2019 News Stories
College of Education Faculty Notes: Summer 2019
Learn about the accomplishments and recognitions of faculty in the College of Education during the summer semester.
Faculty members Vonzell Agosto, PhD, Lauren Braunstein, PhD, and Katie Tricarico, PhD, traveled to Barranquilla, Colombia this summer to represent the college during the USF World Spanish Language Immersion and Collaboration experience. Learning the history, politics and culture from excursions and collaborations with peer colleagues at Universidad del Norte (UniNorte), they also participated in a Spanish language course to practice their skills.
Professors Ilene R. Berson, PhD, Michael Berson, PhD, and Sanghoon Park, PhD, presented their research at the Forum on Virtual Reality and Simulation at Chonnam National University in South Korea in July. The professors shared their findings with faculty at the College of Education in Gwangju, South Korea on interactive learning practices with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. The supporting research program created by Drs. Berson through the USF College of Education Virtual & Augmented Reality Research Group for Pre-K through College Teaching and Learning was also recognized at the conference for advancing AR/VR research and ethics of classroom implementation.
College of Education Professor Bill Campbell, PhD, was recognized as the 16th recipient of the 2019 Nutritional Research Achievement Award by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Dr. Campbell received the award in celebration of his scholarship in sports nutrition research at the 42nd Annual NSCA National Conference in Washington, DC. Founded in 1978, the NSCA is an international nonprofit professional association dedicated to supporting strength and conditioning professionals in the advancement of their careers. This award is the highest honor for a sports nutrition researcher in the profession.
Associate Professor Evan Dart, PhD, was awarded the prestigious Lightner Witmer Award by the American Psychological Association’s Division of School Psychology for his significant early career contributions to the field of School Psychology. Each year, the Division of School Psychology presents the Lightner Witmer Award to a young professional or academic school psychologist who demonstrates scholarship that merits special recognition.
As recipient of the award, Dr. Dart will be invited to submit a manuscript for the annual awards issue of “The School Psychologist” and give a presentation the following year at the meeting of the American Psychological Association.
Professor Shannon Suldo, PhD, was awarded the prestigious 2019 Thomas Oakland Mid-Career Scholar Award by the American Psychological Association’s Division of School Psychology. Each year, the Division of School Psychology presents the Mid-Career Scholarship Award to professional and academic school psychologists, from 7 to 20 years post-graduation, who have demonstrated scholarship that merits special recognition.
Dr. Suldo was also elected as the 2020 president-elect of the Society for the Study of School Psychology, an organization that works to advance basic and applied scientific research, disseminate research findings to broad audiences, and foster communication about the specialty of school psychology.
Faculty member Darlene DeMarie, PhD, was awarded a Fulbright Scholar Award to Budapest, Hungary for the Fall 2019 semester. While in Hungary, Dr. DeMarie will teach psychology and early childhood education courses at Eötvös Loránd University. She will also lead a group of faculty and students at the university to translate a publication of the American Psychological Association (APA), the “Top 20 Principles from Psychology for pre K-12 Teaching and Learning.” The publication, originally co-authored by DeMarie in 2015, has been translated in 12 languages and will be utilized by educators in the country once the latest translation to Hungarian is complete.
Assistant Professor Nathan Fisk, PhD, hosted a discussion in July at the Tampa Theatre after a screening of the film "WarGames." Fisk’s discussion explored how the film was at the center of one of the biggest coincidences in computer history.
Assistant Professor Tanetha Jamay Grosland, PhD, was awarded a McKnight Junior Faculty Development Fellowship for the spring and fall semesters of 2020. The fellowship program will allow Dr. Grosland to continue her research chronicling the lived experiences of urban educators and the impact of emotional conditions on social issues they deem important.
Professor Ilene R. Berson, PhD, led the authorship of a position statement titled “Early Childhood in the Social Studies Context.” The publication was the National Council for the Social Studies’ first statement to focus exclusively on Early Childhood Education and comes at an important time in the field as more states are rewriting their standards and elevating the social studies as an essential part of the curriculum.
Associate Professor Sarah Kiefer, PhD, was featured in a news story by Fox 13 News about the tactic of paying children for high grades. Dr. Kiefer shared her insights into the practice and some other strategies parents can use to reward their student for excelling in the classroom.
Instructor Nicholas Martinez, PhD, was featured in an article in Sports Illustrated for his performance work with Robeisy Ramírez, a professional boxer and two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba.
Assistant Professor, Sanghoon Park, PhD, was awarded first place in the 2019 Division of Distance Learning Awards Best Practice category by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). He will receive the award and present his research at the AECT’s 2019 International Convention in Las Vegas in October.
The award is given to exemplary projects and articles that are judged based on 12 evaluation criteria. The award recognizes Dr. Park’s interdisciplinary project introduced in his research article on flipped learning in engineering classrooms that he co-authored with Howard Kaplan, director of the Advanced Visualization Center and Dr. Rudy Schlaf, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Associate Professor Nathaniel von der Embse, PhD, was featured in an article by the New York Times for his research that includes a 30-year review of text anxiety. The article discusses strategies parents and teachers can use to help minimize a student’s fears prior to test-taking.
Grants awarded during summer 2019 (May 1 – August 16, 2019)
Below is a list of research grants awarded to College of Education faculty during the Summer 2019 semester.
21st Century Community Learning Centers funded by the Florida Department of Education
Awarded to: Jose Castillo, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
Amount awarded = $30,000
High School Equivalency Program funded by the U.S. Department of Education
Awarded to: Ann Cranston-Gingras, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
Amount awarded for five years = $2,362,196
College Assistance Migrant Program funded by the U.S. Department of Education
Awarded to: Ann Cranston-Gingras, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)
Amount awarded for five years = $2,124,805
Evaluating the efficacy of the Urban Teacher Residency Partnership Program (UTRPP)
Year 5 funded by Hillsborough County School District.
Awarded to: Danielle Dennis, PhD, and Sarah van Ingen, PhD (Co-Principal Investigators)
Amount awarded = $561,146
To submit information for a future issue of College of Education Faculty Notes, please contact Elizabeth Engasser at eengasser@usf.edu.