Susan Francis Gilmore, an English senior from Denver, conducted research this summer involving American Indian and Soviet Russian literature.
A member of the Oklahoma Quapaw tribe, Gilmore participates in the University of Wyoming McNair Scholars Program. Her work was directed by faculty mentor Caskey Russell, a UW Department of English professor, and Shannon McKinzie, an English graduate student.
As a McNair participant, Gilmore received a stipend for her summer work, attended classes that assist with graduate school preparation and is in now completing her research paper.
She visited graduate programs this summer at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Cal-Poly and the University of California at Santa Barbara. Gilmore also spent several days visiting museums in Nevada to compile data for her project.
Earlier this summer Gilmore presented her research work "Humor in the Face of Oppression: American Indian and Soviet Russian Literature" on campus at the 17th annual McNair Research Symposium. Her future plans include pursuing an English doctoral degree.
The McNair Scholars Program, funded through the United States Department of Education, helps prepare promising undergraduate students to pursue doctoral degrees. It targets first-generation college and limited income students as well as ethnic minority students.
For more information, call the McNair Scholars program office at (307) 766-6189, TTY-(307) 766-3073, e-mail mcnair@uwyo.edu or visit the Web site at www.uwyo.edu/SEO/mcnair.