The 11th annual Wayne State University Minority Programs Research Day was celebrated Aug. 21, and students from the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity, the McNair Scholars Program, Project SEED and the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate presented posters of their research results.

The poster winners included:

• Jennifer Abrams, first place graduate division;
• Lauren Uroda, second place undergraduate division;
• Desmond Jackson, first place undergraduate division;
• Jonathan Michaux, second place undergraduate division; and
  
• Monique Lewis, first place graduate division

First place winners received $100 and second place winners received $50.

The Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity is a research program working to increase the number of African-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders in the biomedical sciences.

The McNair Scholars Program works to prepare students to enter graduate school, with a goal of scholars achieving a doctorate degree within 10 years of graduating from Wayne State University. The program is named after Ronald E. McNair, who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986.

The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate program recruits, supports and mentors underrepresented minority students who earn doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Project SEED – the Summer Educational Experience for Disadvantaged Students – engages high school juniors and seniors who excel in chemistry in research projects under the supervision of Wayne State University faculty. The 16- to 19-year-olds also take part in workshops on applying for college and searching for scholarships.