McNair Scholars Program prepares students for post-graduate success
Each summer, qualified students from historically underrepresented groups participate in real-world, faculty-mentored research, gaining valuable experience and a paycheck.
The students are part of the McNair Scholars Program at , a federally funded program providing financial and mentor support to students from less-advantaged backgrounds interested in pursuing a PhD program. Known nationally as the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, it was named in honor of Ronald McNair, a physicist and NASA astronaut who died when the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated after takeoff in 1986.
The McNair program is one of serving students who are low-income, first-generation or a member of a historically underrepresented group. Students must also satisfy academic requirements, and preference is given to students meeting multiple criteria.
All students in the McNair program participate in an eight-week summer research internship. Students are provided a competitive stipend as they work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. For some, the internship represents ongoing research with their faculty mentor. Other students interested in gaining research experience are matched with faculty who share similar interests, or are willing to oversee the student’s proposed research project.
Faculty mentors may supervise up to four scholars, but are expected to fully immerse themselves in each student’s research experience, including day-to-day supervision, regular evaluation and review of the final research paper or poster.
Helping less-advantaged students through the academic pipeline
Gervlyne Auguste has been the coordinator of the McNair Scholars Program at for the past six years. A TRIO program graduate herself, Auguste understands the tremendous benefit these programs provide to those with fewer academic and extracurricular advantages due to inherent disparities in school districts or who need guidance in navigating the evolving landscape of higher education.
In addition to the summer internship, McNair provides critical financial resources to students throughout the academic year, including travel and per diem expenses for students to present research at conferences, visit graduate schools or take graduate school entrance exams. The McNair program provides additional supports such as counseling, application assistance and a communal workspace to ensure that students move successfully through the academic pipeline.
“This program gives the students all of the resources that they need to really succeed,” Auguste said. “It prepares them for the first time they set foot on a graduate school campus, it shows them how to talk to other grad students and faculty. It helps them recognize how to represent themselves and be their authentic self in any environment.”
Along with one-on-one faculty mentorship, McNair summer interns, most of whom live on campus during the program, are engaged in weekly activities. On Wednesday evenings, students participate in social networking activities, and scholarly seminars take place on Friday afternoons. Seminar topics range from research ethics to creating a research poster to résumé writing, all of which are designed to prepare students for a successful transition to graduate school.
Scholar uses opportunities to pursue altruistic mission
Zakiyyah Nur-Singletary first learned about the McNair Scholars Program while researching summer internship opportunities at the end of the spring 2021 semester. A friend suggested McNair and guided her through the application process. She was accepted into the program and matched with faculty mentor Sharon L. Holmes, associate professor, Student Affairs Administration in the College of Community and Public Affairs.
Holmes presented several research topics based on her scholarly work and Nur-Singletary selected the one that resonated with her — examining the experience of Black women in leadership roles in predominantly white institutions.
“I had never participated in a research internship or conducted extensive research before this,” Nur-Singletary said. “So, I was very happy to have this opportunity and see this project come to life. It pushed me and gave me that extra boost of confidence that I needed.”
Nur-Singletary recently presented her research virtually at the University at Buffalo Annual McNair Summer Conference and is eager for upcoming opportunities to share her work with others. She intends to build on her research through the next academic year, with Holmes continuing as her faculty mentor.
Nur-Singletary is a third-year social work major in the College of Community and Public Affairs. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native grew up with an affinity for learning and an understanding that education would give her the best chance for a successful future. But, she didn’t realize the scarcity of educational and extracurricular opportunities available in her home community until she was on a university campus, surrounded by students from more affluent backgrounds and neighborhoods. Believing that a good education should not depend on zip code, her future ambitions involve helping to close the opportunity gap for youth in under-resourced school districts.
“Everyone deserves equal access to education regardless of race and class status,” Nur-Singletary said. “And I want to be a part of the solution that ensures every child has access to a quality education and the advantages and opportunities that will prepare them for a successful future.”
Mentoring the next generation of scholars
For Holmes, this was her first experience working with the McNair Summer Research Internship Program as well. As she typically works with graduate students based on her program affiliations, it also marked the first time she worked with undergraduates in more than 10 years.
“I was contacted by the program directors of both McNair and CSTEP [Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program] and asked if I might be willing to work with a student over the summer,” Holmes explained. “I said I would help in any way that I could. Three students contacted me for appointments, two McNair Scholars and one CSTEP student. Not fully understanding what the task entailed and being somewhat of an over-achiever, I agreed to work with all three of them.”
Holmes said the McNair program is labor-intensive for students and mentors, but also rewarding. Students have an opportunity to deep-dive into topics that interest them while having one-on-one faculty assistance in research best practices and the comprehensive steps to assemble research findings into a coherent presentation, a requisite for McNair summer scholars. For Holmes, it’s an opportunity to mentor the next generation of academic scholars.
“I found working with the students extremely rewarding. It did my heart well to learn that the younger generation is preparing to take their place in effecting positive change in higher education specifically and the world in general,” she said.
McNair’s mission aligns with PhD aspiration
Fourth-year biological sciences major Shuojie Teng was born in China and moved to the U.S. when he was six years old. His family traveled around the country, living in New York City and Louisiana before settling down in Rochester, N.Y. Teng, who is a first-generation student, selected because of its biology program, affordable tuition and proximity to family.
This was Teng’s first year in the summer internship program. He entered McNair at the start of his third year when he learned that McNair’s mission to help first-generation and underrepresented students on their PhD journey aligned with his aspirations.
“I joined McNair because they offer assistance with the process of applying to graduate school (including trips to various graduate schools), waived fees for GREs and [for the] professional counseling from the McNair staff who have been through the graduate application process countless times,” Teng said.
His summer research project was under the direction of Associate Professor of Biological Sciences James Sobel. Teng has worked with Sobel as an undergraduate lab assistant for the past year, learning practical lab skills and assisting graduate students. So, when Sobel pitched the idea for the summer project supported by McNair, Teng was on board.
“The McNair summer internship program provided an amazing opportunity to stay on campus and lead my own research project,” he said.
Biological sciences major eyes dental school
Kwame Adu, a first-generation student from Bronx, N.Y., knew he wanted to study in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field and considered nationally ranked his first choice.
A fourth-year biological sciences major, Adu’s first experience with the McNair Scholars Program took place over summer 2020. Like many other McNair participants, Adu heard about the program from a friend who encouraged him to apply for a research internship.
Adu developed his project with Thomas Powell, assistant professor of biological sciences, in collaboration with Kristen Prior, also an assistant professor in biological sciences, whose combined research interests in adaptation to environmental change, community and invasive ecology and species interactions helped drive Adu’s research.
Like other McNair summer research interns, Adu plans to continue his project throughout the next academic year.
“Working with McNair this summer really provided me with a higher-level educational experience,” he said. “Working alongside a faculty mentor in a lab gave me real-world skills that I can use in the future.”
Although Adu considered graduate school in a STEM field, he anticipates a career in dental medicine and is considering his post-graduation plans.
Achieving success now, and in the future
“The best part of my job is seeing our students thrive and succeed,” she said. “When they walk into my office with a big smile because, despite all the struggles and adversities that they may be going through, they studied hard and persevered. It gives me great satisfaction when I hear from students who have graduated how well they are doing. When I get an email saying, ‘I just got accepted to Yale for their master’s program or their PhD program,’ that is something that makes my job so rewarding; that is what gives me joy.”