UWRF McNair Program

05/23/2022

Today marked the first day of our McNair Scholars Summer Research Institute! We are so excited to see what this group is going to achieve this summer. Let's go Cohort 22!

05/19/2022

McNair Graduate Update! Emily Kolbe, Cohort 20, just completed her first year of her master's degree in Plant Breeding and Genetics at the University of Minnesota!
She has been adapting well to graduate school. She has a few presentations coming up. One for the Minnesota Rose Society and another at the American Society for Horticultural Science Conference in August. She also has an article being published on rose black spot disease for the Minnesota Master Gardener Monthly's July issue. She has been heavily focused on her research with her mentor. They have started new experiments to advance her thesis.
She has also been involved on campus by volunteering her time on a few different committees for different campus events and acting as the lab meeting coordinator for her lab group. She has been accepted to be a Teaching Assistant this upcoming fall.

05/18/2022

McNair Graduate Update! Rachel Harris, Cohort 19, just graduated on May 7 from University of Wisconsin-Stout with her master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has accepted a job at Edges Wellness and will start May 17th. Congratulations Rachel!

05/13/2022

Happy Summer Break McNair Scholars! For those of you who are spending your summer away from campus, we hope you enjoy the warm weather and well-deserved break.
Our junior Scholars are ramping up to start their Summer Research Institute. We can't wait to see them flourish in the program!

05/09/2022

Congratulations to our McNair Scholars Ashley McGee and Charlie Huschka on graduating with their bachelor's degrees this past Saturday! We are so incredibly proud of the both of you and can not wait to see what you accomplish in your respective graduate programs!

05/06/2022

Last night was our McNair End of Year Picnic! We had the opportunity to honor those Scholars who graduated this fall semester and those who will be graduating tomorrow.

Left: Crystal Malagon graduated in the fall with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. She will be attending the University of La Verne in La Verne, CA in their PsyD program.
Right: Ashley McGee will be graduating tomorrow with a bachelor's degree in Marketing Communications. She will be attending Minnesota State University, Mankato in the fall where she will be in their Communication Studies master's program.

Not pictured is Charlie Huschka who will be graduating tomorrow with a bachelor's in elementary education. He will be attending the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor in Belton, TX in the fall where he is enrolled in the MSEd-Sport Administration program.

05/03/2022

All current McNair Scholars are invited to join us for an end of year picnic at Glen Park this Thursday! If you plan to attend please let the department know by emailing [email protected].
We hope to see you there!

04/19/2022

Check out this great story about UWRF students and the Falcon Feline program! There are still a couple of cats (Weezer and Joe) that still need their forever home!

As part of that class, the Falcon Feline Adoption Program was born in October.

04/13/2022

A wonderful event for both current and graduated Scholars to attend!

Don't miss the Dr. Imtiaz Moosa Philosophy and Ethics Speaker Series inaugural event on April 25.

There will be a dedication ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 25, of a plaque honoring Moosa at the Kinnickinnic River Theater, 320 University Center. The plaque will be hung outside Moosa’s favorite classroom in the Kleinpell Fine Arts building.

The inaugural event of the speaker series is a discussion by Gordon Marino, Ph. D., professor emeritus of philosophy and curator of The Hong Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College. He will speak at the theater at 4 p.m. At 5 p.m., a reception will be held in the Falls Room, 4 University Center, with Moosa’s family and friends. Learn more here, https://www.uwrf.edu/News/DrImtiazMoosaPhilosophyandEthicsSpeakerSeriesinauguraleventApril25.cfm

04/11/2022

A McNair Scholar’s path to getting a doctorate does not always follow a traditional path. A prime example of this is University of Wisconsin-River Falls 2012 graduate Cassandra Saunders, Pharm. D. Dr. Saunders's interest in pharmaceutical work did not come about until a few years after graduating from UW-River Falls. Her undergraduate degree was in pre-veterinary and bio-medical sciences. While in the McNair Program, she worked with Professor Joseph Gathman at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls to study the bat population's habits and how they varied depending on where they primarily lived. She was also able to do a second study with Dr. Matthew Allen at The Ohio State University to study canine limb lameness and the resulting gait patterns.

Upon graduating with her bachelor's degree, Dr. Saunders was unsure of what her next steps would be. After analyzing and working within a few different career fields, she realized that being a pharmacist was her life’s path. Graduate school was challenging but very rewarding. While Dr. Saunders was working toward her doctorate, she was also working full time. However, she kept her eyes on the prize and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota in the spring of 2021. Since graduating, Dr. Saunders has been working as a Pharmacist Manager at Thrifty Pharmacy in Forest Lake, Minn.

04/06/2022

We want to thank UWRF Student Health Nurse and McNair Department Champion Michelle Klechefski for coming to speak to our McNair Scholars today! She kindly shared her undergraduate and graduate school journey. As well as, how she uses her graduate degree in her current role at the university.

04/04/2022

Many of our McNair alumni have a love of learning. No one embodies that love more than UW-River Falls 2010 graduate Jaime Thissen, Ph.D. It was evident even during his undergraduate years. During his Summer Research Institute in the McNair Program, he researched the development of environmental indicators for North America at the United National Environment Program Office in Washington, D.C. The time spent within the organization was so enjoyable that he continued doing consulting work for them after his McNair experience. Dr. Thissen says he owes this unique research experience to the McNair Program. "At the time, the program provided unique opportunities and funding to complete my research project with the UN and provided extra opportunities for presenting research," he said.

After graduating from UW-River Falls with a degree in environmental science and management, he began attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He would obtain his master's degree in technical systems management and his doctorate in agriculture and biological engineering. During his time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Thissen served as a fellow and instructor within the university's highly ranked Agricultural and Biological Engineering Program. "I learned a great deal about navigating graduate school and juggling teaching, research, and coursework," says Dr. Thissen. When asked what advice he would give current McNair Scholars, he provides this nugget of wisdom; "Graduate school is not a measurement about how smart you are. It is more of an enrichment and depth-driven experience."

Since graduating with his doctorate in 2021, Dr. Thissen works as an assistant professor at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Bemidji State University. At the university, he works with faculty and students in economics, indigenous studies, environmental studies, geography, and geology in an integrated, transformative setting. Dr. Thissen now hopes to share his love of learning with his students and hopes his enthusiasm for pursuing greater knowledge will encourage his students to get advanced degrees.