Baltimore, MD - UMBC's seventh annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Research Conference, taking place on September 18, will unite McNair scholars from UMBC and other institutions participating in the program. The McNair Program was founded in 1986 in memory of Ronald E. McNair, the physicist/astronaut who died aboard the space shuttle Challenger. It is a nationwide initiative to prepare low-income, first-generation and underrepresented college students for graduate studies.

Scholars from UMBC, Bowie State University, and as far away as the University of Mississippi will gather in a forum where they can discuss their research and learn more about graduate studies by speaking with graduate school students and administrators. Thirteen of the twenty-six McNair scholars at UMBC will present their research at the conference, which will be held in the Engineering/Computer Science Building from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Four UMBC scholars joined a group of more than 350 students from across the United States and Puerto Rico to present their research to a national audience of peers, professionals and graduate school representatives at a similar conference which took place at Pennsylvania State University August 6-8.

The UMBC students presented the results of their research projects on topics ranging from an analysis of treatments for brain tumors (Henok G. Aynalem) to a study of factors that facilitate and impede academic success among African American females (Alice K. Graham). The results of these research projects and many others will be presented at the upcoming UMBC conference.

For more information on the McNair Program at UMBC, contact Donald E. Knight, interim program coordinator, at 410.455.3277