TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Nicole Varnado of New Orleans, La., conducted research at The University of Alabama as a member of the 2005 McNair Scholars class.

Varnado, a senior at UA, conducted her research with UA faculty mentor Dr. Olivia Kendrick in the department of human nutrition, during the summer of 2004. Along with co-authoring a research report for the UA McNair Journal on “Food Choice and Dietary Knowledge: Low-Carbohydrate Dieting Among College Students,” Varnado presented her research at undergraduate conferences at Penn Sate University and UA, the Alabama Dietetic Association Annual Meeting, and the Capstone Women’s Network.

Varnado expects to graduate from UA in August and she plans on pursuing graduate studies at UA in the department of human nutrition.

The McNair Scholars Program is named after Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a first-generation college student who earned a doctorate in physics at MIT. Later, as an astronaut, he became the second African-American in space. He was among those who died in the 1986 Challenger accident. Honoring his legacy, McNair Scholars is a prestigious scholarship and research program that helps prepare accomplished undergraduates for graduate study. A U.S. Department of Education TRIO program, McNair Scholars targets first-generation college students and those from other groups underrepresented in doctoral programs.