MCC students selected for Scholars Transforming Research Program

Oct. 23, 2023

A team of three McLennan Community College will represent MCC in the prestigious 2023-24 Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Program sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

The STR Program is a six-month professional development program that teaches participants to communicate the impact of their undergraduate research to a variety of stakeholders such as funding agencies, association partners, elected officials, and the community. Selected teams engage at an in-person skill development and advocacy training in the fall, a virtual skill development and discussion sessions throughout the year, and become part of the CUR’s advocacy ambassadors to be called upon to meet with elected officials, write op-eds/blog posts, and similar activities. The MCC team was one of 41 teams selected through a competitive application process. These teams represent 35 institutions from 19 states and are made up of 41 campus representatives and 90 undergraduate researchers. 

“We need civically engaged researchers now more than ever,” said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer. “As we enter into our second year of the STR Program, I look forward to working with these 2023-24 STR participants as they learn how to elevate their engagement skills and spread the word about the importance of undergraduate research.”

MCC’s team of Paloma Pena, Gisela Delfin, and Lum Kari, all sophomore engineering students led by engineering professor Dr. April Andreas, began their research last year as part of the College’s NASA Artemis team.

“This grueling academic experience allowed me to transform myself from an academic standpoint and a personal one,” Pena said. “The merging of minds and application of group skills to further your creative ideas is an experience I will never forget.”

The MCC team and other STR Program teams are completing virtually trainings in October to kick off the program before traveling to Washington, D.C., Nov. 5-6 for in-person training and congressional meetings.

For more information, contact April Andreas at aandreas@mclennan.edu.