Current Scholars

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Last Updated: Sep 21, 2026, 12:30 PM

We are quite proud of our current McNair Scholars. Meet these leaders of tomorrow:


Michael Burton

Michael Burton

Major: Cinema
College: Arts & Media
Mentor: Dr. Karla Berry
SRI 2025 Research Title & Abstract: Coming-of-Age Films with the Use of Cinematography

This research explores the role of cinematography in shaping emotional storytelling within contemporary coming-of-age films. Focusing on Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk, Call Me by Your Name, and The Photograph, the study investigates how visual techniques such as camera movement, framing, color palette, and editing rhythm articulate themes of identity, memory, transformation, and emotional intimacy. Using a qualitative, comparative film analysis approach, each film was examined through a coding framework that highlights recurring cinematographic strategies and their emotional function. Findings suggest a shared visual language across these films that emphasizes emotional presence through fluid camera work, proxemic framing, symbolic use of color, and rhythmic editing. These techniques collectively serve to externalize internal character experiences, particularly for Black and queer subjects often underrepresented in cinematic analysis. The project culminates in a creative short film that applies this toolkit, testing the replicability of these strategies in original work. By bridging scholarly theory with practical application, this research contributes to both film studies and creative production, reaffirming cinematography’s power to visually frame the coming-of-age experience.

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Cole Dumas

Cole Dumas

Major: Computer Science
College: Engineering, Computing, Technology, & Math
Mentor: Dr. Iraklis Anagnostopoulos
SRI 2025 Research Title & Abstract: Implementation and Optimization of Vision Language Models

This research explores how to improve the way that vision-language models (VLMs) solve problems that require action or decision-making on low-powered devices such as smartphones. We aim to achieve this goal without having the model learn and improve on its own. Specifically, the project examines whether pre-computed computer vision outputs enhance the performance of vision-language models when it comes to image-based decision-making. This approach will inform how vision language models can be used on small devices with limited power, as well as inform how these tools are utilized in a real-world situation. To do this, an Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano was utilized in tandem with smolVLM and a custom interface. A camera provided the image, then we asked the VLM a question, and it generated responses. This setup allows us to evaluate the practical applications of VLMs and explore how to maximize their utility on constrained devices.

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Amilia Estrada

Major: Journalism
College: Arts & Media
Mentor: Dr. Julia Rendleman
SRI 2025 Research Title & Abstract: Establishing Space: Representation and Resistance in African American Women’s Curatorial Practices

Major: Journalism
College: Arts & Media
Mentor: Dr. William Freivogel

SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: What the News Leaves Out: Understanding How Black College Women Consume, Evaluate, and Establish Trust in News

This research explores how Black college women consume, evaluate, and establish trust in news within an increasingly digital media environment shaped by social media platforms, algorithms, and emerging artificial intelligence technologies. As journalism continues to shift toward digital-first distribution, young audiences often encounter news through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts, search engines, and personalized feeds in addition to traditional news outlets. This study examines how Black college women from multiple universities and regions in the United States navigate this evolving media landscape and determine which sources, journalists, and forms of information they consider credible and trustworthy. Grounded in journalism, media studies, and audience research, the project draws on interviews, scholarly literature, and investigative reporting methods to explore how Black college women participants define credibility, verify information, recognize misinformation, and engage with news across multiple platforms. Particular attention is given to the role of accurate representation, lived experience, transparency, and institutional trust in shaping participants’ perceptions of journalism. The research also considers concerns about artificial intelligence in news production and distribution without treating AI as the project’s sole focus. By allowing Black college women to describe their news habits and experiences in their own words, the study seeks to provide a more accurate understanding of how young audiences build trust in a fragmented media environment.

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Aiyana Houston

Aiyana Houston

Major: Zoology
College: Agriculture, Life & Physical Sciences
Mentor: Dr. Frank Anderson
SRI 2025 Research Title & Abstract: Multigene Analysis of Decapodiform Cephalopod Phylogenetics

Cephalopods (octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautiluses) are highly diverse and known for their intelligence, speed, and complex traits like camouflage and color change. However, understanding how these traits evolved is still difficult due to incomplete phylogeny. Although past studies have clarified relationships among the major cephalopod groups, many questions remain. This project focuses on Decapodiformes, the group that includes squids and cuttlefish. Studying this group is challenging due to rapid trait evolution (Douglas et al., 2025), RNA editing (Alon et al., 2015), and a limited fossil record. To clarify the evolutionary relationships within this clade, I conducted a multi-gene phylogenetic analysis using published mitochondrial (e.g., atp6, cox1, nad1, rrnL) and nuclear (e.g., octopine dehydrogenase and rhodopsin) gene sequences from GenBank. After aligning the data, I constructed a species-level phylogenetic tree for Decapodiformes. This analysis will help clear up the relationships within this group and provide insight into how they evolved. This analysis contributes to a clearer understanding of decapodiform evolution and helps resolve key questions about how their distinctive traits have emerged over time.

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Armani Lewis

Major: Radio, TV & Digital Media
College: Arts & Media
Mentor: TBD

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Dennis Sturkey

Dennis Sturkey

Major: Africana Studies
College: Liberal Arts
Mentor: Dr. Ted Cohen
SRI 2025 Research Title & Abstract: The Criminalization of Black Liberation by the Media and the Legal System

This research looks at how the legal system and the media have worked together over time to criminalize Black liberation movements, focusing on the assassination of Fred Hampton as a key example. Fred Hampton, who led the Chicago chapter of the Black Panther Party, was a strong and inspiring leader in the fight for Black freedom. He helped create important community programs like the Free Breakfast Program, health clinics, and the Rainbow Coalition. His death on December 4, 1969—planned by law enforcement and supported by false stories in the media—shows how government power and media messages were used to silence Black activists. This project uses news articles, court records, interviews with former Black Panther members, and historical documents to study the methods used to take down the Black Panther Party. It shows that this kind of targeting was part of a bigger system that still affects how Black resistance is seen and treated today. By looking at Hampton’s life and the ways he was unfairly labeled, this research hopes to teach future activists how to protect their stories, understand the legal system, and stay strong in the ongoing fight for justice.

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Damian Wagoner

Damian Wagoner

Major: Biomedical Sciences
College: Agriculture, Life & Physical Sciences
Mentor: Dr. Vjollca Konjufca
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: Early recruitment of inflammatory cells to the lungs during infection with Chlamydia muridarum

Respiratory infection with Chlamydia muridarum (Cm) induces a coordinated immune response involving airway epithelial cells, resident macrophages, and recruited innate immune cells. The activated immune response contributes to bacterial clearance and the development of adaptive immunity but may also promote pulmonary inflammation and tissue damage when they are excessive, prolonged, or poorly timed. The kinetics of early immune cell recruitment may therefore influence the severity of respiratory chlamydial infection. Neutrophils are prominent during the early phase of infection and can contribute to antimicrobial defense, inflammatory signaling, and the recruitment or activation of other immune cells. However, changes in the timing of neutrophil accumulation may affect bacterial control and disease progression. Clinical indicators such as body-weight loss provide are used as a parameter to evaluate disease progression. In this study, we examined lung immune-cell recruitment, bacterial burden, and changes in body weight in experimental models of respiratory Cm infection. Our findings suggest that early pulmonary immune response and its dynamics are associated with the subsequent course of chlamydial disease. Further investigation of cytokine production, chemokine signaling, immune-cell localization, and bacterial distribution will help clarify how early innate responses contribute to pathogen clearance, inflammation, and clinical recovery.


Jordan Ptak

Jordan Ptak

Major: Psychology
College: College of Health and Human Sciences
Mentor: Dr. Youjung Choi
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: The Influences of Children’s Group Membership on False Belief Understanding

By age four, children develop Theory of Mind, which is the ability to understand that other individuals can hold beliefs that differ from their own and reality (Frith and Frith, 2005). Previous research on group membership indicates that children show bias towards their in-group (Nesdale et al., 2010). This study investigates the relationship between a child’s group membership and their ability to complete a modified version of a false-belief task inspired by the previous Sally-Anne experiments. Fifty-seven children between the ages of three to six years old participated and were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental in-group and out-group conditions, In-In, In-Out, Out-In, Out-Out. Chi-square analyses were conducted to see if differences in performance on the false belief task depended on whether participants were in Sally’s in-group or out group. Then two-tailed binomial tests were run to compare the participants’ performance with chance level of 50%. It was found that Sally’s group membership was associated with the five-year-old participants’ χ^2(1, N = 24) = 5.93, p = .015, and across all ages, χ^2(1, N = 57) = 4.57, p = .033. These findings suggest group membership may influence a child’s false-belief in understanding specifically five-year-olds.

Alayjah Williams

Alayjah Williams

Major: Psychology
College: College of Health and Human Sciences
Mentor: Dr. Camilo Hurtado-Parrado

SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: Factors that Predict Individual Differences in Delay Punishment Discounting

Impulsive behavior, understood as the choice for smaller-sooner over larger-later rewards, predicts a range of mental health disorders. Delay discounting (DD), which refers to the decrease in the value of a consequence as the delay to its occurrence increases, has become a primary framework for understanding impulsive choice. More recent research has extended DD of rewards to delay discounting of punishment, in which delayed punishments have less influence on behavior than immediate punishments. Despite many everyday choices involving immediate rewards and delayed negative consequences, little is known about delay discounting of punishment in humans. Previous studies in rats have identified sex differences in delay discounting of punishment. The present study examined whether similar findings would be observed in humans. Forty-five undergraduate students (32 women, 13 men) completed a computerized discounting of punishment task, choosing between small and large immediate rewards (points exchangeable for money), with the larger reward followed by delayed point loss. Data were analyzed using nonlinear regression and Area Under the Curve (AUC) analyses. Biological sex was associated with individual differences in delay discounting of punishment, with men discounting punishment more than women, extending previous findings from rats.

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Jordan Brooks

Jordan Brooks

Major: Exercise Science
College: College of Health and Human Sciences
Mentor: TBD


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Taylor Meyers

Major: Sociology
College: College of Liberal Arts
Mentor: Dr. Chris Wienke

SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: Sexuality in Contemporary Film: An Analysis Through the Lens of Sexual Script Theory

This study analyzes portrayals of sexuality and consent in ten of the highest-grossing horror and romantic comedy films from 2025. Through content analysis, the study examines the types of consent portrayed as well as the demographic information of characters involved in sexual scenes. Findings are analyzed in relation to recurring themes across films and interpreted through the lens of sexual script theory. Relevant concepts include gendered sexual expectations, verbal and nonverbal consent cues, and minority representation in sexual activity scenes. This analysis contributes to a broader understanding of how film both reflects and reinforces societal norms and values surrounding sexuality. While previous research has examined the influence of pornographic media on sexual attitudes and behaviors, limited scholarship has focused on portrayals of sexuality in mainstream film. These findings provide a foundation for evaluating the sexual scripts viewers may internalize through media consumption and the ways such scripts may shape everyday social interactions.

Nicholas Owens

Nicholas Owens

Major: Mechanical Engineering
College: College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics
Mentor: TBD


Mia Johnson

Mia Johnson

Major: Radiologic Sciences
College: College of Health and Human Sciences
Mentor: TBD


dashawn

J. Dashawn Brown
Major: Buisness Managment
Mentors: Dr. George Hunt and Dr. Joseph Brown
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: SIU and the Decline in African American Student Enrollment

Over the past decade, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) has experienced a significant decline in African American student enrollment, although enrollment has increased modestly over the past few years. This research project seeks to better understand the decline between 2012 and 2023 by examining three factors frequently identified in higher-education scholarship: pre-enrollment influences, financial aid and affordability, and campus climate and students’ sense of belonging. These factors may shape whether African American students view an institution as accessible and welcoming, decide to enroll, and remain connected to the university after enrollment. Using a secondary research approach, this project analyzes peer-reviewed scholarship concerning African American college choice, financial-aid experiences, racial climate, institutional support, student involvement, belonging, and persistence. The research does not assume that one factor directly caused the decline at SIUC. Instead, it considers how conditions before enrollment and experiences after entering college may work together to influence African American student access and persistence. This project seeks to contribute to ongoing discussions surrounding educational equity, college accessibility, and institutional support for African American students at SIUC and within public higher education. Findings may provide insight into policies and practices that could strengthen African American student recruitment, financial-aid support, campus belonging, retention, and degree completion

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Tiara Murray
Major: Political Science
Mentor: Dr. Tobin Grant
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: Americanness and Political Participation: Examining the Relationship Between Black Americans and Politics

This research project examines the current state of Black Americans’ understanding of national identity and how it relates to politics and political participation. Previous research shows that Black Americans report different attitudes toward American institutions and national identity than White Americans. Existing literature further suggests that Americanness is racialized, with Black Americans more likely than White Americans to experience their national identity as conditional rather than recognized in its entirety. This study argues that perceptions of Americanness expand past a personal sense of belonging or allegiance and shape political attitudes and behaviors. To further examine this relationship, a pilot study of semi-structured interviews will be used to gain a modern understanding of how Black Americans view their national identity and voice in government personally. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, this research aims to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of disparate perceptions of national identity.

Jameisha

Jameisha Rufus
Major: Criminology/ Criminal Justice
Mentor: Dr. Stephan Douglas
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: Racial & Ethic Disparities in Police Contact

Racial and ethnic disparities in police contact remain a concern because interactions with law enforcement influence public trust, perceptions of legitimacy, and police-community relations. Research suggests that Black and Hispanic individuals experience certain forms of police contact more frequently and may perceive those encounters as unfair. This study examines racial/ethnic differences in police contact using the 2022 Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS). Overall, the findings suggest relatively small racial and ethnic differences in police contact during 2022, although somewhat larger differences were observed for arrests. Because arrests were rare events in the sample, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. The study contributes to understanding contemporary patterns of police-citizen contact and provides a foundation for future research examining factors that may influence disparities in law enforcement encounters.

Kamron

Kamron Singleton
Major: Sports Administration
Mentor: Dr. Julie Partridge
SRI 2026 Research Title & Abstract: The Psychological Effects of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and Social Media Branding on Team Dynamics Among Collegiate Student-Athletes

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies have transformed collegiate athletics by allowing student-athletes to earn compensation through endorsements, sponsorships, and social media branding. While NIL has created new financial opportunities, concerns remain regarding how these opportunities may shape student athletes’ experiences, psychological well-being, and relationships with teammates. The purpose of this study is to explore the levels of stress, confidence, self-perception, motivation, and relationships with teammates among collegiate student-athletes in the context of NIL opportunities and social media branding. This study also explores student-athletes’ perceptions of NIL-related financial disparities and social media branding within their athletic experiences and team environments. A mixed-methods, cross-sectional research design will be used, with approximately 40 NCAA student-athletes completing an anonymous online SurveyMonkey questionnaire consisting of demographic questions, Likert-scale items, and open ended questions. Quantitative data will be used to examine patterns in participants’ responses, while qualitative data will provide additional insight into student-athletes’ experiences and perceptions. Findings from this study are expected to contribute to the growing body of research on NIL by providing insight into collegiate student-athletes’ experiences and may help coaches, athletic departments, sport psychologists, and other professionals better support student-athlete well-being in the evolving collegiate athletics environment.