PSU McNair Scholars Program 

The PSU McNair Scholars Program has served over 400 students since 2014. At least 200 faculty mentors have supervised McNair Scholars' research projects. Scholars have been accepted to PhD and doctoral programs in the US and abroad. PSU McNair scholars have enrolled in doctoral programs at PSU, Harvard, Yale, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Washington, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and other prestigious universities. McNair scholars have been awarded the Fullbright, National Science Foundation grants, and other prestigious fellowships and grants.

Wyatt C. Adams
Psychology Major
Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor
Faculty Mentor:  MA Patrick Lemmon
Research Project: Extremely Online Masculinity: Examining Post-Covid Social Media Use and Adoption of Normative Masculinity in Young Adults
 

Jennifer Cannard
Social Work Major
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Shannon Blajeski
Research Project: Determining the relationship between hoarding behaviors and negative housing outcomes 
 

Megan Camargo
Political Science Major
Indigenous Nations and Native American Studies Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson
Research Project: Enacting Kūʻē through Moʻolelo: A Study of Recovery in Lahaina

Ivan Cruz
Psychology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Quam
Research Project: TBD

Zhymonne Escober
Mechanical Engineering Major
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Alex Hunt
Research Project: Biomimetic Hexapod Locomotion on Lunar Like Terrain
 

Thorn Halsen
Social Work Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ericka Kimbal
Research Project: The Role of Implementation Outcomes in Drug Decriminalization: A Retrospective Study
 

Damon Holotanko
Biology
Faculty Mentor: TBD
Research Project: Arthropod Diversity Along an Urbanization Gradient in Portland, Oregon

Magdaelena Jimenez
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Miranda Williams, MPH
Research Project: Assessing Siletz Tribal Members’ Perceptions of Trail Development and Community Connection to Nature
 

Charlie Kelley
Speech and Hearing Science Major
Neuroscience Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Manaswita Dutta
Research Project: When words and attention collide: Attention in Aphasia.
 

Ren Lidster
Psychology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katheleen Conte
Research Project: Experiences Accessing Social Services Among Unhoused People with Substance Use Disorders
 

Axel Lozano-Ortiz
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amala Soumyanath
Research Project: Human Plasma Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Urinary Excretion of With Anolides Following Ingestion of an Ashwagandha Supplement
 

Iyman Mikail
Speech & Hearing Sciences
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Angie Garinis
Research Project: Cochlear Function Differences Between Premature and Full-Term Infants
 

Ameru Mohammed Zaki
Biology Major
Chemistry Minor
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Radhika Reddy
Research Project: The Neuroscience of War: Comparing Veteran to Civilian PTSD Research and Analyzing War-Related Neurological Impacts Towards an Iraqi Civilian-Focused Framework

 

Tina Ngo
Science Major
Psychology Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Mohr
Research Project:  Postdeployment, reintegration effects on parenting styles of military service members and spouses
 

Sebastian Pacheco-Thompson
Biology Major
Art Practice Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Susan Masta
Research Project: TBD

Daniel (Danny) Restrepo
Computer Engineering Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alex Hunt
Research Project:  Synthetic skin for robots
 

Domnica Reutov
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kelly Monk
Research Project: Loss of Myosin 1D Impairs Early Myelination 
 

Marisol Santa Cruz 
Biology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tess Dover
Research Project:  The Biological Toll of Stress, Inequality, and Social Injustice

JZL Santomin
Psychology Major
Neuroscience Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carolyn Quam
Research Project: TBD

Trinity Stephens
Biochemistry Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mark Woods
Research Project: Gadolinium Uptake in Wastewater Bacteria through Metallophore Activity
 

Emmy Sterling
Public Health Studies: Pre-Clinical Major
Child & Family Studies Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Miranda Moiser-Puentes
Research Project:  Student perspectives of on-campus resources that support the attainment of lactation goals

 

Amy Stewart 
Psychology Major
Business Administration Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jensine Paoletti
Research Project: What predicts stress among people balancing work and unpaid dementia caregiving?

 

Raiki Tababa
Physics Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dinh Loc Duong
Research Project:  TBD

Julissa Tale-Leyva 
Criminology & Criminal Justice Major
Criminal Law & Justice Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Arynn Infante
Research Project:  Expansion of ICE: Understanding the links between immigrant threat perception and immigration Enforcement under the Trump Administration
 

Daniel Thatcher
Business Administration and Computer Science Majors
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Scott DuHadway
Research Project: Cyber Security Risks in Healthcare Supply Chains

Itati Urbano-Garcia
Public Health Community Health Promotion Major
Criminology and Criminal Justice Minor
Faculty Mentor:  TBD
Research Project:  Cosechando sueños : Exploring the Mental Health Impacts of Increased ICE Presence on Latino Seasonal Farmworkers in Oregon

Kiara Van Rossum
Sociology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Arynn Infante
Research Project:  TBD

 

Andrea Vega-Zamora
Child Youth And Family Studies  And Social Science Major
Chicanx/Latinx Studies Minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Ramirez
Research Project:  Platicas y Charlas: Centering Latine Students' Expereinces at Portland State University
 

Sherry Zhu 
Psychology Major
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Carolyn Quam
Research Project: TBD

MCNAIR ALUMNI