McNair Scholar Research
Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair)
Increases the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students entering graduate school and obtaining their PhD
Eligibility: Underrepresented minority students OR first-generation college students from a low-income background U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident, 2.8 GPA or higher sophomore or junior undergraduate.
Funding: A TRiO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education & Clarkson University
versity
Scholars:
Genesis is a junior studying biochemistry at Utica University. She works under Dr. Sitamaran Krishnan in the chemical engineering department. Her research focuses on developing novel composites with enhanced mechanical properties.
After graduation, Genesis plans on pursuing a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Nathaniel is a college student at Clarkson University majoring in Aerospace engineering. He will be entering his senior year and has been spending the summer doing research under Dr. Craig Merrett within the Aero-Servo-Thermo-Visco Lab with funding from the McNair program.
The goal of his research was to determine whether the underlying assumptions typically made when designing metal Isogrid structures apply to composite and 3D printed Isogrid cylinders. His research consisted of reading a plethora of existing literature on other research regarding the topic and designing Isogrid cylinders to be analyzed and tested to failure to complete his research goal. He learned a lot within the 10 weeks he spent going through the McNair program and has decided to pursue a PhD in aerospace engineering.
His hobbies include video games and fishing.
Nina Pluviose, a native of East Flatbush, NYC, is currently pursuing a psychology major with a sociology minor at St. Francis College. She is enrolled in a dual degree BA/MA program and expects to graduate with a Bachelor's in psychology and a Master's in Applied Behavioral Psychology by 2025.
This past summer, Nina worked in Dr. Andreas Wilke’s Evolution and Cognition Lab, supported by an ongoing NSF grant.
Nina currently serves as the president of her Psi Chi Honor Society chapter. In her leisure time, Nina finds joy in singing along to musicals, listening to music, enjoying matcha, and indulging in anime, k-dramas, and c-dramas. She can often be found taking leisurely walks, appreciating nature, or capturing the beauty of flowers through photography.
Matthias is from Rochester, New York, and works under Dr. Ka Ho Leung in his biochemistry research lab as an organic chemist. Currently, he is working on the synthesis of a novel probe for use in live cell fluorescent imaging.
Matthias plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry after graduating from Clarkson University.
In his free time, Matthias enjoys playing musical instruments and table-top RPG’s. Matthias is currently the vice president the American Chemical Society (ACS) at Clarkson University.
Danielle hails from the Bronx in New York. She is a Junior Psychology major at Clarkson University. This past summer, she worked with Dr. Zhang in the cultural psychology lab on a study focused on examining the effects of stigmatization, racial profiling and stereotypes on the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) within households of people of color (POC).
Through research, she aims to contribute valuable insight to the field and promote a safer and more inclusive society for all. She intends to pursue a masters in Clinical School Psychology and hopes to go to Yeshiva University to obtain a doctorate. She is involved in many aspects of campus life.
Born in Endicott NY, Zachary Diefendorf is a rising sophomore double majoring in chemistry and applied mathematics and statistics at Clarkson university.
This summary Zachary worked in a lab researching optically active nanomaterials under the supervision of Melissa King, where they worked on the stabilization of gold nanoparticles in agarose gel for soil and groundwater detection of PFAS and other water contaminants.
After graduation Zachary intends to pursue a PhD in chemistry from UC Berkeley.
Citlaly Hernandez is a rising senior studying biochemistry at Montclair State University in New Jersey.
Currently, Citlaly is conducting research under Dr. Kaho Leung at Clarkson University. Her research consists of evaluating the pH sensitivity of metal-organic fluorophores. Citlaly plans on pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry, with her dream graduate school being New York University and Yale University.
In her free time, Citlaly enjoys weight training and going to the beach.
Jenay Bartlett is from Albany NY. She is currently a senior attending SUNY at Albany and majoring in Psychology.
This summer, she researched the effects that combined training during vestibular rehabilitation has on motor learning and retention with Dr. Appiah-Kubi. Going forward, Jenay plans on pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, exploring new places, and writing.
Jamal McPherson is a rising junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering hailing from Clinton, Maryland. As a participant in the McNair Program, he is working under the guidance of Associate Professor Kevin Fite and Assistant Professor Masdul Imtiaz to develop an Autonomous AI Robotic Prosthesis for amputees.
He plans to pursue a master's degree in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Space System Engineering. Additionally, Jamal is an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE), and the Community of Underrepresented Professionals (CUPO). In his spare time, he enjoys music, drawing, and dancing.
Cayden is a rising senior, studying chemical engineering at Clarkson. Working with both Dr. Taylor and the Shipp research groups, Cayden is focusing on two projects: modeling carbon capture methods with ionic liquids and tuning the mechanical properties of poly methacrylic anhydride.
Cayden plans on pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering at any other university than Clarkson.
Ta’Janay was born and raised in Waterbury, CT: She came to Potsdam, NY to major in Mechanical Engineering at Clarkson University. She is going into her junior year.
For her summer research, Ta’Janay is creating 3D models of luge suspensions to predict how the sled steers as a function of rider input, working with Prof. Brian Helenbrook.
Currently, the only hobby she’s been partaking in is reading.
Christian Choy, from Aptos, CA, is an rising senior with a focus in molecular biology at Clarkson University.
For the 2024 Summer Research Program, Choy studied zebrafish as a model organism for intestinal development and disease research. Current efforts have been directed towards the investigation of notch signaling pathways on the formation of BEST4+ cells. A recently discovered cell-type in zebrafish and human intestines and is believed to play a major role in intestinal health, including pH regulation and mucus hydration
Lia Cox was born in Niskayuna, NY, on November 9, 2004, to Brett Robert Cox and Saskia Keppert-Cox. She lived briefly in Gröbming, Austria, before moving back to Rotterdam, NY, where she has resided ever since. As of June 2024, Lia is a rising junior at Clarkson University, pursuing a dual degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
This summer, she is involved in research on the cGAS-STING Cytosolic DNA sensing pathway, specifically studying how the G4-Quadruplex impacts this pathway under Dr. Modi Wang. Lia plans to attend Northern University for grad school to earn her PhD in pharmaceuticals or Biochemistry and hopes to work at Eli Lilly or Regeneron afterward.
She enjoys skiing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family and aims to learn new skills, including gardening when she becomes a homeowner.
Kouboura, originally from Sudan, moved to the US at age five and grew up in Utica, NY. She is currently a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.
Under Dr. Krishnan's mentorship in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, her research focuses on the photoanode active area's impact on the current-voltage characteristics of dye-sensitized solar cells.
After completing her undergraduate studies, Kouboura plans to pursue a master’s degree in Cosmetic Science at the University of Cincinnati's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.
In her free time, she enjoys working on personal art projects.