Vaughn, Odessa, will graduate from Sul Ross State University in December with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. In the meantime, she is studying “The Effect of Pluralized Media on the Political Sophistication of Local Citizens of Alpine.” David Watson, assistant professor of Political Science, is her mentor.

“I am always interested in how people are affected visually, how an image can change beliefs or perception,” said Vaughn. “TV is present everywhere. My personal experience of not getting the full extent of a story shows how viewers can be misinformed by fleeting images. Misinformation leads to changed perceptions, which can cause people to become engaged or disengaged.”

Vaughn compiled a 30-question survey of media consumption and political knowledge. The survey included photographs of local, state and national officials to be identified by respondents. Over 160 persons, including Sul Ross students and community residents, responded.

“The survey contained no right or wrong answers,” said Vaughn. “We were seeking honest opinions on how they (respondents) were affected by the news. Depending on responses, including which election – national, Congressional, state or local – were deemed most important, respondents were assigned a political sophistication score.

“The results were mixed in the sense that they weren’t what I anticipated, but they did paint a very interesting picture,” Vaughn said. “The proposed pipeline question I added in the day before the survey was what was most mixed and not anticipated. The next biggest finding was that hard news significantly impacted the sophistication scores negatively.”

Results contradicted expectations, Vaughn said.

“I expected that those who were able to correctly answer the pipeline question were those who scored higher on the local sophistication score and that was not what we found. To sum it up, we found that citizens who are engaged more locally actually have a higher national sophistication score and the lowest local sophistication scores.”

“This research project and the survey to understand the effect of media on political awareness contained no right or wrong answers,” said Vaughn. “Citizens are not right nor wrong in their media preferences, and that is easily lost with the results.”

Watson added, “When Danie first approached me with an idea to survey local vs. national media consumption and the impact each has on political sophistication, I immediately thought it was an interesting project and was curious to know the results.”

“The vast majority of the published research in political science and the media deals with hard news and national sophistication, so having a focus on local media sources and knowledge of local issues, especially in an enclave like Alpine, Texas, was an interesting twist.”

After graduation, Vaughn plans to enroll in a Political Science Ph.D. program, with Texas Tech University or the University of Utah her preferred locations. She praised her McNair Program participation.

“It has been humbling in the sense that you never know what you are going to find. Sometimes, what you find can be scary. I am learning how to face these challenges and to be bold, tactful and honest.”

“I have so much more to learn about things I thought I knew about,” she said. “McNair has given me the tools to use mistakes so future research will be better and more accurate, and to learn how to respect and read others’ research in the same manner.”

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to encourage first generation, low-income students and minority undergraduates to consider careers in college teaching as well as prepare for doctoral study. Students who participate in the program are provided with research opportunities and faculty mentors.

Named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 space-shuttle explosion, the program was established at Sul Ross in November 2007. It is funded through the Department of Education’s TRIO programs.

This article was originally posted on July 31, 2015 on Odessa American. Click here to read the original article.

The GRF is one of the most prestigious awards that a graduate student can receive. The GRF includes an annual stipend of $30,000, tuition funding, and discretionary funds for research and travel, and opportunities for international research.

Under the direction of faculty mentor, Martin Feldman PhD, Cantu gained extensive experience as an undergraduate researcher, including an internship with the prestigious NanoJapan Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University in Sendai Japan. She also presented her research at a number of conferences, including the International Conference on Electron, Ion, and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication.

Cantu explained her reaction to the announcement, “I felt like I won the lottery. It really was a boost of confidence.” When asked about the application process Cantu stated, “It was a lot of work. The workshops and one-on-one help from the McNair Program were so important in preparing me to complete the application.” Cantu is currently a PhD student at the University of Utah.

– Original article posted on LSU website.

Through the McNair Scholars Program, Whitmill increased her confidence, sharpened her presentation delivery and networking skills and fulfilled the requirements needed to enter the graduate school of her choice. Her long-term goal is to teach at the university level, but through her time here, she has already gained invaluable experience. She provided Principles of Microbiology and Biology 1406 students with peer-assisted study sessions and exam and quiz reviews as supplemental instruction (SI) leader. From 2008-2011, she also served as a tutor/mentor for the CCISD’s 21st Century LLC assisting students with homework and leading educational, science related activities for groups of children in grades sixth through 12 at area middle and high schools. She has also been active with volunteer projects ranging from planning arts and crafts activities for children at the Ronald McDonald House to teaching kids at the Boys and Girls Club about the importance of wearing sunscreen. In addition, she served as historian for the Association of Women in Science and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Professional Honor Society. In her photo, Whitmill holds a National Science Foundation LSAMP/BPC Research Fellowship Award.

-Article originally posted on June 11, 2011 on the Texas A&M University Corpus Christi website.

Afshan Kamrudin, a senior psychology major at the University of North Texas

Afshan Kamrudin, a senior psychology major at the University of North Texas, has a received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to prepare for a career as a researcher in behavioral health.

The Graduate Research Fellowships are given to students who plan to earn research-focused master’s and doctoral degrees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Each student receives a three-year stipend of $30,000, plus $10,500 each year as a cost of education allowance. The students may also receive supplements for travel and computing.

More than 900 students at U.S. colleges and universities are awarded the fellowships each year. Kamrudin, the daughter of Ahmad and Ashraf Kamrudin of Carrollton and a 2005 graduate of Carrolton’s Creekview High School, is among 31 students from Texas colleges and universities who received a fellowship this year.

Kamrudin is a student in UNT’s Honors College, majoring in psychology and minoring in international studies. She plans to use her fellowship to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in behavioral sciences.

“Afshan is an extraordinarily talented young woman whose dedication to research has been evident throughout her undergraduate career. We are very proud that she has been selected for this prestigious award,” said Dr. Gloria Cox, dean of the Honors College.

While at UNT, Kamrudin has been a student in the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program, a federally funded program that prepares undergraduate students who are the first in their families to attend college, are from low-income families or members of racial minority groups to pursue doctoral study. McNair Scholars conduct research with UNT faculty members, and often present their research findings at professional conferences. They also undergo intense preparation for graduate school.

Dr. Diana Elrod, McNair Program director, called Kamrudin “an excellent representative of the UNT McNair program.”

“She has a strong desire to have her questions answered and will not rest until she has learned all that is necessary to make a difference in this world. I am convinced her contributions to society will be significant and valuable,” she said.

Kamrudin and her McNair mentor, Dr. Mark Vosvick, director of UNT’s Center for Psychosocial Health, have researched people living with HIV and their quality of life. Although she has always been interested in public health, Kamrudin said conducting research in the center made her more aware of the complexity of the disease, “especially in terms of how psychologists help people already living with HIV or AIDS.”

“I am really interested in the effects of HIV and took the opportunity to immerse myself into understanding the psychosocial issues of HIV and AIDS,” she said. “Many public health issues center around HIV and AIDS in terms of epidemiology and prevalence, but don’t focus on the behavioral aspects as much.”

Her research isn’t limited to this area, however. Kamrudin will spend three months in Geneva, Switzerland, just after she graduates from UNT to study the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Free Initiative. Established in 1998, the initiative focuses international attention, resources and action on disease and deaths caused by tobacco.

Kamrudin received a Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research and Training grant from the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health to go to Geneva, in a program sponsored by Pennsylvania State University. She was one of only nine undergraduate students selected for the program, which is targeted to students interested in pursuing graduate studies in public health or behavioral health. Kamrudin will receive transportation expenses to and from Geneva and living expenses for three months, plus a stipend of $800 each month.

She also participated in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program sponsored by the UNT Department of Anthropology. The summer program provides students with five weeks of intensive instruction in research methodology, theory, data collection and interpretation, critical thinking and writing and other research skills, followed by five weeks of work on an individual research project with a faculty mentor. Kamrudin used a social cultural approach to researching perceptions of stigma among HIV positive women.

In addition, Kamrudin studied the barriers to healthcare among the immigrant Vietnamese population seeking to use the John Peter Smith Health Network in Fort Worth for her Honors College thesis. She worked with Dr. Susan Brown Eve, associate dean of the Honors College.

She has presented her research at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

At UNT, Kamrudin has been a tutor for the Student Support Services-Discovery program, teaching students from low-income or minority backgrounds who are the first in their families to attend college, and a supplemental instructor for the UNT Learning Center, helping students who are enrolled in remedial math classes. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society for overall academic excellence and Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society, and recently received a $2,000 Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence for her first year of graduate school.

Kamrudin also serves on the Department of Psychology undergraduate faculty-student committee and is involved with the Honors College Honors Council as chair of academic affairs.

Article originally posted at UNT News Service.

The Friends of the UTA Library invited faculty, retired faculty, community members and students to attend Friday night. The event included a presentation of the McNair Scholars Award based on research completed by undergraduates. The McNair Scholars program is designed to prepare qualified undergraduates for graduate study. Guinn waved his honorary monetary amount, asking it be shared between the award’s recipients.

Before Guinn’s talk, interdisciplinary studies senior Juandell Parker and physics senior Crystal Red Eagle received the award, including $500 scholarships. The two also received an additional $100 each because of Guinn’s waiver.

“I am very happy,” Parker said. “I worked very hard this summer doing my summer research. It was nice to receive the award.”

Joan Reihardt, McNair Scholars Program director, said it is wonderful that the Friends of Library supports the undergraduate research program.

Tommie Wingfield, UTA Friends of Library president said Jeff is well known and an old friend of the library because he wrote for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I liked his topic,” Wingfield said. “This time, different people came to listen to Jeff. He is the first one who gave his honorary back to students.”

Former President Wendell Nedderman said he enjoyed the event. The Bonnie and Clyde story is a classic example for the community, he said.

“We must be endurable, we must follow honorable path and we should not give it up in any circumstances,” Nedderman said. “It also shows when once crime life starts it gets worse. My message is to live an honorable life.”

The UTA Bookstore sold out of Guinn’s 40 autographed books Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde.