Category Archive

Major and Classification Political Science, Psychology Faculty Mentor Ricardo Ramirez, Ph.D. Department Political Science McNair Project Latino This, Latino That: The Role of Race in the Villaraigosa Mayoralty For the first time in over 130 years, a Mexican-American served as mayor in the major metropolitan center of Los Angeles with the election of Antonio Villaraigosa. However, the question of whether …

Major and Classification Classics Faculty Mentor Daniel Richter, Ph.D. Department Classics McNair Project Race Relations in the Seleucid Empire:The Case of the Phoenicians Though the academic study of race relations has only been established fairly recently in modern scholarship, the social phenomenon of race relations has existed for thousands of years. This paper will examine race relations in the Seleucid …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentor Franklin Manis, Ph.D. Department Psychology McNair Project The Critical Period Hypothesis The current study attempted to confirm that the critical period for second language acquisition occurred around puberty and examined the differential effects of the critical period on three aspects of language acquisition, phonology, grammar, and vocabulary. This study took on a cross-sectional design …

Major and Classification Theatre Faculty Mentor David Roman, Ph.D. Department English McNair Project Politics and Pride: Contemporary Latin Identity on the Los Angeles Stage As the Latin@/Chican@ movement began to gain momentum in the late sixties and seventies, many Latin@ theatre groups began to emerge across the U.S. Among the politically-charged troupes, El Teatro Campesino, or Farmworker’s Theatre, was considered …

Major and Classification Philosophy Faculty Mentor Alexander Jun, Ph.D. Department Education McNair Project “Parent Involvement in the High School Careers of Underprivileged Chicano Males: Policy Implications” This paper will attempt to formulate a theoretical model of parental involvement in the academic lives of underprivileged Chicano high school males. Suggestions for policy-making will be made with this framework in mind. Chicano …

Major and Classification Neuroscience Faculty Mentor Albert Herrera, Ph.D. Department Neurobiology McNair Project Using DiI to Label Motor Axons in Embrionic Developmental States of Xenopus Laevis Experiments on learning and memory acquisition in human beings have confirmed the importance of experience as a critical modulator of synaptic circuitry. Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of frogs are very essential to study the anatomical …

Major and Classification Biomedical Engineering Faculty Mentor Gerald Loeb, M.D. Department Biomedical Engineering McNair Project “Coil Design and Development for Ulcer Prevention” Bionic Neurons (BIONs) are electrical stimulators, which stimulate muscles that have decreased functionality. The pattern of stimulation and the power required to stimulate the muscle is sent via and RF coil located outside the body. The purpose of …

Major and Classification International Relations Faculty Mentor Wayne Glass, Ph.D. Department International Relations McNair Project “Theocratic Nukes: How religion affects the nuclear policies of India and Pakistan” The destructive capabilities of nuclear weapons compel debate on how to deal with them. In one camp, there are scholars who believe that that best way is to do away with all nukes …

Major and Classification Sociology Faculty Mentor Mari Luna De La Rosa, Ph.D. Department Education McNair Project Intervention Programs: Increasing Access to College or Creating Gaps? Twenty-first-century urban high schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District face unique challenges in providing a quality education to minority and low-income students. Due to the low number of ethnic and low-income college goers, …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentor Stanley Huey, Ph.D. Department Psychology McNair Project “Acculturation and Alcohol Consumption” Recent research has presented a strong positive relationship between acculturation and alcohol consumption in Latino populations. Studies show that for adolescents this effect is particularly strong. However, the acculturative process affects females differently than males. This study examines alcohol consumption as an indicator …