This year’s conference promises to be an amazing experience for all. The conference will feature:

• Keynote Speakers
• Individual Student Research Presentations (Oral and Poster)
• Interactive Graduate Fair
• Networking Opportunities
• Speakers and Panel Discussions
• Workshops
• Campus Tours
• Activities and much more.

The FIU McNair Scholar Research Conference will be hosting its inaugural Miami Cruise Closing Banquet, featuring scenic views of the Miami Skyline (included in registration price).

We invite all Undergraduate students involved in high-quality research, under the guidance of faculty, but not limited to McNair scholars to apply to this great event.

We also invite all University administrators, faculty and staff working with undergraduate students to register for this event.

Abstracts are due September 8th and can be submitted at http://mcnairabstracts.fiu.edu/

You can find more information at:

http://mcnairconference.fiu.edu/

Conference Dates:

Thursday, October 19th to Friday, October 20th, 2017

For more information, contact the FIU McNair Office through email at McNair@fiu.edu or through telephone at (305) 248-2446.

Claire, took a chance and applied to the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Florida International University in 2015. Her leap of faith paid off when she was one of the twenty-seven students selected to be part of the prestigious program.

As part of her McNair Summer Research Internship, Claire attended the University of Notre Dame. She served as a research assistant in the clinical psychology lab, where she gained an in-depth look at how personality and individual differences are measured, ultimately concluding in her research paper “Snakes in Skirts”, a study on the rise of female incarceration.

“My acceptance into the FIU McNair Scholars program was the turning point in my academic and future professional career,” said Claire. “The McNair Scholars program created a positive learning environment which gave me the opportunity to spread my wings.”

As an FIU McNair Fellow, Claire presented her research findings at research conferences nationwide, including at the FIU McNair Scholars Research Conference last October.

At 53, Claire graduated from FIU’s Honors College with a double bachelor’s in psychology and criminal justice.

Claire’s hard work and perseverance paid off when she was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP). This national fellowship supports selected graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) disciplines at accredited US institutions.

This year, 13,000 students applied nationwide and only 2,000 were awarded the NSF GRFP. Claire was one of three FIU students selected to receive the renowned fellowship, and the only undergraduate student to be awarded.

Claire will continue her education at The University of Notre Dame to pursue her Ph.D. in Psychology, and expand on her research on personality scales and traits.

In Claire’s own words, “Through determination and discipline, I was able to apply to graduate school to become the doctor, researcher, and influential woman I was never encouraged to be”

“Long gone are the days when students could graduate from a university and not do research. If you have any intentions of going on to do any sort of advanced graduate work, and if you have any intentions of finding funding for your research for your graduate studies, you must do research,” said Assistant Vice Provost for Access and Success E. George Simms.

Hosted by the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at FIU, the FIU McNair Scholars Research Conference provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research to peers, faculty and experts in their field.

The conference will take place Oct. 14-16 and is open to all FIU students, as well as students from universities around the world. Last year’s participants included students from Marquette University, Binghamton University, the University of the West Indies and more.

Simms said the goal of the McNair program and conference is to prepare students for top-notch universities and to apply for research funding once they’re in graduate school.

“In the highly competitive world that is now applying for graduate schools, having something like great research—and especially mentored research, where you have a well-known person in that field writing a letter of recommendation, working with that student on producing a really publishable project—really helps students stand out from the horde,” said Steven Fernandez, director of the McNair Program.

The McNair Conference is designed to guide undergraduate students through the research process and showcase their findings to the professional community.

At the conference, students will have the chance to present their research in both oral and poster formats, participate in a graduate school fair and hear from guest speakers who are leaders in their fields of study.

During the research process, students must work with faculty mentors who oversee their work and guide them through the process of gathering information and producing a paper ready for publishing.

“When you start at the undergraduate level, it gives you a really big step forward because you already know what you are going to use in your application if you go to graduate school,” said Department of Earth and Environment professor Florentin Maurrasse, who serves as a mentored with the McNair Program.

Maurrasse’s first mentee in the McNair Program was alumnus Jose Ilaguno ’14, who presented his research on sedimentology in Spain at last year’s McNair Conference. His research compared the current period of global warming to previous periods of global warming using the method of carbon sequestration, which compares carbon isotopes in layers of the ocean floor to determine climate conditions millions of years ago.

Because of his experience researching with Maurrasse and presenting at the McNair Conference, Ilaguno decided to continue at FIU to earn his master’s in geosciences.

“You get the feeling that they do want to help you from the bottom of their heart,” he said. “It’s almost like they’re your family.”

This article was originally posted on July 27, 2015 on FIU News . Click here to read the original article.