McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Symposium Aug. 1 at UW

Student projects will be presented during the 31st annual McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Symposium Tuesday, Aug. 1, in the Wyoming Union Family Room at the University of Wyoming.

The symposium begins at 9 a.m. with welcoming remarks, followed by presentations until 3 p.m. The event will feature research from 12 UW undergraduates.

The program is an opportunity for McNair Scholars to share the progress and findings from their undergraduate research internships with the broader community of scholars. Student presentations are from a diverse range of academic programs, such as anthropology, civil engineering, environment and natural resources, mathematics, molecular biology, nutrition, political science and psychology.

UW’s McNair Scholars Program encourages undergraduate students from groups traditionally underrepresented in postbaccalaureate degree programs to pursue graduate studies by providing opportunities to define goals, engage in research and develop the skills and student/faculty mentor relationships critical to success at the doctoral level.

UW McNair Scholars presenting work, listed by time, hometowns, majors, titles of their projects and UW mentors, are:

9:30 a.m. -- Nolan Gerdes, Cheyenne, civil engineering, “Evaluating the Recovery of Hydraulic Conductivity in Fire-Affected Soils,” with Ryan Webb and Kori Mooney.

9:45 a.m. -- Nolan Nachbar, Evansville, mathematics, “Investigating the Chip-firing problem and the Sandpile Group,” with Bryan Shader and Caleb Cheung.

10 a.m. -- Dana Ramberg, Pinedale, molecular biology, “The Critical Skill of Molecular Cloning,” with Mark Gomelsky and Giang Pham.

10:15 a.m. -- Michaela Eddy, Casper, nutrition, “The Road to Longevity Starting with Wyoming Food Access and Preference,” with Jill Keith and Omer Faruq.

11 a.m. -- Jeremy Chappell, Laramie, environment and natural resources, “Harnessing Technology for Conservation: A Review of Emerging Conservation Technology,” with Drew Bennett and Travis Brammer.

11:15 a.m. -- Louise Larrew, Cheyenne, political science/geospatial information science and technology, “Internal Refugees: Mapping Transgender People’s Safety in the United States,” with Michelle Jarman and Yen-Yi Wu.

11:30 a.m. -- Faith Riter, Cheyenne, history/philosophy, “The Gendered World of Online Obituaries: A Case Study on Victims of Mass Shootings,” with Harvey Hix and Janna Gentry.

1:30 p.m. -- “The Role of Social Support in Chronic Disease Management,” with Christine McKibbin and Abby Teply.

1:45 p.m. -- Amerikus Lucas, Bakersfield, Calif., psychology, “Improving the Detection and Understanding of Undergraduate Students’ Experiences of Mood Symptoms,” with Kasey Stanton and Olivia Grella.

2:15 p.m. -- Felicia Chambers, Rock Springs, psychology, “Motivation in Videogames,” with Sean McCrea and Matthew Sherrin-Helm.

2:30 p.m. -- Jaimie Adams, Benton, Tenn., anthropology, “Evaluating Close-Range Photogrammetry (CRP) Methods: The 3D Reconstruction of Trinchera Cave Rock Art Panels,” with Elizabeth Lynch and Casey Black.

2:45 p.m. -- Daisy Stone, Flagler, Colo., psychology, “The Indirect Relationship of Working Memory on the Anxiety Sensitivity and PTSD Relationship,” with Joshua Clapp and Robert Kaya.

For more information about the McNair symposium, visit www.uwyo.edu/seo/mcnair.