Though the amount of personnel walking campus grounds has reduced for the Summer break, Kean University is not short on scholarly advancements. Several returning scholars, and some new ones, from The Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program have set out to pursue a doctoral degree.
The Kean University chapter of McNair Program is a competitive, federally-funded, program whose mission is promote academic excellence for "undergraduate low-income and first generation or underrepresented students for doctoral studies through faculty mentorship, scholarly research, and support services", according to the Kean University website.
Students who apply for the program, and are accepted, participate in the Summer Research Institute program which provides "academic and career counseling, academic enrichment, personal development workshops, academic enrichment, seminars, and tutorials for the graduate admissions process." During this time, students reside on campus and are scheduled throughout the day to attend Graduate Record Examination preparation courses and conduct independent and mentor-led research in a field and specification of their choice.
Though much of the research may take place during Summer Session two, students are encouraged to continue advancements in their research, which can be incorporated into a fall or spring semester independent study course. If a student chooses to continue with their research in this manner, a total of eight to ten hours of mentor-led research must occur each week. In addition, students are prepped to present their research at conferences suited to the field of their study, some even at a national level.
Once a student is accepted into the program, they will continue their involvement in the Summer Research Institute program until the completion of the undergraduate degree. A student may continue an expansion or further development of their initial research during the course of those years as an undergraduate; but he or she may opt to research new topics.
Marvin Andujar, a senior double majoring in computer and mathematical science, has been with the McNair Program since Spring of 2008. During his first year of research, Andujar worked to strengthen the field of computer sciences by working with a 3-D programming environment called Alice -- software designed to recruit and retain prospective computer science students, especially women -- whom historically tend to stray away from the field. During the second year, Andujar moved on to work with another project.
What Andujar considers to be his "big break" occurred during his attendance at a conference at Clemson University. It was here where Andujar was given the opportunity to work with a distinguished professor in the field of computer science -- the opportunity which led to three research projects.
"My primary project was [called] Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). Its purpose was to measure the engagement and excitement levels of the people while playing a video game and reading a handout," stated Andujar. "We used a device called Emotiv Epoc which -- an EEG device that reads brain waves." Andujar will return to Clemson University to continue work with this project and two others, including development of a new voting machine called Prime III -- a project which has received 4.5 million dollars through government grant.
Students like Andujar are utilizing what the McNair program has to offer to ensure they are equipped with a competitive edge while seeking their doctorial degrees and professional growth. For more information on how to apply to become a McNair scholar, please contact the program director, Jennifer T Beaugris, at jbeaugri@kean.edu or call the program's main office, Townsend Hall 206, at -908-737-0272.
