Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center

McNair Scholars Program

The McNair Scholars Program is embedded within the UROC Scholars program and prepares academically-talented and motivated CSUMB undergraduates from all majors for doctoral level studies via engagement in research and other scholarly activities that support the successful transition to graduate programs.

The McNair Scholars Program is supported by the Department of Education and established in memory of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and NASA astronaut who served on the Challenger space shuttle.

The McNair Program is for students who:

  • Enjoy being part of a student cohort striving for graduate degrees.
  • Strive for intensive research experiences.
  • Dedicate themselves to scholarship, leadership, and high-achievement.
  • Commit to pursuing a Ph.D. in a research-focused graduate program.

Learn more about the McNair experience in the Stories of Dos Mujeres McNair at CSUMB podcast. 

Efrain Ramirez and Oscar Murillo-Espinoza preparing for the 2023 Summer Research Symposium.

McNair Scholars visit Arizona State University to learn more about graduate school. 

Damaris Ispache conducting summer research at the University of Minnesota.

Current McNair Scholars

  • Stephanie Lara-Sotelo. Statistics. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Kim, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
  • Destiny Renero, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Danielle Burchett, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Denise Angulo, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Fatima Arellano, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christine Rosales, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Galilea Bustos-Ataida, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christine Rosales, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Dalia Canchola, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Coral Cisneros Cahue, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gerick Bergsma, Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Juanita Cobarrubia, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Lovell, Associate Professor, Psychology Department
  • Gema Gomez, Agricultural Plant and Soil Science. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Arun Jani, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry
  • Vanessa Gonzales, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shannon Snapp, Associate Professor, Psychology Department
  • Ignacio Maravilla, Mathematics. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Clickenbeard, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
  • Yefry Mata Diaz, Collaborative Health and Human Services. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chrissy Hernandez, Associate Professor, Service Learning Institute
  • Cesar Ojeda, Kinesiology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Machek, Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology
  • Andrea Tamayo, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Shannon Snapp, Psychology Department
  • Joel Viorato Arambula, Environmental Science, Technology and Policy. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Duggan, Department of Applied Environmental Science
  • Eli Wellman, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Lovell, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Andrea Grande Batres, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Gerick Bergsma, Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Mariah Moreno, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Danielle Burchett, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Reina Yorba-Rico, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Renee Penalver, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Aaron Wickware, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Logan, Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Anastasia Swann, Biology. Faculty Mentor: Liz Alter, Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry
  • Heaven Smith, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Latasha Neal, Music. Faculty Mentor: Jeremias Zunguze, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Communication
  • Dolores Haidee Marquez, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Renee Penalver, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Ramona Jalomo, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jill Yamashita, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Nancy Espitia, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Justin Matthews, Associate Professor, Psychology Department
  • Mikayla Castillo, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Christine Rosales, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Sofia Barajas, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Logan, Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Melanie Abarca, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Lovell, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
  • Moncerat Navarro Carpio, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Christine Rosales, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Karla Buitrago-Yepes, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Logan, Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Marlenne Ortega, Environmental Science, Technology, & Policy. Faculty Mentor: James Guilinger, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Environmental Science 
  • Milo Ramos, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Yeritzi Victoria, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Renee Penalver, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department
  • Efrain Ramirez, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Danielle Burchett, Associate Professor, Psychology Department
  • Jhoana Morales-Lopez, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Levi Mahler, Japanese Language and Culture. Faculty Mentor: Shigeko Sekine, Professor, School of Languages and Cultures
  • Jasmin Juarez-Gonzalez, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Logan, Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Caleb Hernandez, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Logan, Professor, Department of Marine Science
  • Derek Flores, Kinesiology. Faculty Mentor: Maria Bellumuri, Associate Professor, Kinesiology Department
  • Maria Fernanda Corral, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department
  • Sofia Campos, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, Professor, Psychology Department

Benefits

  • Discipline-specific faculty mentoring
  • Comprehensive research seminar
  • $2800 annual research scholarship
  • National recognition
  • Graduate school preparation and funding advisement
  • GRE fee reduction waivers and GRE preparation workshops including study materials
  • Travel support to present research at nationally recognized research conferences
  • Supportive network of McNair Scholars
  • Graduate programs/schools visits
  • Opportunity to publish in peer-reviewed journals
  • Participation in cultural events and social gatherings

Eligibility

  • Strong academic records (recommended minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA)
  • U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency
  • Be either a first-generation & federally low-income college student or belong to a group traditionally underrepresented in higher education
Ronald E. McNair, African American Astronaut

Applications open during the fall semester of the school year. Learn more about what the application requires. 

Ready to Apply?

Who was Ronald McNair?

Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair was an American NASA astronaut and physicist who died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. Growing up in a low-income community in South Carolina, McNair overcame obstacle after obstacle ultimately being selected as one of 35 new astronauts from 8,000 applicants in 1978. He was also one of just three African Americans selected, which included Col. Guion Bluford, the first African American to travel in space. McNair would become the second African American to fly in space in 1984. McNair was also an accomplished saxophonist and even played while in space.

Following his death, members of Congress provided funding to create the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. It is intended to encourage students who come from low-income, first-generation college backgrounds, or are members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education to pursue doctoral level students through involvement in research and other scholarly activity.