Center for Academic Enrichment
keeps students posted

October 19, 2009 by Victoria Gonzalez 

Students’ research to be displayed on posters

UNLV students’ summer research will be on display for the entire UNLV community to see and discuss.

The Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach will present the 2009 McNair Poster Presentation on Oct. 21 at 11 a.m. in the Student Union Room 208.

“The poster is a culmination of the research [a student] did over the summer,” said Terri Bernstein, retention and academic coordinator for the center.

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Institute will present the research their student scholars have conducted and collected.

The research will be in the form of a poster that will showcase the results of the students’ time and effort.

“As part of the McNair Scholars Institute program requirements, all students who conduct research will display their work during the poster presentations,” said Deanna R. Davis, director for academic enrichment for the center.

Bernstein said during the event scholars stand next to their poster in an informal atmosphere.

The UNLV community has a chance to visit each scholar, see the research they have done and talk with the scholars about their work.

There is also a short ceremony where the scholar and their mentor are recognized with a plaque and other gifts.

The scholars are required to write a paper giving a summary of the research conducted and create a poster for their presentation, upon completion of the summer research program.

Davis said the center has hired a graphic artist, Nathaniel Ward, to design the posters for the past three years.

“The McNair staff works closely with UNLV photography, Reprographics and conference scheduling offices to organize the event,” Davis said.

In this year’s poster presentation event, all research scholars are female with the most popular area of focus being psychology, according to Bernstein.

One scholar presenting at Wednesday’s event, Nydia Diaz, said that although the research process can be difficult, it is also extremely rewarding to know that, with the help of her mentor and the McNair Scholars program, she finished a project of such magnitude, almost all by herself.

Diaz, whose research consisted of the gendered construction of sorority members in popular Greek films, has been in the summer research program for the past two summers.

She said that the experience and knowledge gained through the research gives a competitive edge to undergraduates who are interested in attending a graduate school.

“The Summer Research Institute and the poster presentation is an excellent idea because… it gives the undergraduate student a chance to live the graduate student experience for a summer,” Diaz said. “After all, what good is research if you don’t share your knowledge and present your findings to the community?”

Diaz said that the poster event is also an excellent way of honing a student’s public speaking skills and getting them over stage fright.

“No one is there to look down on you or to tell you you’re wrong,” Diaz said. “Everyone is there to support you and discuss your discoveries. It’s
nervewracking, but at the end of the day, you feel extremely proud of the work that you did.”

Davis said the McNair Institute is proud of the research its scholars have presented over the past 10 years.

“We advertise the event to the entire UNLV community,” Davis said, “and anticipate their attendance.”

In addition to their research and presentations, McNair scholars participate in workshops and a national conference in Wisconsin, which four scholars are chosen to attend.

The focus of the McNair Institute is to provide undergraduates from underrepresented groups with research opportunities that will make them more valid candidates for graduate school.

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Institute chooses scholars from underrepresented backgrounds or who face particular life challenges.

Applicants must have at least junior standing and aim to attend graduate or professional school. McNair scholars must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.