About Ronald E. McNair

Dr. Ronald E. McNair was a NASA mission specialist who perished in the 1986 Challenger disaster. Dr. McNair held a Ph.D. awarded from MIT in physics and his research investigated relationships between physics and martial arts. McNair was also a fifth-degree black belt karate instructor and a saxophonist.

The McNair Scholars Program is named after the fallen Challenger astronaut. McNair Scholar Programs are committed to providing first-generation and low-income undergraduates and/OR students underrepresented in doctoral programs (Black/African American, Latino/a/x/Hispanic, Native American and Pacific Islander) with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to succeed in graduate school.