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McNair scholars present research at state capitol

By Kari VanDerVeen
March 3, 2011

As part of the Private College Scholars at the Capitol event, St. Olaf students Aaron Harcus '11 and Quyen Duong '11 presented their research at the Minnesota State Capitol last week.

Harcus and Duong both participate in St. Olaf's federally funded TRiO McNair Scholars Program that helps low-income, first-generation, and minority undergraduate students develop the academic skills necessary to succeed in graduate school. They were among 37 students from private colleges around the state who presented 25 projects on topics ranging from psychology to biology to English to chemistry. (See photos of Harcus and Duong at the event on our Facebook page.)

Harcus presented his research on "Binary Forms Revisited," which he completed last summer with Assistant Professor of Music David Castro. Duong presented her research, titled "Comparing Student Reasoning About P-Values and Statistical Significance in Three College-Level Statistic Courses: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study," which she conducted with Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Education Sharon Lane-Getaz.

The annual event at the Minnesota Capitol is sponsored by the Minnesota Private College Council. Both Harcus and Duong hope to attend graduate school next year, he in music theory and she in biostatistics or statistics.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.