McNair Mentors

Mentoring McNair Scholars at Iowa State

Mentoring is crucial to McNair Scholar success as they prepare for a graduate education. McNair Scholars are required to select both a faculty mentor and a graduate student mentor to offer research experience, guidance, and developmental support during their time in the McNair program and transition process to graduate school. 

Interested in Becoming a McNair Faculty Mentor?

Tell us more about you.

Our McNair Faculty Mentors are asked to:

• Provide an academic research experience to one or more McNair Scholars
• Supervise McNair Scholar in initiating, exploring, and completing a research project during
• Offer guidance, information, and exposure to research opportunities, events, and activities in the best interest of the Scholar
• Share knowledge about the graduate school experience

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Interested in Becoming a McNair Graduate Student Mentor?

Tell us more about you.

Graduate Student Mentors are asked to:

• Develop a beneficial peer mentoring relationship with McNair Scholars
• Share knowledge about the implicit and explicit expectations of graduate school
• Assist McNair Scholars in meeting research goals with Faculty Mentors and other components of the McNair Program

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Faculty Mentors

McNair Faculty Mentors at Iowa State are invested in their McNair Scholar's confidence, competence and credibility and:

• Demonstrate a genuine interest in the McNair Scholar’s future and belief in the student’s abilities and potential to succeed in graduate school
• Empower and support the McNair Scholar in their research and academic endeavors
• Expose the McNair Scholar to opportunities that may help strengthen their graduate school application portfolio

Consider becoming a McNair Faculty Mentor. Complete the McNair Faculty Mentor Interest form.

If you know a student that would be a good fit for the McNair Program at Iowa State, please use the McNair Student Nomination form to submit their name.

Have questions about being a faculty mentor for the McNair Program? Click here for answers to some FAQs.

Faculty Mentor of the Year Award

Each year, we ask our McNair Scholars to nominate Faculty Mentors for the Faculty Mentor of the Year Award.

The winner is awarded during the Iowa State University Annual McNair Research Symposium and Banquet held each year in April. In their nominations, Scholars respond to the following questions:

• Why do you feel your mentor is deserving of this recognition?
• How has your mentoring relationship impacted you and prepared you for graduate school, personally and professionally?

Our Past Recipients

2024: Dr. Joe Charbonnet, Assistant Professor, Civil, construction, & Environmental Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Edson Lopez)

2023: Dr. Nathaniel Wade, Professor of Psychology, Associate Department Chair (McNair Scholar mentee: Derrick Garth Jr.)

2022: Dr. Dipali Sashital, Associate Professor, Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology (McNair Scholar mentee: Aline Milach Teixeira)

2021: Dr. Jaime Juarez, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Antonio Alvarez Valdivia)

2020: Dr. Matthew Delisi, Distinguished Professor of Sociology (McNair Scholar mentee: Taea Bonner)

2019: Dr. Michelle Soupir, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Alexis Slade)

2018: Dr. Leonor Leandro, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology (McNair Scholar mentee: Cristian Olmos)

2017: Dr. Ganesh Balasubramanian, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Mouhamad Diallo)

2016: Dr. Ryan Smith, Assistant Professor of Entomology (McNair Scholar mentee: Andrew Guinness)

2015: Dr. Donald Sakaguchi, Morrill Professor of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (McNair Scholar mentee: Debbie Lincow)

2014: Dr. Clark Coffman, Associate Professor of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology (McNair Scholar mentee: Jasmine Anderson)

We appreciate our outstanding Faculty Mentors for their commitment to our McNair Scholars and program! 

Graduate Student Mentor

The relationship between our Graduate Student Mentors and McNair Scholars is essential to our program. As new McNair Scholars learn the language of academic research and expectations of graduate school, our Graduate Student Mentors walk side-by-side with our McNair Scholars to:

• Assist as McNair Scholars navigate the graduate school culture in classrooms and labs
• Support McNair Scholars in research and graduate school processes that have become second nature to Graduate Student Mentors

Each fall, McNair requires new Graduate Student Mentors to attend a training session, which concludes with signing an agreement to:

• Adhere to and complete McNair Program objectives and goals as outlined in the McNair Graduate Student Mentor manual
• Read and sign Graduate Student Mentoring Memorandum of Understanding
• Commit to a minimum of one academic year of mentoring support and activities with a McNair Scholar
• Meet face-to-face with the McNair Scholar at least once per month
• Attend at least two McNair sponsored social or cultural activities
• Complete an end-of-the-semester evaluation of the McNair Mentoring relationship and Program

Consider becoming a McNair Graduate Student Mentor. Complete the McNair Graduate Student Mentor Interest form.

Have questions about being a graduate student mentor for the McNair Program? Click here for answers to some FAQs.

Graduate Student Mentor of the Year Award 

Each year, we ask our McNair Scholars to nominate Graduate Student Mentors for the Graduate Student Mentor of the Year Award.

The winner(s) is/are awarded during the Iowa State University Annual McNair Research Symposium and Banquet held each year in April. In their nominations, Scholars respond to the following questions:

• Why do you feel your mentor is deserving of this recognition?
• How has your mentoring relationship impacted you and prepared you for graduate school, personally and professionally?

Our Past Recipients

2024: Harsha Sista, Aerospace Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Eduardo Milach Teixeira)

          Lars Sivertsen, Physics and Astronomy (McNair Scholar mentee: Alba Bon) 

2023: Sterling Hubbard, Counseling Psychology (McNair Scholar mentee: Jimena Mendoza)

2022: Yukti Dhingra, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (McNair Scholar mentee: Aline Milach Teixeira)

           Ernesto Soto, Chemistry (McNair Scholar mentee: Lal Siama) 

2021: Carlos Vidales, Psychology (McNair Scholar mentee: Patricia Archilla) 

2020: Johnnie Campbell, Higher Education- Student Affairs (McNair Scholar mentee: Brandon Turner)

          Graham Redweik, Food Science and Human Nutrition and Interdeparmental Microbiology (McNair Scholar mentee: Sasha Celada)

2019: Kenna Stenback, Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (McNair Scholar mentee: Iliana Castillo Machuca)

2018: Radhika Rao, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Brandon Vance)

2017: Shannin Moody, Human Development and Family Studies (McNair Scholar mentee: Mouhamad Diallo)

 Therin Young, Mechanical Engineering (McNair Scholar mentee: Jocelyn Jackson)

2016: Michael Martinez, Political Science (McNair Scholar mentee: Chandler Wilkins)

2015: Alexia Angton, Sociology (McNair Scholar mentee: Celize Christy)

 Shanise Walker, Mathematics (McNair Scholar mentee: Debbie Lincow)

2014: Christopher Groves, Counseling Psychology (McNair Scholar mentee: Sebastian Niles)

Thank you Graduate Student Mentors! We appreciate your support for our McNair Scholars and program!