"With the support of Lamar University and Mr. Beck, I learned valuable skills and techniques such as CRISPR and SILAC."

Zaid Mohammed first met his research mentor, Dr. Ian Lian, when he taught the Reaud Honors College Stem Cell Research Seminar. Zaid began working in Dr. Lian's lab, which utilized stem cells in growing cancer culture. With his mentor to guide him, Zaid earned the prestigious Beck Fellowship, which allowed Zaid to travel to Ottawa, Canada, to research renal clear cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer, and the protein APP and its relation to Alzheimer’s disease.

- Zaid Mohammed, Beck Fellow

You can build upon your research through multiple scholarships, as Taliah Belcher did, when she spent her summer studying abroad and conducting research around the globe—in Alicante, Spain, Bonn Germany, and Stockholm, Sweden. She explored the financial and economic growth of highly militarized countries and developing countries through three research opportunities. Her journey included testing multiple hypotheses by obtaining data from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the United Nations.

Four Reaud Honors students went on a camping adventure at Oregon's Crater Lake as Partners in the Parks Scholars. They hiked numerous trails to sites that included Sun Notch Phantom Ship Viewpoint and Vidae Falls. They discussed Henry David Thoreau and his take on walking with a purpose. They even ventured to California's Lava Beds National Monument to go caving. While walking toward Garfield Peak, Kaylee thought, “If there is a Paradise, this is it.” Their great outdoors adventure brought the four ladies lifelong connections, with each other and honors students across the nation.

- Kaylee Goodspeed, Lily Yoder, Annabelle Broussard, and Madison Taylor; Partner in the Parks Scholars

Jennyfer's research brought her to Puerto Rico! As a McNair Scholar, Jennyfer is a first-generation student who conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of Gut Microbiota and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis under mentor Dr. Ashwini Kucknoor. While researching this autoimmune disease, she learned techniques in cloning, protein expression, electrophoresis, PCR and RT-PCR, Chromatography, and Spectrography. She presented her research in Puerto Rico at the SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference. Her research endeavors earned her our college's inaugural Honors Student of the Year in Research and Scholarship in 2024.

- Jennyfer Zarate, McNair Scholar