Maximizing summer break with TRIO McNair Scholars

The phrase “summer break” is likely to evoke images of relaxing and having fun away from the classroom, with deadlines and schedules on hold until the next academic year. Over the past 30 years, however, more than 400 students from The College of St. Scholastica and the Twin Ports community have instead invested their precious summer hours in research projects through the TRIO McNair program. Whether on campus at St. Scholastica or at institutions across the country, McNair scholars earn impressive answers to the question, “What did you do this summer?”

Putting success in sight

A federally funded program, TRIO McNair Scholars is dedicated to inspiring and empowering first-generation college students from working-class families to thrive in research, graduate studies, and advanced careers. Nearly three-quarters of the students who participated in the program through St. Scholastica have pursued and completed graduate degrees, making significant strides in advanced careers across a variety of fields, including research, education, health care, law, technology, and business.

“The McNair program invests resources to support the career ambitions of our scholars, and the return for our communities could not be more clear,” stated Troy Abfalter ’04 (MBA ’22), director of the TRIO McNair Scholars program at St. Scholastica. “At the end of the day, the most important thing we do is believe in the future of our scholars. They have so much to contribute, should someone just show them the way.”

Embracing summer research

This summer alone saw twelve students diving deep into research through the McNair Summer Research Program, while two participated in prestigious opportunities through the National Science Foundation. Over the course of ten weeks, each student poured an impressive average of 30 hours per week into their projects, including time spent engaging in seminars covering topics such as vocation and calling, academic writing, research careers, personal branding, creating impactful academic research posters, and navigating the path to graduate school. Nine scholars presented their research at the 2025 UCLA National McNair Conference in July, while 2 scholars showcased their work at the University of New Mexico McNair Scholars Research Conference in September.

“One thing that was fun about attending a national conference was connecting with peers that are interested in the same areas of study as me,” said McNair Scholar and University of Minnesota–Duluth student Makayla Hogan about her experience presenting at UNM. “Additionally, it was really intriguing to see all of the amazing research being done across the country! It is always a great opportunity to learn something new.”

Izzy Olson ’26, an Exercise Physiology major at St. Scholastica, added, “UCLA’s McNair conference was a fantastic experience that allowed us to experience what an academic conference looks like, preparing us for our future educational research endeavors. Presenting was a blast, as we had the opportunity to speak about topics we are passionate about to peers and other mentors from across the United States.”

Research at the national level

Allie Lopez ’26, a Computer Science major, spent the summer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, diving into applied artificial intelligence for advanced applications. Her project — “From Chaos to Clarity: Strengthening 3D Collaborative Autonomous Vehicle Perception with Noise-Aware Training” — focused on improving 3-D collaborative autonomous vehicle perception by training the BM2CP model on gradually increasing levels of noise in lidar data, which improved accuracy in 3D object detection.

“This research experience solidified my interest in data science and gave me hands-on experience with machine learning, computer vision, and data storytelling,” Lopez said. “Working alongside mentors, peers, and industry professionals not only strengthened my technical skills but also gave me confidence in pursuing research and graduate studies in AI.”

Across the country at Oregon State University, Biochemistry major Michael Newcomb ’27 was exploring the decidedly organic topic of aquatic invasive species. He described his research experience — titled “Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) to Detect Aquatic Invasive Species in Oregon Waterways” — as “fast-paced, fun, and interactive. It allowed me to learn new skills that I didn’t have before while honing in on skills that I may have already learned. It was both long and much too short, but in the end, all the more rewarding and enjoyable!”

Newcomb added, “My summer research experience impacted me in a multitude of ways. It allowed me not only to stretch my understanding of research and the science world itself, but also allowed me to foster new connections and bonds that I never imagined that I would have. It has truly offered me new trajectories that I would have never thought of before.”

Student researchers to professors and mentors

A 2007 graduate of St. Scholastica, Joseph Dolence, PhD, recalls his start as a Saint hailing from the Iron Range with a dream. Now an immunologist and associate professor of Biology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Dolence can easily point to his time as a McNair Scholar as a catalyst for his career: “Simply put, McNair opened doors. It provided me the support to apply for summer programs during my junior year at St. Scholastica, which allowed me to go to Mayo Clinic as part of their SURF program; then, during my senior year, McNair helped me apply to graduate school. I was blessed to be accepted to both Mayo and Iowa, and I chose to go to Mayo to pursue an immunology doctoral program. This allowed me to fulfill a dream I had since I was a child: To go to school at Mayo Clinic! McNair played a fundamental role in that journey.”

Now serving as the director of the Rose Warner Writing Center at St. Scholastica, Emily Woster ’06, PhD, can relate to the McNair program’s support. “I started my McNair journey as a sophomore, after having submitted proposals to an academic conference,” she shared. “One of my proposals was accepted, but then I had to figure out how one goes about writing such a paper. My undergraduate mentor, Dr. Pat Hagen, directed me to the McNair Program, and the rest is history. I learned so much in my two years as a McNair scholar, writing, presenting, and creating resumes and plans. I went on to complete my master’s degree and my doctorate, and, even now, I still do research related to that very first McNair project! I found so much of my confidence and my voice as a scholar way back then.”

A research symposium anniversary party

Students have one more opportunity to share their summer findings at the McNair Scholars Summer Research Symposium on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The event is scheduled one week before the 30th anniversary of St. Scholastica’s TRIO McNair Scholars program.

“It is hard to be cynical when you see these students light up the room talking about their research,” said Abfalter. “Their enthusiasm for learning and making an impact is contagious. We’ve done this at CSS for 30 years. All I can say is: thank you to everyone who makes this possible!”

Woster captured the essence of the program this way: “The McNair program helped me clarify my goals for graduate school, practice research skills that were invaluable to me as a graduate student and scholar, and get to know other students on the same path that I never would have met otherwise.”