McNair Scholars Alumni

Clarissa “Claire” Abidog graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Family Studies. Her McNair Research, entitled “Family Matters: The Implications of Family Support on Multiracial Identity” explored how differences in attachment to parental figures influence personal identity development and salience in multiracial individuals. Claire has presented her work at multiple undergraduate and professional research conferences and will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Claire entered the Ph.D. in Family and Human Development program in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University beginning August 2017. This consists of a full tuition waiver supported by the SSFD Excel Award at ASU with an annual stipend of $21,500.

Talegria graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. Her McNair Research, entitled “The Effectiveness of Physical Activity as a Coping Mechanism in Undergraduate Students” examines what is causing students the most stress, how students are dealing with such stress, and the impact of using physical activity as a coping mechanism. Talegria has presented her work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association research conference She will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Talegria entered the PhD program in Public Health – Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Florida International University beginning August 2017. This consist of full tuition waiver supported by the McNair Graduate Fellowship at FIU with an annual stipend of $23,000 plus individual health insurance.

Nic graduated with a B.S. in Biology. His McNair Research entitled “Pallid Bat Detection of Dangerous Prey in Moonlit Conditions” examines the role of bat vision in predator-prey interactions between bats and scorpions. His research has been presented at several national conferences including undergraduate research conferences at Boise State University, University of Maryland, and University of New Mexico. This research is published in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Nic is interested in sensory ecology research and is studying the effects of anthropogenic noise pollution on bats and songbirds as a graduate student at Boise State University.

Amy graduated with a B.S. in Geosciences, Hydrology Emphasis and a minor in Applied Mathematics. Her McNair Research, entitled “Developing a Tree-Ring Chronology for Reconstructing Past Climate Conditions, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, UT “examines how dune field activity responds to climate and the external forces driving local climate variability in this region. Amy has four years of research experience in various applications of dendrochronology, presented her work at multiple professional research conferences, and will publish her research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Amy plans to pursue a graduate degree studying the linkage between tree-growth and climate.

Sean graduated with a B.A. in Economics, Quantitative Emphasis and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics. His McNair Research, entitled “Economic Growth Under Weak and Strong Sustainability Scenarios” examines the Romer endogenous economic growth model under strong sustainability scenarios. Sean has presented his work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Sean entered the PhD in Economics program at Michigan State University beginning August 2017. This consists of a full tuition waiver supported by the University Enrichment Fellowship at MSU with an annual stipend of $27,000.

Kimberly graduated with a B.S. in Political Science with a double emphasis in American Government/ Public Policy and International Relations/Comparative Politics. In addition she’ll receive a minor in Mexican American Studies. Her McNair Research, entitled “Policies, Work, and Community: Why Idaho Farmworkers Choose to Stay” examines why undocumented immigrants are planning to remain in the U.S. permanently. Kimberly has presented her work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish her research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Beginning August 2017, Kimberly entered the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program at the University of California, Riverside with a fellowship award of $31,000.

Chantal graduated with a B.S. in Psychology. Her McNair Research, entitled “Who Uses Social Networking Sites? Exploring Associations Among Personality, and the Relationship with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram” examines how unique personality characteristics influence social networking site preferences. Chantal has presented her work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Chantal entered the PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology program at Florida International University beginning August 2017. This consists of a full tuition waiver supported by and assistantship at FIU with an annual stipend of $23,000 plus individual health insurance.

Kimberly graduated with a B.S. in Anthropology. Her McNair research, entitled “How Education Level and Willingness to Learn Affect Older Adults in their use of Mobile Technology in Southwest Idaho” offers a better understanding of that factors that influence technology in older adults and contextualizes ways to encourage technological use. Kimberly has presented her work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish her research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Journal. Kimberly entered the Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology at Boise State University in Fall 2017.

Eric graduated with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics. His McNair research, entitled “Assessing Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory as a Computational Tool to Model Chromophores Intercalated into DNA Scaffolds” examines the current state of computational tools in calculating the excited states of organic molecules. Eric has been nominated as a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) twice, authored five peer-reviewed publications, and presented his research at multiple research conferences. Eric entered the PhD in Electrical Engineering program at Boston University in September 2017. This consists of full tuition waiver supported by the Distinguished Electrical Engineering Fellowship at BU with an annual stipend of $32,250.

Chandra graduated with a B.S. in Sociology and Psychology, a B.A. in Ethnic Studies, and minors in Gender Studies and Family Studies. Her McNair Research, entitled Racialized Resistance and University Culture, analyzes how university culture influences the manner in which college students navigate racial inequality. Chandra has presented her research at multiple conferences including the Pacific Sociological Association’s annual meeting. In the fall, she will enter the PhD program in Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park where she is studying race relations in the U.S. Her program is fully funded for five years with a tuition waiver and graduate assistantship that carries an annual stipend of $24,500.

Jese graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a Minor in Sociology. Her McNair Research, entitled “Islam is the New Black: Muslim Perceptions of Law Enforcement” examines attitudes and opinions held by the Muslim community in regards to their local law enforcement. Jese has presented her work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Jese entered the PhD in Criminology and Justice Policy program at Northeastern University in September 2017. This consists of a full tuition waiver and an annual stipend of $21,500.

Joel graduated with a B.S. in Biology, Botany emphasis. His McNair Research, entitled “It’s All About Relationships: AMF-Plant Associations, The Rhizosphere, and Our Changing World” examines plant-fungi symbiosis and the rhizosphere in which it takes place. Joel has presented his work at multiple undergraduate research conferences and will publish this research in Volume 13 of the Boise State McNair Scholars Journal. Joel enter edthe Molecular Plant Sciences PhD program at Washington State University in August 2017. This consists of a full tuition waiver and a $25,000 annual stipend supported by the University Research Assistantship for Diverse Scholars, a twelve-month NIH Biotechnology Traineeship, and an ARCS Fellowship.