TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama McNair Scholars Program will present its third annual Research Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 1, from 4-6 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Mortar Board Room.

The conference will feature presentations by UA students in the McNair Scholars Program. The McNair Scholars Program is a federally funded TRIO program in honor of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, who died in the Challenger space shuttle accident in January 1986.

Eligible students are awarded a stipend to conduct research and engage in other scholarly activities with faculty mentors from the areas in which they plan to pursue graduate study. The students receive preparation for entrance into graduate school, personal guidance from a faculty mentor and two hours of college credit for their work.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be a United States citizen or permanent resident, be a first-generation college student with a qualifying income level or a member of a group that is historically underrepresented in graduate education, have completed at least 60 semester hours, have at least a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate a potential for doctoral studies.

The McNair Scholars will present the results of the research projects on which they worked during their research internship this summer. Dr. Charles Nash, UA System vice chancellor for academic affairs, will give an introduction followed by the presentations. A reception will follow where the scholars and their mentors will be recognized.

Presentations include:

College of Arts and Sciences

Sharell Bindom:

• Chemistry -- Dietary Supplement Chromium Picolinate Causes Inheritable DNA Damage
• Room 305, 4:40 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. John Vincent

Courtney Burrell:

• Biology -- The Compartmentalization of Inositol Biosynthesis
• Mortar Board Room, 5:30 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Margaret Johnson

Samantha Hastings:

• Psychology -- Do Special Education Teachers Differ in Their Prognoses for Students With Mental Retardation?
• Room 301b, 4:40 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Fran Connors

Chris Jones:

• Physics -- Physical & Chemical Ordering of Iron-Platinum-Silver Nanoparticles on Two Substrates
• Room 301b, 5:05 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. J.W. Harrell

Greg Keefer:

• Physics -- Closed Form Completeness Relationship to the Potential Square Well
• Room 305, 5:30 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Phillip Coulter

Nikole Miller:

• French -- Language Contact: The Effect of Standard American English (SAE) on Louisiana Creole (LC)
• Mortar Board Room, 5:05 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Doug Lightfoot

Gabriel Walvatne:

• Writing and Critical Thought -- Attitudes Toward Restorative Justice in the Tuscaloosa County Criminal Justice System
• Room 301b, 4:15 p.m.
• Mentors: Dr. Norvin Richards, Dr. Jerry Rosenberg

Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration

Charlene Johnson:

• Finance -- Who’s Supporting our Schools? Does the Imbalance Between Federal, State and Local Funding Sustain Inequalities In Our Public School Systems?
• Mortar Board Room, 4:40 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Harold Elder

Jasmine Wallace:

• Management Information Systems -- Digital Divide: Are Alabama High School Computer Teachers Knowledgeable of Technology?
• Room 305, 5:05 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Joanna Hale

College of Communication and Information Sciences

Gina Miller:

• Public Relations -- What’s Eating You? A Study of Nutritional Attitudes of Consumers
• Room 301b, 5:30 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Olivia Kendrick

Tasha Smith:

• Journalism -- Women Sports Reporters: Do They Really Know How to Keep Score?
• Mortar Board Room, 4:15 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Kim Bissell

College of Engineering

Clayton Williams:

• Electrical Engineering -- Perturbative Analysis of Linear Time-Varying Systems
• Room 305, 4:15 p.m.
• Mentor: Dr. Robert Scharstein

In addition to their presentation, McNair Scholars also submit papers summarizing their research. Their work can also be presented at state and national conferences, published in the UA McNair Scholars Journal as well as other journals.