NEIU McNair Scholar Andrea Cottrell, junior, political science, is one of 20 students nationwide who was recently accepted into the American Political Science Association (APSA) 2008 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute (RBSI) at Duke University. 

Named in honor of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former APSA President, the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute was established in 1986 with the goal of increasing the number of African Americans pursuing advanced degrees in political science. It later expanded to address broader issues of underrepresentation in science and political science scholarship.

At the Institute, Cottrell will take part in a five-week intense academic program designed to simulate the graduate school experience. She will have an opportunity to develop analytical writing and quantitative skills and plans to study the comparative differences in the democratization between Northeast and Southeast Asia.

In addition to her recent acceptance into RBSI and her status as a McNair scholar, Cottrell was recently awarded the political science department's Pi Sigma Alpha 2008 scholarship for outstanding undergraduate political science student. Upon completing the RBSI, Cottrell plans to travel to Korea, where she will spend the balance of her summer in a Korean language immersion program. Her long-term goal is to pursue a doctorate in political science with a specialization in international relations of Asia. 

"We are all pleased and proud of Andrea's accomplishments," says David Leaman, chair and associate professor, political science. "She's a very focused student who has already exhibited a love of research and promise for conducting advanced study in graduate school.  We're looking forward to her continued success."