. Boyce

Psychology

Passive Carryover and Conflict Triggered Regulation: Differences in Early Visual Components

Ulrich Mayr, Psychology

Don Tucker, Psychology

Megan Carson

Psychology

Age Differences in a “Short Long-term Memory” System for Visual Information

Ulrich Mayr, Psychology

Atsushi Kikumoto, Psychology

Lindan Comrada

Biochemistry

Markers of Cardiovascular Health in Chronic Marijuana Smokers

Christopher Minson, Human Physiology

Stefani Paige Evans

Psychology

Mother-Preschooler Interactions Measured Using the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior

Maureen Zalewski, Psychology

Elizabeth Skowron, Counseling Psychology

Tonya C. Hansberry

Psychology

Sequelae of Maternal Trauma: Attachment Relationships and the Development of Empathy in the Next Generation

Jennifer Ablow, Psychology

Jeffrey Measelle, Psychology

Xiaoning Sun, Psychology

Benjamin Hinde

Sociology

Fluid Borders, Neo-Liberal Displacements: Current Push and Pull Factors Driving Latin American Migration

Jessica Vasquez-Tokos, Sociology

Aaron Gullickson, Sociology

David M. Lee

Biochemistry & Biology

Leafcutter Ants Inside the Nest Have Sharper Mandibles than Ants Outside the Nest

Robert Schofield, Physics

Kristina Lowney

Psychology

Feelings of Belonging and Future Persistence in STEM

Sara Hodges, Psychology, Associate Dean of the Graduate School

Aaron Nelson

Biology

Transfer of Fungal Endophytes from Leaves to Woody Substrates

Bitty Roy, Biology and Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Thalia Padilla

Biology

Molecular Genetic Studies in C. elegans

Bruce Bowerman, Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology

Molly Jud, Institute of Molecular Biology

Trenton M. Peters-Clarke

Biochemistry & Biology

Increasing the Efficiency of a Biotin-Streptavidin Pull Down for An Investigation of Pt(II)-Protein Interactions

Victoria DeRose, Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology

Rachael Cunningham, Institute of Molecular Biology

Demiliza Saramosing

Ethnic Studies & Journalism

Indigenizing Kalihi: Imagining Native Solidarities between Native Hawaiians and Working-Class Filipinos in the U.S. Colony of Hawai’i

Stephanie “Lani” Teves, Ethnic Studies

 

2015-16 Scholars

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

David Adams

Psychology, Biology, Honors College

Contextual Modulation: Components of the Rod-and-Frame Illusion and the Systemizing Trait of Autism

Paul Dassonville, Psychology

Dagger Anderson

Psychology

A Diverse Look at Switch Rate and Task Switching

Ulrich Mayr, Psychology 

Jason Hubbard, Psychology

Joshua Coon

Biology

Pheromones and Path Selection of Atta cephalotes

Robert Schofield, Physics

Zachary Cunningham

Psychology

Maternal Betrayal Trauma and Response to Adolescent Negative Emotion: Does Maternal Emotion Regulation Matter?

Jennifer Freyd, Psychology 

Christina Gamache Martin, Psychology

Matthew T. Dodier

Economics

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire: PM2.5, Forest Fires, and Hospital Admissions in Oregon

Benjamin Hansen, Economics

Caitlyn Fields

Biochemistry

Investigating Fundamental Cluster Chemistry: VT-NMR Studies of the Flat Ga13 Cluster at Multiple Concentrations

Darren W. Johnson, Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Anna F. Oliveri, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Chemistry, UC Davis 

William H. Casey, Chemistry, UC Davis

Robel Haile

General Science

The Neurotoxic effects of Amyloid-Beta Oligomers in C. elegans

Janis Weeks, Biology, Institute of Neuroscience 

Kristin Robinson, Institute of Neuroscience

Diamanté Jamison

Ethnic Studies & History

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.: The Vanishing Point of Two Black Streams of Consciousness

TBD

Nicole Kingsley

Biology, Honors College

The Genetic Architecture Underlying Biting in the Pitcher-Plant Mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii

William Bradshaw, Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution 

Christina Holzapfel, Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution 

Rudy Borowczak, Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution

Erica Alexia Ledesma

Ethnic Studies, Anthropology & Spanish

Shifting Racial and Ethnic Identities Among Guatemalan Immigrants

Lynn Stephen, Anthropology, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS)

Tamara LeRoy

Anthropology

Food and Gardening: Benefits and Challenges for Latino/a Communities in Public Spaces

Lynn Stephen, Anthropology, Center for Latino/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS)

Kristina Lowney

Psychology

Self-Doubt and Empathic Accuracy

Sara Hodges, Psychology, Associate Dean of the Graduate School

Christine Nguyen

Psychology

Sociability Gap between Chinese American Mothers and their Children: Consequences of the Gap for Young, School-Age Children’s Adjustment  

Jennifer Ablow, Psychology 

Jeffrey Measelle, Psychology 

Xiaoning Sun, Psychology

Brandon Riemer

Physics

Integrated Photonic Circuits

Benjamín Alemán, Physics

Paulla Santos

History

The Continuation of US Imperialism through Transnational Marriages between Pilipinas and US Men

Julie Weise, History

 

2014-15 Scholars

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Geo Bitgood

Psychology

Thank you, Sweetie! Gratitude and Relationship Satisfaction in Close Relationships

Christina Karns, Psychology

Erik Burlingame

Biochemistry

The Role of CASK in Synaptogenesis

Philip Washbourne, Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Jackie Cowell

Psychology

More Than Just Words: EMOTAIX-Tropes Examines Linguistic Correlates of Mental Health

Jennifer Ablow, Psychology

Jeffrey Measelle, Psychology

Mallory Nicole Davis

English & Women's and Gender Studies

Of Cost and Consequence: Examining the Price of White Liberalism in James Baldwin’s Another Country

Courtney Thorsson, English

Ernesto Martinez, Women’s and Gender Studies

Monquize Dusseau

Economics

Gangs in America: Dispelling Detrimental Stigmas and Cultivating Alternatives

Gerardo Sandoval, Planning, Public Policy and Management

David Grady

Psychology

The State Effects of Subtle Physiological Arousal on Visual Working Memory Capacity: Sitting, Standing and Cognition

Edward K. Vogel, Psychology

Irida Mance, Psychology

Marina P. Gross

Psychology

The Role of Pupil Dilation in the Von Restorff Effect

Nash Unsworth, Psychology

Robel Haile

Human Physiology

Screening the Neurotoxic Effects of Amyloid-β1-42 Peptides in C. elegans using a Micro-fluidic Electropharyngeogram Platform

Janis Weeks, Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Kristin Robinson, Institute of Neuroscience

Christopher Harrington

Anthropology

Facial Symmetry and Health in the Indigenous Amazonian Shuar of Ecuador

Stephen Frost, Anthropology

Lawrence Sugiyama, Anthropology

Caitlyn Hazlett

Chemistry

Facile Synthesis of a Large Gallium Keggin Cluster

William H. Casey, Chemistry, University of California, Davis

Darren Johnson, Chemistry, Materials Science Institute

Anna Oliveri, Chemistry

Jung-Ho Son, NEAT ORU, University of California, Davis

Jared Richardson

Biology & Biochemistry

Alternative Splicing in the Cardiac Tissue of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 Patients

Andy Berglund, Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology, Interim Assoc. Dean, Graduate School

Adam Struck, Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology

Benedicta Wanjeri

Biochemistry

Determining the Protein Concentration of Malaria VaccineCandidate Antigen Apical Membrane Antigen-1 (AMA1)

Andrea Berry, Pediatrics (Infectious and Tropical Diseases), University of Maryland, Baltimore

 

2013-14 Scholars

NAME

PROGRAM

PROJECT

MENTOR

Geo Bitgood

Psychology

Body Connectivity and Mobile Technology Use: The Role of the Body in a Digital Age

Jennifer Craig, Dance

Amber P. Bryan

Women's and Gender Studies

Exotic Sexuality: Examining the Effect of Exotic Dancing on Women’s Sexuality

Lamia Karim, Anthropology

Tad Falk

Psychology

Personality Impressions on Twitter

Sanjay Srivastava, Psychology

Nicole Lawless, Psychology

Marina Gross

Psychology

Accessing Long-Term Memory—What Pupil Dilation Can Tell Us About Search Processes: An Exploratory Study

Nash Unsworth, Psychology

Lindsay Guzman

Chemistry

New Pt(II) Complexes for the Investigation of Copper-Mediated Degradation in Pt-Bound RNA Click Reactions

Victoria DeRose, Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Biology

Jonathan White, Chemistry

Sunny Rae Harrison

Anthropology

Maintaining Compassion and Harmony: An Analysis of Three Interreligious Communities in Bali

Lamia Karim, Anthropology

Lan Marberry

Family and Human Services

The Perception of Parents’ Participation in Therapy for Children with Communication Disorders

Karrie Walters, Family and Human Services

Daniel Close, Family an Human Services

Eileen McNutt, Speech Language Pathologist

Hassatou Jallow

Journalism, International Studies, Honors College

A Modern Migration: The Consequences of Senegalese Migration to the West

Peter Laufer, Journalism

Vera Keller, Honors College

Heidi Martinez

Journalism, International Studies, Honors College

Beyond Depression: Maternal Neural Response Differs with Comorbid Anxiety Disorder

Heidemarie Laurent, Psychology

Rosemary Bernstein, Psychology

Lyle McPherson

Biochemistry

aPKC Induces Polarization of Numb by Disrupting Cortical Targeting Mechanisms

Kenneth Prehoda, Chemistry and the Institute of Molecular Biology

Matthew Bailey, Chemistry

Eric Goytia Nummedal

Biochemistry

Using Mice as Models to Investigate Neuronal Response in the Thalamic Lateral Geniculate Nucleus

Cris Niell Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Wayne Tschetter, Institute of Neuroscience

Gabriel Sanchez

Anthropology

Cetacean Hunting at the Par-Tee Site (35CLT20): Ethnographic, Artifact, and Blood Residue Analysis Investigation

Jon Erlandson, Anthropology and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History

Eirik Thorsgard, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Cultural Protection Program of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Rond

Quang Truong

Biology

Exploring the Basis for Sequence-specific RNA Binding by Pentatricopeptide Repeat Proteins

Alice Barkan, Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology

Benedicta Wanjeri

Biochemistry

Characterizing the Neuromuscular Effects of Tribendimidinein the Nematode Worm Caenorhabditis elegans

Janis Weeks, Biology, Institute of Neuroscience

Kristin Robinson, Institute of Neuroscience

Naduah Wheeler

English

Post-Traumatic Sexuality: Reclamation of Sexuality and Eroticism After Colonization

Quinn Miller, English

Gordon Sayre, English