UW’s McNair Scholars Program Undergraduate Research Symposium Aug. 13

The University of Wyoming’s McNair Scholars Program will host the 33rd annual McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Symposium Wednesday, Aug. 13, in the Wyoming Union Family Room.

 

The symposium is scheduled 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and will feature the culmination of research activities of the 13 UW undergraduate students who are participating in the federally funded Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program.

 

Peter Parolin, dean of the Honors College, will give the welcome address at 9 a.m. Seth Swanner, an assistant professor in the UW Department of English, will provide the keynote address at 12:30 p.m. during the symposium luncheon, which is open to the public. A poster session is scheduled 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The symposium is an opportunity for scholars to share findings from their summer research internships with the broader university community.

 

UW undergraduate students presenting, their hometowns, area of study and project titles, are as follows:

 

-- Dylan Chatterley, of Rock Springs, studying psychology: “Perceptions of Sexual and Gender Minority Students in the Context of School-Based Violence.”

 

-- Devon Cherniss, of Boulder, Colo., studying speech language and hearing sciences: “Culturally Competent Language Assessment: Non-word Repetition.”

 

-- Jacques De Villiers, of Pretoria, South Africa, studying psychology: “The Internal Struggle: Honor Culture and Mental Health Stigma Among Veterans.”

 

-- Andrea Edwards, of Cheyenne, studying history and environment and natural resources: “Beyond Documents: Ethical Historical Methods for Engaging Indigenous Narratives.”

 

-- Kaylin Franck, of Cheyenne, studying psychology: “Association Between Perceptions of Campus Safety and Sexual Violence Between Domestic and International University Students.”

 

-- Constance Hall, of Lovell, studying psychology: “Retrieval Practice and Delay on Multiple-Choice Questions.”

 

-- Annette Harlan, of Lakeview, Ore., studying psychology: “From Victim to Verdict: How Terminology and Legal Context Influence Jury Decisions in Crimes Against Sex Workers.”

 

-- Veronica Hudson Hurtado, of Cheyenne, studying microbiology: “Does the Addiction of VRk1 and BANF Affect the Nuclear Size or Morphology of Xenopus Laevis Egg Extract?”

 

-- DJ Lueloff, of Jefferson, Wis., studying anthropology: “Human and Neanderthal Population Structures Defined by Bottlenecks.”

 

-- Amber Rahn, of Laramie, studying psychology: “Advancing Understanding of Association for Possible Bipolar Disorder Symptom History with Treatment Access, Quality of Life and Other Clinical Variables.”

 

-- Selena Melendez, of Gillette, studying biology: “Bioactive Wound Healing Hydrogel for Chronic Wounds.”

 

-- Bella Smith, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Laramie, studying English: “Dystopian Reflections: How ‘The Purge’ Franchise Mirrors the Rhetoric and Ideological Goals of Project 2025.”

 

-- One student is not listed for privacy reasons. The student’s presentation is titled “Spirit and Earth: Heaven’s Gate in the Mountain West.”

 

UW’s McNair Scholars Program encourages first-generation college students from limited-income families and other groups traditionally underrepresented in graduate education to prepare for and pursue doctoral degrees by providing opportunities to engage in funded research and prepare for success in graduate school. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

 

For a schedule, go to www.uwyo.edu/seo/_files/mcnair/2025mcnair-symposium-schedule-final.pdf.

 

For more information, go to www.uwyo.edu/seo/mcnair/.