34th Annual UMBC McNair & Undergraduate Research National...

34th Annual UMBC McNair & Undergraduate Research National Conference

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7:00am EDT

Morning Snack & Registration/Sponsors Setup

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

7:00am EDT

Poster Session I Set Up

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT

Poster Presenters for Poster Session I are asked to head over to their assigned spaces, where they can now start setting up their posters.

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT
Versaille Lobby Level

Logistics

7:00am EDT

Registration & Sponsor Setup

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

Registration

7:00am EDT

Registration Opens

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 7:00am - 8:00am EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

Registration

8:30am EDT

Opening Session

Thursday September 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:00am EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

General Session

9:00am EDT

8th Annual Hill-Robinson McNair Lecture

Thursday September 17, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

Lecture

10:30am EDT

Parade of Presenters (All Oral and Poster Presenters)

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am EDT

TBA

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:30am - 10:45am EDT
TBA

General Session

10:45am EDT

Poster Session I

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Full Poster Presenter List Session 1

Speakers

Jaylen Hill

Marquette University

Allison Robancho

she/her/hers, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)

Udoka Chimah

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Janayah Brown

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Naomi Aruna

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Saige Kenner

Southern University and A&M College

Sara Abbas

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Rania Abunijaila

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Damaris Alvarenga Agustin

UNC Chapel Hill

Bryen Alvarez

UNC Chapel Hill

Yanyu Arias

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Dalaen Attle

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Paloma Ayala

Wellesley College

Shania Azeez

Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Alena Blankenbaker

University of Texas at Arlington

Amritleen Brar

TCU

Joey Butcher

University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)

Saria Castillo

Wichita State University

Lenora Chinedu

University Wisconsin-Whitewater

Abigail Dabre

SUNY Brockport

Nathan Day

UNC Chapel Hill

John De Hoyos

Trinity University McNair Scholars Program

Wamda Elzubair

Wellesley College

Saniyah Fullen

Georgia Southern University

Ana Garcia Garibay

University of Texas at Arlington

Damien Garcia-Myhr

UNC Chapel Hill

Lydia Granados

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Emily Hernandez

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Lilian Hevron

Grand Valley State University

Louise Hoff

UNC Chapel Hill

Lekedric Hunter

Talladega College

Mica Jardine

University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Osvaldo Linares Gutierrez

UNC Chapel Hill

Diamond Moore

UNC Chapel Hill

Isabella Ramirez

Wellesley College

Andrea Rivera

University of Pittsburgh

Grayson Rodgers

Grand Valley State University

Carlos Sacerio

UNC Chapel Hill

Joseph Tellis

Southern University and A&M College

Meghana Thondaiman

University of Pittsburgh

Thursday September 17, 2026 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Versaille Lobby Level

Presentations, Poster

12:00pm EDT

Lunch

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Starting at 12:30, groups will be called by institution to take a group picture. Please sit with those from your institution.

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

Meal

12:00pm EDT

Registration Open

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

Lord Baltimore Hotel Lobby

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Lord Baltimore Hotel Lobby

Registration

12:30pm EDT

Concurrent Group Photos

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Calvert Ball Room

Thursday September 17, 2026 12:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Calvert Ball Room Ballroom Level

2:30pm EDT

Workshop: Beyond the Bench: How Research Skills Become Career Capital

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

You've spent countless hours in the lab, the archive, or the field—but have you stopped to consider how those research skills are quietly preparing you for everything that comes next? Join Dr. Chenere Ramsey, Dr. Caleb McKinney, Dr. Kyndra Middleton for an honest, empowering conversation about the hidden superpowers you're building right now: critical thinking, resilience, problem-solving under pressure, and the ability to navigate ambiguity. Whether you're headed toward a PhD, industry, policy, or a path you haven't even discovered yet, this session will help you see your research journey as the launchpad it truly is.

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Maryland Room Lower Lobby

2:30pm EDT

Workshop: From McNair Scholar to Assistant Dean: What I Wish I Knew About Graduate School and Beyond

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Where might your McNair Scholar experience take you? Dr. Guadalupe Carrillo draws from her own journey to offer reflections and practical guidance for students navigating academic and professional pathways. As a first-generation student from a rural town in California, Dr. Carrillo became a UC Berkeley McNair Scholar, discovered humanities research during her summer research experience, earned a PhD in English, and now serves as an Assistant Dean at Stanford University.
In this presentation, Dr. Carrillo will reflect on how the McNair experience helped shape her scholarly identity, commitment to educational opportunity, and understanding of the importance of finding communities of belonging. She will explore practical questions that often arise when considering graduate school and academic careers: How do you navigate impostor syndrome and uncertainty in academic spaces? How do you choose the graduate program that is right for you? And how do you articulate your story, strengths, and scholarly identity in a graduate application and beyond?
Through personal reflection and practical advice, this presentation will encourage students to envision the possibilities ahead while building their own unique paths in higher education and beyond.

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Hanover B Mezzanine Level

2:30pm EDT

Workshop: Funding Your Graduate Education

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Paying for graduate school, and - importantly - paying for graduate school without incurring debt, is a concerning and intimidating question for many students. However, many funding opportunities are available for exploration, and several resources are to be tapped. This workshop will help students understand and uncover the various funding opportunities, including information and key strategies to align themselves for eligibility for these awards. In addition to equipping students to be prepared for and well-informed about graduate assistantships and scholarships, the session will include emphasis on fellowship opportunities for those who are pursuing programs in the STEM disciplines.

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Caswell Suite 19th Floor

2:30pm EDT

Workshop: Navigating the NSF GRFP

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a highly sought after fellowship for funding your graduate education, but what are the requirements, and how do you write a competitive application? Join two NSF GRFP awardees (and UMBC McNair alumni!) to learn all about the NSF GRFP application process, tips and tricks, and additional fellowship resources!

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Fairmont Room

2:30pm EDT

Workshop: The HCM Compass: Reimagining Mentorship, Charting Your Graduate Pathway

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Choosing a graduate program is often reduced to rankings, funding packages, and program prestige, metrics that say little about whether a mentor or department will actually see, challenge, and sustain a scholar. This workshop introduces Holistic Critical Mentoring (HCM) as a dual-purpose tool: a practice framework for faculty seeking to deepen their mentoring relationships, and a decision-making compass for scholars evaluating graduate pathways. Participants will explore HCM's three pillars, Holistic Presence, Critical Curiosity, and Mentoring Reciprocity, and its five Core Commitments, then apply them directly. Faculty will identify concrete strategies for embedding HCM into everyday mentoring practice. Scholars will build a personal "HCM Compass" checklist they can use to interrogate prospective mentors, labs, and programs before committing to one. The session closes with faculty-scholar pairs exchanging insights across roles, reinforcing that HCM is strongest when practiced as a shared language rather than a one-directional obligation.

Speakers

Michael Hunt

Director, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Rev. Michael A. Hunt, an advocate, educator, and administrator from Baltimore, is committed to promoting inclusive practices within institutions. He earned a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics from UMBC and a Master of Divinity from Emory University. Michael's career includes... Read More →

Thursday September 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Hanover A Mezzanine Level

3:30pm EDT

Poster Session II Set Up

Thursday September 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Poster Presenters for Poster Session I are asked to head over to their assigned spaces, where they can now start setting up their posters.

Thursday September 17, 2026 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Versaille Lobby Level

Logistics

4:00pm EDT

Poster Session II

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT

Poster Session II

Presenter Abstracts

Speakers

Beto Patino Luna

University Wisconsin-Whitewater

Ndeye Khadidiatou Mbodj

Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Stephanie Mendez

TCU

Hana Mesfin

UNC Chapel Hill

Treyvon Moliere

Talladega College

Killian Moreau

University of Pittsburgh

Dianna Palacios

University of Connecticut-Storrs

Trinity Patterson

UNC Chapel Hill

Maria Scotti D'abussco

UNC Chapel Hill

A'mia Simpson-Peebles

SUNY Brockport

Friday Stout

University of Texas at Arlington

Salaha Suleyman

University of Connecticut-Storrs

Chole Tolle

Oklahoma State University

Crissy Villasmil-Velasco

Oklahoma State University

Nadia Vu

Wellesley College

Liala Washington

SUNY Brockport

London Williams

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Bailyn Wood

University of Texas at Arlington

Jada Yard

UNC Chapel Hill

Izamar Martinez

she/her, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA)

Patcelia Gbor

University of Pittsburgh

Joshua James

University of Texas at Arlington

Ayad Kheiri

Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Kinia Lawrence

SUNY Brockport

Madisen Littles

Talladega College

Barbara Isabel Llongo Cueva

Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Ambar Lopez

Grand Valley State University

Kim Luu

University of Texas at Arlington

Grace Madianga

SUNY Brockport

Mya Manns

Talladega College

Amanda Marrero Mayon

UNC Chapel Hill

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:00pm - 5:00pm EDT
Versaille Lobby Level

Presentations, Poster

5:00pm EDT

Dinner- On Your Own

Thursday September 17, 2026 5:00pm - 9:00pm EDT

Thursday September 17, 2026 5:00pm - 9:00pm EDT
Various

Meal, On Your Own

8:30pm EDT

Social Hour for Sponsors & McNair Staff

Thursday September 17, 2026 8:30pm - 10:00pm EDT

light refreshments & soft drinks provided, cash bar)

Thursday September 17, 2026 8:30pm - 10:00pm EDT

Meal, No Host