Former governor leaves PC research program $50,000
The PC Summer Fellows program was recently awarded $50,000 from the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The donation was given on behalf of the late South Carolina governor Robert E. McNair, Sr., who served on the corporation’s Board of Trustees. McNair gave the gift in honor of his son Robert E. McNair, Jr., a 1969 PC alum who died January 22, 2008.
The donation recognizes Norfolk Southern’s support of “worthy educational institutions.”
“We appreciate Norfolk Southern’s support of the PC Summer Fellows program,” said Dr. Bob Freymeyer, PC’s Director of Undergraduate Research and Chair of the Sociology Department. “This grant will allow us to continue to offer students the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research during the summer.”
Nineteen students were selected to participate in the program this year, conducting graduate-style research as professors mentored them. Students researched topics including “the ethical doctrines of St. Augustine and Friedrich Nietzche,” “Russian foreign policy,” “the effect of plasmid DNA size on binding to Au and Ag nanoparticles,” and more.
PC Summer Fellows presented their research on the last day of the program, July 31. While some concluded their research, others will continue, and all will present to the campus community during Honors Day on April 15.
They will have other opportunities to present their findings as well. Over the last three years PC Summer Fellows have presented on Capitol Hill and at various national and regional conferences.
posted by Stacy Dyer '96
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