McNair Scholars Program seeks students for winter semester

Harry Stine

October 11, 2023

GROWTH – Students in the McNair Scholars program will spend time honing their skills by working on a research project for several months alongside a faculty member. McNair also helps students apply for grants and visit different college campuses. Photo courtesy of the McNair Scholars Program.

The McNair Scholars Program at NMU is built to help students apply to graduate school and prepare for Ph.D. programs. This includes assisting students in applying for grants for master’s degree programs, alleviating the fees associated with applying for graduate school and funding students’ travel to conferences and campus visits.

Assistant Director Heather Pickett said that possibly the biggest part of the program is helping students create a research project. A faculty member helps guide them through the process.

“That gives them the experience they need in order to be a good candidate for a graduate program and then [they’ll] hopefully not have to pay for graduate school,” Pickett said.

Students accepted into the program begin in the winter semester. They spend time creating their research proposal to submit to the McNair office by the end of the semester. Then, they spend their summer working alongside a mentor on their project, about 20 hours a week.

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Pickett adds that research projects are not limited to STEM. For example, the program has had students work on projects related to art and design and music education as well.

She also mentioned students who are anxious about applying to graduate school, or even possibly dealing with imposter syndrome, can be assured that the McNair program helps students with each step of the process.

“There’s support for every part of the journey,” Pickett said.

Currently, McNair is looking for between 14 and 16 students for the coming semester. They are funded to work with 20 students at a time.

About the Contributor

Harry Stine, Opinion Editor

In 2021, after one year of college and a semester of studying as a Public Relations major, I realized I wanted to be a journalist and not much else. After eagerly applying to be a Copy Editor, without even knowing AP style at that point, I started doing the occasional contributing writer piece for The North Wind. My frequent topic was satire. When I heard The North Wind was going through another round of hires, and a spot was open for an Assistant Features Editor, I applied in a heartbeat. I still do the occasional satire piece, but I take great pride in exploring NMU and Marquette for my topics, and finally having my head wrapped around AP style.