The McNair Scholars Program held its annual convocation Thursday night in Smith Hall to honor previous members and induct the 2010 McNair Scholars.

The McNair Program is designed for undergraduate students who have an interest in pursuing doctoral degrees. McNair Scholars work with faculty mentors through the graduate program to research specific fields, and they publish their findings at the end of their year-long study.

“[The annual convocation] originated during the early years of McNair at UA as a reception at which the latest volume of the University of Alabama McNair Journal was presented,” said Nancy Campbell, director of the McNair Program. “A new volume is published each April which features research articles by McNair Scholars who have conducted original research under the guidance of a University faculty member in the previous year.”

The program aids first-generation college students in financial need and underrepresented minority groups to help them “get their foot in the door,” said Taylor Monson, a 2009 McNair Scholar who is a senior majoring in psychology.

Named after Ronald E. McNair, who was the second black person to travel in space (and who died in the Challenger explosion in January 1986), the McNair program was founded nationally in 1989 and at the University in the 1999-2000 school year, Campbell said.

“Ninety-five percent of the program is funded federally, and the other 5 percent comes from the University,” she said.

Since being founded in 1999, 89 percent of the University’s McNair alumni have pursued postgraduate degrees after graduation. Nationally, 50-60 percent of McNair alumni have pursued post-baccalaureate studies.

“With the way we’re going, I’m thinking we’ll break 90 percent,” Campbell said, referring to the percentage of the University’s McNair students who continue on to graduate and doctoral education.

To date, the UA’s McNair Program boasts three doctoral degrees, one medical degree, five law degrees, one education specialist degree and approximately 50 master’s degrees.

Because the program is designed to help students pursue doctoral degrees, students whose majors require them to have a Ph.D. are particularly drawn to the idea of becoming a McNair Scholar.

“I’m in the psychology honors program, and one of my professors really encouraged me to get involved [with the McNair Program] because it can open so many doors and give you so many opportunities and resources to get into graduate school, because to be a psychology major and to pursue that career, you have to get your Ph.D., and this is just a huge resource for that,” said Cassidy Cisneros, a junior majoring in psychology and a 2010 McNair scholar.

However, there is a broad range of majors in the program. Mark Lent, a 2008 McNair scholar, was a photojournalist for more than 20 years, but he said when he heard about the McNair research program at the University, he was drawn in, as he wanted to get his doctoral degree to become a journalism professor. His research, titled “The Exemplification Theory,” is based on the effects photos have on a person’s perception of something versus the effects words have.

“As journalists … we have sources that we check and double check, but in the academic world they don’t always have that source — sometimes you have to find things out for yourself,” he said. ‘The Exemplification Theory’ was actually started by a former professor here … We took three sets of photos of the war in Iraq. There were 10 pictures in each set. The first set had four pictures that were pro-war and six that were against the war. The middle group had five [pro-war photos] and five [anti-war photos].”

The final group of photos, he said, was the opposite of the first group — six pro-war photos and four anti-war photos. Each group of photos had an accompanying neutral article, and students were asked to read the article and then look at the pictures from one of the photo groups.

“We found that the photos were a much bigger influence on public opinion than the actual articles, even though they were given all the [same] information … it really didn’t matter. In one group we had 100 percent of the people go along with the photos, which is really pretty incredible.”

Lent said his wide range of journalism experience gives him a great deal of credibility and a lot to offer in the realm of education.

“The McNair Program has been the best thing to happen to me at Alabama,” he said.

Campbell agreed, and members of the program said she is an inspiration who whole-heartedly believes in the program.

“McNair truly can be a life-changing experience,” she said.