McNair Scholars Alumni

Mariette graduates with a B.S. in Psychology. Her McNair research, entitled “Pipeline programs: An equitable approach to higher education?” explores how cohort experiences affect educational outcomes. Mariette has presented her research at local and regional undergraduate conferences. Mariette was accepted to the University of
Washington.

Kyrie graduates with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Her McNair research, entitled “Liposomes as Carriers of DNA Molecules”, investigated nucleic acid load in artificial liposomes with the goal of optimizing gene delivery methods. Kyrie has presented her work at research conferences at the local, regional, and national level. Kyrie will begin her graduate studies at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she will receive an M.S. in Human Genetics and Genetic Counseling. She has received a total of $97,000 from fellowships awarded by both David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA’s Graduate Division, and has been granted a graduate assistantship. Combined, this will cover her entire cost of attendance.

Marissa graduates with a B.S. in Mathematics. Her McNair research, entitled “Analysis of Undergraduate Mathematics Coursework for Curriculum Design”, utilized the framework of andragogy (adult education) to assess the quality of instruction within STEM education courses. She also conducted ethnographic research on the quality of professional development and coursework connections within the Student Media Department at BSU. Marissa will enter the Master of Design program at University of California, Berkeley beginning August 2023. Her work will focus on developing educational tools using emerging technologies to assist college students in developing professional portfolios rooted in self-reflection. She received a full-tuition scholarship under the Arcus Social Justice Fellowship for her commitment to mentoring minority students in higher education.

Erin graduates with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Her McNair research, entitled “Detecting SARS-CoV-2 Using Wastewater-Based Epidemiology” explores how wastewater-based epidemiology is an effective tool for tracking the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used for an improved public health response for future outbreaks. Erin has presented her research at local and regional conferences in her field. Erin will enter a one year accelerated nursing program at Creighton University following graduation.

Holly graduates with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Her McNair research, entitled “Spatiotemporal Biomechanics of Caregivers Carrying Infants in an Outdoor Setting” explored how carrying children through various commercial baby gear has a musculoskeletal impact on the bodies of adult women. Holly has presented her research at local, regional, and national conferences in her field, as well as attended the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring last Fall. Holly will enter the Biomedical Engineering PhD program at Boise State University to continue working with Dr. Mannen beginning August 2023. This consists of a graduate assistantship with an annual salary of $27,000, health insurance, and full tuition and fees each academic year.

Josue graduates with a B.S. in Computer Science. His McNair research, entitled “Symbol and Communicative Grounding through Object Permanence with a Mobile Robot” explored how an understanding of object permanence can help a robot learn language. He also performed research over the summer of 2022 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Josue has presented his research at local, regional, and national conferences in his field. Josue will enter the Computer Science PhD program at the University of Michigan working with Dr. Joyce Chai beginning August 2023. This consists of a full tuition waiver, an annual salary of $37,000, health insurance and the Weinberg Institute Fellowship. Josue is the recipient of a 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellowship award totaling $138,000 over 3-years. He is also a Boise State Top Ten Scholar.

Julie graduates with a B.S. in Biology. Her McNair Research, entitled “Expression and Analysis of Recombinant Giardia MTA Nucleosidase (GMTN-2),” entailed cloning Giardia MTA nucleosidase gene and subsequent induction of recombinant protein expression in E. coli. Julie has presented her work at multiple local, regional, and national undergraduate conferences. Julie will enter the Microbiology and Immunology Ph.D. program at The National Institute of Health (NIH) – Graduate Partner Program with Georgetown University beginning July 2023, consisting of a full tuition waiver and stipend provided by NIH. Julie received the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program, which totaled $14,737 to cover tuition costs during the 2022/2023 school year.