McNair Scholars

Brooke Micek, a biological systems engineering major from Duncan, Nebraska, is working with Dr. Melanie Simpson from the Department of Biochemistry. Their research examines the enzymes that control oxidative stress in prostate cancer cells. Brooke intends to earn an advanced degree in biomedical engineering and ultimately work in a research lab and teach at a university.

Moses Pacheco is a civil engineering major from Dakota City, Nebraska. He'll be working with Dr. Dean Sicking from the Department of Civil Engineering on one of the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility projects. After attaining his bachelor's degree, Moses plans to pursue a doctoral degree in structural engineering.

Nina Quinones, a psychology major from Katy, Texas, will be conducting research with Dr. Michael Scheel from the Department of Educational Psychology. Their summer research project will examine the effect of language and culture on the academic success of Latino High school students. Nina's graduate school plans are to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling psychology.

Daniel Sotelo Leon is a biochemistry major from Thornton, Colorado. Alongside his faculty mentor, Dr. Melanie Simpson, from the Department of Biochemistry, they’ve been investigating the causes and impacts of Hyaluronan overproduction by prostate tumor cells. Daniel’s graduate school goal is enter an M.D./Ph.D. program.

Joseph Tran, a biological systems engineering major from Lincoln, Nebraska, will be working with Dr. Carl Nelson from the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering. Their research will focus on programming logic design for medical robots. Joseph’s future plans include attending graduate school in the area of prosthesis, robotics and programming, and eventually working in the field of robotics and prosthesis.

Nathan Lilienthal of Callaway, Nebraska, is a junior majoring in geology. He has been conducting research with Dr. Ross Secord, professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Nathan's summer research project explored why the body size of horses declined during the Pleistocene Epoch. After attending graduate school to attain a Ph.D. in paleontology, Nathan would like to gain research experience in the field focused on vertebrate paleontology and become a university professor.

Alyssa Lundahl is a senior Psychology major with a minor in Women’s Health and Wellness from Laurel, Nebraska. Alyssa is currently conducting research under the guidance of Dr. David J. Hansen in the Child Maltreatment Lab, Dr. Timothy D. Nelson in the Pediatric Health Lab, and Dr. Robert F. Belli in the Memory Lab. In the Child Maltreatment Lab, Alyssa is currently involved in the preparation of two professional manuals for live-observation systems to be used in preschool classrooms. She has also been actively involved in a project designed to examine the relationships between life stressors and physical health in a low-income, pediatric sample for the Pediatric Health Lab. Lastly, with the help of Dr. Robert F. Belli, Alyssa has designed and is currently undergoing data collection for a project examining the relationships between disordered eating behaviors, creativity, dissociative personalities, and false memories and beliefs. Alyssa's long-term research and career interests include examining more empowering and self-driven methods of eating disorder treatment and exploring how personality characteristics (i.e., perfection) may influence treatment retention and success. She intends to earn a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in the treatment of eating disorders.

Christian Padilla is a junior mechanical engineering major from Santa Monica, California. Christian’s faculty mentor is Dr. Carl Nelson, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering. Christian's research interests range through robotics, programming, and aerodynamics. His summer research project focused on motion generation using straight-line mechanisms. After graduate school, Christian would like to become a professional engineer in the aerospace field.

Karina Pedroza, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, is a senior double majoring in psychology and ethnic studies. Along with her mentor, Dr. Cynthia Willis-Esqueda from the Department of Psychology, she examined the impact of patriotism and perceived threat on attitudes about immigration. Her current project is a follow-up to her previous study, where she will examine the effects of patriotism and threat on people's perceptions about specific groups of immigrants and how these perceptions affect behavior. Karina plans on earning a joint J.D. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology. She would eventually like to have a career as an immigration lawyer, specializing in human rights and deportations, working specifically with Latino immigrants.

Arianne Holland of Lincoln, Nebraska, is working on dual majors in psychology and women's and gender studies. Her faculty mentors are Dr. Mike Dodd and Dr. Sarah Gervais from the Department of Psychology. Arianne's research interests involve social psychology, cognitive psychology, and the intersection of psychology and law. After earning a JD in Law and Ph.D. in Psychology, Arianne hopes to teach at the university level.

Kaitlin Leslie is a forensic science major from Malcolm, Nebraska. Kaitlin’s faculty mentor is Dr. David Carter, Department of Entomology. The focus of her McNair Summer research was determining error rates of angle of impact of bloodstain spatter. Kaitlin's goals include attaining master's and doctoral degrees in a field related to forensic science.

Jeff Lopez, of North Platte, Nebraska, is a senior majoring in chemical engineering. He conducted his summer research with Dr. Ravi Saraf from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Jeff's research interest is in the area of nanomaterials. After attaining a Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering, Jeff plans to work as a research engineer.