NEWS RELEASE

News Bureau . Schofield Hall 201 . Eau Claire, WI 54702
phone: (715) 836-4741
fax: (715) 836-2900

EAU CLAIRE — Nine seniors in the McNair Scholars Program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will present their research to their fellow scholars and mentors, interested faculty, staff, department heads, deans and community members on three successive Thursday evenings in December. The 30-minute presentations of research and findings will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16, in Room 227 of the Nursing Building. The schedule of presentations is as follows:

Dec. 2:

• Jennifer Freeland, Nelson, will present "Reconstructing the Precontact Chippewa Valley Landscape Using GIS and GLO Township Surveys." Dr. Robert Barth, associate professor of geography and anthropology, and Dr. Garry Running, associate professor of geography and anthropology, are Freeland's faculty mentors.
• Tiffany Black, Durand, will present "Simulating Trajectories of Particles from the Moon Enceledus in the Planet Saturn's E Ring." Dr. Paul Thomas, professor of physics and astronomy, is Black's mentor.
• Jodi Swanson, Eau Claire, will present "Lytta sayi: Associations with the Federally Endangered Karner Blue Butterfly and Wild Lupine in Wisconsin." Dr. Paula Kleintjes, professor of biology, is Swanson's mentor.

Dec. 9:

• Emily Gilles, Plum City, will present "Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid B (AB-40): Plasma Kinetics, Blood Brain Barrier Uptake, and Potential Use as a Contrast Agent to Image Amyloid Plaques."
• Corey Schuster, Elcho, will present "A Technique for the Numerical Evaluation of Hilbert Transforms." Dr. Frederick King, professor of chemistry, is Schuster's mentor.
• Jessica Spears, La Crosse, will present "Determination of the Sequence Required for Tn916 Mobilization in Bacillus subtilis." Dr. Sasha Showsh, assistant professor of biology, is Spears' mentor.

Dec. 16:

• Nalee Xiong, Altoona , will present "Gender Differences to Cues of Infidelity: an Evolutionary Psychological Perspective." Dr. April Bleske-Rechek, assistant professor of psychology, is Xiong's mentor.
• Samantha Siker, Janesville, will present "Redefining Space: An Exploration of Installations as an Art Form." Steve Terwilliger, professor of art and design, is Siker's mentor.
• Bobby Kuechenmeister, Chippewa Falls, will present "Superman's America: Audience, Reception and President Lex." Dr. Joel Pace, assistant professor of English, is Kuechenmeister's mentor.

Named to honor Ronald McNair, the African-American astronaut who perished in the Challenger explosion, the McNair Scholars program is a federal TRIO program that assists eligible low-income, first-generation students to prepare for and enter graduate programs leading to a doctoral degree. Each year at UW-Eau Claire, ten to twelve new undergraduate McNair Scholars embark upon two years of intensive mentoring, specialized curricular and co-curricular offerings, collaborative research and paid internships, all of which groom these candidates for graduate school. Participants include academically talented low-income, first-generation students and students from groups traditionally underrepresented in doctoral programs. McNair Scholars are chosen via faculty nomination.

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Judy Berthiaume, Director
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu

Updated: November 24, 2004