Current McNair Scholars
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Emily Bermel Major: Biological Engineering
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James Cwick Major: Microbiology I come from San Joaquin County in Ripon, CA. I am currently a junior in the microbiology department (general option) and a minor in music performance. I plan on becoming an MD-PhD in internal medicine (infectious diseases) and researching either viruses or antibiotic resistance in bacteria. In addition to being an active McNair scholar at MSU, I participate in officer positions within the Alpha Epsilon Delta club, Health professions club, and the percussion club. For hobbies, I enjoy cooking, reading, and watching sci-fi television shows. Currently, my research is being conducted under the guidance of Dr. Michele Hardy, which entails the effect of glycyrrhizin (and its derivative glycyrrhetinic acid) as an antibiotic alternative for treating clinically important bacteria. My summer research will determine the scope of glycyrrhizin on many bacteria species. |
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Dominique David Major: Earth Science (Geography) In Spring of 2014 I will represent the first generation in my family to earn a Bachelors degree! I am currently studying Geography through the Earth Science department and minoring in Native American Studies. My undergraduate research will explore the Indigenous science knowledge that is inherent in our Native language place names. Coming from a multicultural Caribbean-American background (Native Taino, European, & African), I grew up valuing diverse ways of knowing. During my undergraduate & postgraduate studies I plan to learn how to use geospatial science technology (GIS & remote sensing) to study our natural environment and resources. When I graduate with my PhD I intend to integrate our Indigenous science knowledge with Western science in the ways that we teach about and manage our natural resources. I am grateful to have the support and guidance of my mentors Lisa Lone Fight & Dr. Wayne Stein here at Montana State University. |
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Steven Davis Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering Graduated from Billings Skyview High Shool in 2009 and looking forward to graduating with a dual degree in both Chemical and Biological Engineering along with Highest Distinction from the Honors College in 2014. I am proud to represent the Fighting Bobcats as a RS sophomore on the Men's Basketball team. As an enrolled member of the Lower Brule Lakota Nation and descendant of the Blackfeet Nation of MT, my brothers and I spend a great deal of time working through and representing the American Indian Council here at MSU. Working in Dr. Carlson's lab in the Center for Biofilm Engineering, I spent the summer engineering microbial growth colonies with applications potentially impacting the fields of medicine, bioplastics, and alternative energy development. |
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Alisha Downs Major: Liberal Studies (Quaternity)
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Melissa Emery Major: Chemistry
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Michael Fast Buffalo Horse Major: Secondary Education (Social Studies Broadfield) I am from Browning Montana, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and a student in the Department of Education. After completing my undergraduate degree I plan to pursue a doctorate in history or education. My ultimate goal is to attain a faculty position in higher education. I have been working under the guidance of my McNair mentor Dr. Jioanna Carjuzaa. The focus of my research is to better understand and investigate tribal language revitalization efforts amongst the Native American populations of Montana.
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Angie Ford Major: English (Writing) |
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Kenneth Gaskill Majora: Animal Science I grew up on a cattle ranch in southeastern Montana. I continuously tested the best methods to execute the work that needed to be done; my interest for research began then. In high school I completed a research project, with the help of Rachel Endecott, who is Montana State Universities’ Beef Extension Specialist. The McNair Scholarship program caught my eye and now I conduct research. My research project is “Bovine in vitro fertilization and embryo development with nano particle depleted spermatozoa.” This research is conducted at USDA LAARL Fort Koegh in Miles City, Montana under the supervision of Dr. Tom Geary, Bovine Reproductive Physiology Scientist. |
Josh Gosney Majora: Chemical Engineering
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Halley Heintz Major: Art History I graduated in 2008 from Pine Bluffs High School in Wyoming and decided to attend Montana State University for the diversity and its prestigious Art program. I am now in my fourth year and am eager to continue towards attaining a Ph.D in Art History and eventually becoming a university professor. Deborah and Dr. Todd Larkin have been serving as my McNair mentors and guiding the direction of my summer research project. My research is focused on the 17th Century Spanish Baroque paintings of Francisco de Zurbaran and Esteban Murrilo. The goal of my research is to reveal an understanding of everyday life and religious rituals in the common household. The conclusion will answer religious gender roles. I will be attending a National McNair research conference in Kansas City, MO in September were I will be presenting this research as part of my participation in the McNair Scholars Program at MSU. |
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Courtney Holland Major: Cell Biology and Neuroscience I was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana. I am a senior in Cell Biology and Neuroscience with a concentration in biomedical sciences. I have a minor in Anthropology, and I am a sophomore in the Nursing degree. Before pursuing my masters, I plan to work two years as a nurse in the E.R. I aspire to get my PhD in Nursing after getting a masters in Anesethia Nursing. My current research is dealing with photoisomerizing dyes, and their use in treating Retinitis pigmentosa, a disease resulting in blindness. My research deals with testing how dyes, specifically azobenzenes, isomerize when hit with a specific wavelengths. I study how different end groups change the speed at which they isomerize and how the differing end groups affect the dyes binding ability to BSA. |
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Sydney Jaramillo Major: English (Literature)
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Jordan Kennedy Major: Mechanical Engineering Conferences:
I’m a sophomore in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. My McNair research is focused upon the rheological characterization of thermally reversible gels. Specifically, I am interested with the pharmaceutical applications of these gels. My research is a two-step process where I spent the first part of it, during the summer of 2010, focusing on developing a process for obtaining repeatable data. The second part, which will be conducted during the summer of 2011, will be characterizing these gels with the addition of nanoparticles. My research is conducted in the Chemical Engineering Department under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Brown. |
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Arrika LaSalle Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
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Dani Morrison Major: Secondary Education (Social Studies Broadfield) I |
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Allison Nesseth Major: Nursing I |
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Molly Reed Major: Anthropology and English (Writing) |
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Ryan Ricci Major: Modern Languages (Spanish)
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Arielle Richards Major: Exercise Science
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Michael Ruiz Major: Anthropology
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Alyssa Sandner Major: Biotech. of Animal Systems I was born and raised in Corte Madera, CA and I am currently a Junior majoring in Biology with a teaching option. Upon graduating from Montana State University in 2014, I hope to earn my doctorate in education with an emphasis in teaching STEM courses at the university level. My first McNair summer project was conducted in the laboratory of my mentor Dr. Michele Hardy. We investigated the site directed mutagenesis of rotavirus NSP1 strains OSU (porcine) and W161 (human). This experiment was designed to help further understand viral interactions with immune pathways through a series of mutations. |
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Cheyenne Stevens Major: Anthropology I was born in Minnesota, but raised for the most part in both Red Lodge, Montana and SE Minnesota. I like to call myself a Montasotan or Minnetanan. I am a junior Anthropology major, double-minoring in Native American Studies and Museum Studies. I currently work in the Education Department of the Museum of the Rockies, where I completed my McNair internship this past summer. I was involved in a variety of museum activities from working with the Events Manager on the 2011 Wine Classic to helping in the Education Department as a camp counselor for Dino Camp for 1st and 2nd-graders. Some of my passions lie in cultural and archaeological anthropology, and I hope to continue research specifically in Native American cultures and applying that to a museum setting. I feel honored to represent McNair as a first-generation college student and plan to continue my education to inspire others to pursue education as a means of bettering themselves, their communities, and their world. |
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Tesha Tavary Major: Mechanical Engineering After serving in the US Navy for six years I moved to Montana to pursue an undergraduate degree in Mechanical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering. Currently I am working under the guidance of Dr. David Dickensheets on the viability of MEMS mirrors in the advancement of Confocal microscopy. This process involved the fabrication of an interfacing system between the MEMS mirrors and the confocal microscope. After completing My bachelors degree I plan to work toward my masters with the ultimate goal of working in the field of renewable energy. |
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Kendra Teague Major: Land Resources & Environmental Science
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Martina VanHoy Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
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Thomas Wurtz Major: Biotechnology (Animal Sciece) |
