About the McNair Scholars Program
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program also known as the McNair Scholars Program is a federal TRIO grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. McNair programs are designed to provide undergraduate low-income students who are also first generation and/or underrepresented with effective preparation for graduate school with the goal of earning the Ph.D. or other research doctorate.
There are more than 206 McNair programs nationwide.
TRIO Programs
TRIO programs are federal outreach and student services grant programs administered through the U.S. Department of Education designed to provide services for low-income and first-generation individuals. TRIO was developed as a part of Civil Rights legislation and the War on Poverty. There currently eight TRIO programs. They include Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Centers, Student Support Services, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, and TRIO Training Grants.
Program Requirements and Objectives
About Dr. Ronald E. McNair
Dr. Ronald Erwin McNair was born on October 21, 1950, in Lake City, South Carolina. His interest in space was piqued by the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik in 1957 and boosted by the science fiction TV show Star Trek.
He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1967, earning a scholarship to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. After initially considering majoring in music, McNair eventually came back to his love for science, and graduated magna cum laude in 1971 with a B.S. in physics. From there, he went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Ford Foundation fellow. He earned his Ph.D. in physics in 1976.
McNair became the second African American astronaut to travel into space. His first spaceflight was on the STS-41B mission where he operated the shuttle’s robotic arm to move a platform on which an astronaut could stand.
McNair was then assigned to the STS-51L mission of the space shuttle Challenger. The primary goal of the mission was to launch the second Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. Tragically however, Challenger launched from Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986, but the orbiter vaporized just 73 seconds after liftoff. Dr. McNair along with six other astronauts in the crew did not survive.
Shortly after his death, the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program was established by an act of Congress.