Sarah Mangelsdorf (ICD 1988), has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mangelsdorf currently acts as dean of Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and is a professor of psychology there. Mangelsdorf, whose work on the socio-emotional development of infants and young children is known internationally, was honored with a CEHD Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012. While at the Institute of Child Development, pursuing a Ph.D., Mangelsdorf was advised by Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor and current Director, ICD.
Tamara Moore receives Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Dr. Tamara Moore of the STEM Education Center was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers on April 14 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. This award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Moore is currently the principal investigator of an $8 million dollar grant awarded by the National Science Foundation titled EngrTEAMS: Engineering to Transform the Education of Analysis, Measurement, and Science in a Team-Based Targeted Mathematics-Science Partnership. The grant is one of the many Moore has been awarded while at the STEM Education Center.
Moore’s award citation reads: For transformative research on how young students learn engineering concepts and how to integrate those practices into K-12 teacher development in order to have a transformative impact on underrepresented minority and underprivileged urban K-12 students.
The Presidential Early Career Awards embody the high priority the Obama Administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals, tackle grand challenges, and contribute to the American economy.
“The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead,” President Obama said. “We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical advancements that will ensure America’s global leadership for many years to come.”
For more information about this award please read the official press release and most recent story from the White House.
CEHD shifts the paradigm: clinical placements to clinical partnerships
TERI has transformed the ways that we think about our roles here in the College of Education & Human Development. For example, the clinical placement coordinator role and responsibilities has shifted in the last three years from placing student teachers in schools to developing and supporting clinical partnerships. The work of CEHD’s clinical partnership coordinators is described as “engaging, collaborative, intense, and hopeful” as we build deeper relationships and connections with school partners.
Clinical Partnerships Coordinator expectations include:
- Serve as primary placement contact for CEHD with district partners.
- Address partner school/district concerns regarding placements.
- Collaboratively solve problems with data collection, communication, relationship building, etc.
- Provide professional development on co-teaching to cooperating teachers and teacher candidates on campus, at school, and at district sites.
- Support needs of cluster placements (coordinate with liaisons and partner network coordinator)
- Present to whole faculty and administrators at school sites.
- Attend face-to-face meetings with district administrators/HR departments.
- Actively shape district placement processes.
- Track practicum and student teaching placements.
Clinical Partnerships Coordinator is:
- Engaging with other IHE placement coordinators to improve communication regarding placements.
- Collecting data and tracking placements in real time with school partners.
- Creating surveys, documents, and meetings to engage school partners in decision making.
- Interfacing with college team on partnerships and redesign elements.
- Clustering placements in partner school districts/sites.
- Providing external feedback from school partners to improve ILP-School relationships.
- Planning interviews and other matchmaking initiatives.
- Centralizing process while collaborating with departments to improve external relations and overall efficiency.
Submitted by Amy Jo Lundell, Clinical Partnerships Coordinator for Curriculum & Instruction
McGrew will serve as Intelligence Theory and Test Development Consultant for the Dharma Bermakna Foundation in Indonesia
Department of Educational Psychology lecturer, Dr. Kevin McGrew, will serve as the Intelligence Theory and Test Development Consultant for the Dharma Bermakna Foundation in Indonesia and Universatas Gadjah Mada (UGM) for the development of the Indonesian AJT Cognitive Assessment Development Project from March 2014 – March 2018. The primary duties of his work will include conducting training regarding the Cattell-Carroll-Horn (CHC) theory of intelligence with AJT project staff, serving as member of the AJT Cognitive Assessment Quality Assurance Project Team, serving as member of AJT project Independent Review Panel, and introducing “best practices” in psycho-educational assessment to AJT project staff.
ICD doctoral candidate, colleagues find that iron deficiency can predict lower IQ in children adopted from institutional settings
Jena Doom, doctoral candidate (ICD), working with Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor and Director, both at the Institute of Child Development, and colleagues, have found that iron deficiency predicts lower IQ scores and poor higher thinking skills in children who have been adopted from institutional settings like orphanages. Doom and colleagues conducted the longitudinal study using data from 55 children who had been adopted from international institutions. The published results appear in Beyond Stimulus Deprivation: Iron Deficiency and Cognitive Deficits in Postinstitutionalized Children in the journal Child Development.
“Our study shows that both the duration of institutional care and nutrition significantly affect children’s cognitive functioning even after they are placed in a nurturing home,” said Doom. However, the researchers say, “These findings are important for pediatricians, psychologists, and other specialists working with children adopted internationally because they highlight the importance of examining both nutritional deficiencies and children’s pre-adoptive experience during evaluation and treatment.” With this information, it is now possible for children to receive iron supplements or cognitive interventions that can address each child’s needs.
Doom and Gunnar published the article with colleagues Michael K. Georgieff, professor, Institute of Child Development and the Department of Pediatrics, Maria G. Kroupina, associate professor, Global Pediatrics; Kristin Frenn, MA, Anita Fuglestad, research associate, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and Stephanie M. Carlson, professor, ICD.
Six ICD doctoral students honored in annual NSF Graduate Research Fellowship competition
Congratulations to current ICD doctoral student Sarah Ruiz for being awarded a prestigious three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship award, as well as to Michelle Brown, Kelly Jedd, Alyssa Meuwissen, Sarah Suarez, and Eric Thibodeau, who received Honorable Mentions. The NSF fellowship draws applications from across the country and it is extremely competitive. Both Fellowship awards and Honorable Mentions are a great testament to the outstanding quality of an applicant’s work and ideas.
Kinesiology research spurs an unlikely collaboration between horses and humans
Recently, University of Minnesota Leatherdale Equine Center and the School of Kinesiology’s Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory (HSCL) have combined forces to study what is known as shivers in horses. Shivers is a neuromuscular equine disease that hinders horses ability to lift their heir legs and walk backwards. The collaboration occurred after equine researcher Stephanie Valberg, D.V.M., heard Dr. Juergen Konczak, director of HSCL, speak on motor control. Valberg contacted Konczak to collaborate on understanding the loss of motor control in horses and possible connections to the brain.
Humans and horses share many genetically similar disorders, and the shivers seen in horses mirrors symptoms of ataxia in humans. The research from the equine study will be used to treat ataxia in humans and work toward slowing down the negative effects of ataxia, a condition that often causes poor coordination, loss of balance, and difficulty swallowing.
Learn more about the research here.
Aman gives Postdoctoral Research Seminar
As a part of the spring 2014 College of Veterinary Medicine research seminars, Dr. Joshua Aman, postdoctoral researcher in the Human Sensorimotor Control Lab, presented a seminar titled, “Abnormal muscle recruitment strategies in equine shivers: Anelectromyographical analysis of hind limbs during forward and backward gait.” The seminar occurred on March 26, 2014.
Rogers awarded Norine Odland Fellowship in Children’s Literature
C&I Ph.D. candidate, Aimee Rogers (Literacy Education) has been awarded the Norine Odland Fellowship in Children’s Literature. This fellowship is available to Ph.D. and M.A. candidates in children’s and adolescent literature who have completed all preliminary course work and examinations, and have had a dissertation or thesis proposal for research in children’s literature approved. Awardees are selected based on the importance of the purpose for which they plan to use the award, the strength of their teaching or library experience, their expertise in selecting books for children, and the strength of their graduate work, particularly that in children’s literature. We recently interviewed Aimee to learn a little bit more about her research and experiences.
What is most exciting about your research?
My dissertation work focuses on how intermediate grade readers (6th to 8th graders) make meaning with graphic novel texts. I became interested in graphic novels as a special education teacher. A common refrain I used to hear (and still hear to this day) was, “Give graphic novels to struggling readers because they are easier to read.” Although I was an avid reader of children’s and young adult literature prior to this, I began consciously selecting graphic novels to read and searching for ones that might be appropriate to include in my class or curriculum.
I became hooked on graphic novels, and when I entered the University of Minnesota doctoral program, I already knew that texts in this format would likely be the focus of my dissertation research. I have learned over the years that graphic novel texts are not “easier” to read, although, they often have less written content. There are so many meaning-making units that contribute to the meaning of the text overall, including panels, gutters, font, color, etc. I get really excited when I talk about all of these elements, and the really amazing thing is that a well-done graphic novel will seamlessly integrate all of these units of meaning!
The most exciting things about my research are working with young participants and working with texts in this format. I love observing how kids read and make meaning with a graphic novel. They seem to naturally integrate all of the elements and are comfortable reading a text that uses so many modalities. I loved the moments where I would ask my participants about a particular part of a graphic novel, and they were able to construct a meaning and would look at me with a look that said, “Duh!” Then, they’d go on to explain what they did as if it was no big deal. They are so smart!
The other exciting part of my research is that graphic novels are gaining in popularity in readers of all types and ages. Graphic novels are finding traction in educational circles as well. It is thrilling to be working with a format that is increasingly recognized as valid and interesting.
What does this award mean for you?
Being selected for the Norine Odland Fellowship means a lot to me as it serves to validate the work I have done in my area of focus, which is children’s and adolescent literature. The greatest part of the award is the $2,500 that is dedicated to selecting and buying books for Amplatz Children’s Hospital in honor of Norine Odland. I am so grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community in this way, especially through the donation of books for children, young adults and their families.
How did your path lead to the University of Minnesota and to C&I in particular?
I moved from Colorado to Evansville, Indiana to attend the University of Evansville to study special education. I was one of those weird students who left college with the same major that I started with and didn’t change it along the way.
After graduation I had a handful of teaching experiences in traditional and nontraditional settings. While working with middle and high school students in a day treatment program in Denver, I quickly discovered that I didn’t have any idea how to teach a 17-year-old how to read. This inspired me to look for Master’s programs in reading. I moved, again, this time from Colorado to Tucson, Arizona to attend the University of Arizona where I studied Language, Reading and Culture with a focus on adolescent literacy. I had always been an avid reader, and as a teacher of young adults, I read a great deal of young adult literature. I loved the literature courses that I took at the University of Arizona and tucked away the thought that I could actually study in this field.
I happily taught special education English at a public high school in Tucson for five years. When I was ready for a change I started looking for programs in children’s and adolescent literature. The University of Minnesota has a well-respected program, and Dr. Lee Galda, my advisor, is a rock star in the field. I applied, and I truly feel it was dumb luck that Dr. Galda agreed to take me as her last student before her retirement. I have been blessed to study with Dr. Galda. I have loved teaching courses on children’s literature and graphic novels. I will finish this summer and am looking forward to continuing to work in the field of children’s and adolescent literature.
Visit the C&I website to learn more about the Literacy Education program area or the Ph.D. track in Literacy Education.
Whittaker’s global seminar recognized as a game changer
Nate Whittaker, an academic adviser in TRiO Student Support Services, has been recognized by International Studies Abroad as leading a game-changing custom program for his global seminar to South Africa. Students learn about social justice firsthand by participating in a retreat and service learning at two South African non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Whittaker has led the trip since 2010.
Gao organizes research symposium and presents at AAHPERD
Dr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), organized a research symposium titled, “Impact of School-based Physical Activity Programs on Children’s Health,” at the 2014 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) National Convention & Expo in Charlotte, NC. The purpose of this symposium was to investigate the effects of different school-based physical activity programs on children’s health outcomes, such as energy expenditure and self-esteem.
Gao presented papers, delivered a first-author oral presentation, and co-presented five projects with his colleagues, graduate students, and former advisee.
Continue reading “Gao organizes research symposium and presents at AAHPERD”
Flipgrid selected as Webby honoree in three categories
Flipgrid, the Learning Technologies Media Lab’s video-based discussion and reflection tool, was selected as an honoree in three categories for this year’s Webby Awards. The categories are Web Education, Mobile Education and Reference, and Social Education and Discovery.
Flipgrid was developed to enable teachers to create short, discussion-oriented questions that students respond to through recorded videos. Since its launch, over 600,000 teachers and students, community groups, corporate teams, research organizations, and individuals looking to boost social presence in their online discussions have utilized Flipgrid.
The Webby Awards is the leading international award program honoring excellence on the Internet. Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) — a 1,000+ member judging body that includes Executive Members comprised of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners and Nominees and other Internet professionals. The 2014 Webby judging body received more than 12,000 nominations from over 60 countries and all 50 states and generated over 900 million media impressions worldwide.
The Flipgrid team will be attending the awards ceremony in New York City as an honoree on May 19. Visit the Flipgrid website to learn more and get started, and visit the LT Media Lab’s website to learn more about other upcoming and ongoing projects. For Learning Technologies academic programs, visit the Learning Technologies program area page in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
New study shows that oats may help combat inflammation
A new study published in the Nutrition Journal found that the polyphenols in oats, called avenanthramides (AVE), slowed the inflammatory response to strenuous exercise and increased antioxidant defenses in women over 50. The link between inflammation and aging is a growing concern in the scientific community because of its association with the development of chronic diseases, such as rheumatoid and atherosclerosis. According to the study’s authors from the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, strategies to help prevent or reduce inflammation are a key priority for the aging population.
In addition to the development of chronic disease, inflammation can cause oxidative stress and muscle pain that can lead to underperformance and exercise avoidance. Lead researcher from the U of M’s Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science Li Li Ji, Ph.D., explained that, “whether the inflammation is provoked by aging or exercise, it can have a negative impact on health over time. Therefore, we wanted to investigate the effects of a naturally occurring food compound with known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.” Continue reading “New study shows that oats may help combat inflammation”
Educational Psychology recognizes CSPP Ph.D. students
The Department of Educational Psychology would like to recognize and congratulate Ph.D. students from Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology (CSPP) on obtaining their pre-doctoral internships. We wish these students the best in their future endeavors.
We would like to recognize the following individuals:
Sarah Beckmann, Hazelden Foundation
Sharin Dade, University of South Carolina (Counseling & Human Development)
Corrydel Duffy, University of Miami (Counseling Center)
Kangting Ji, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Counseling)
Yang-Hyang, Kim, University of New Hampshire
Ziqiu Li, University of Texas at Austin
Nicole Park, University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Counseling)
Weiyang, Xie, University of Florida (Counseling Center)
C&I Ph.D. candidate Romaric Zongo awarded grant for research in Burkina Faso
Romaric Zongo, Ph.D. candidate in Learning Technologies, has been awarded an International Thesis Research Travel Grant by the University of Minnesota Graduate School to support his dissertation work in Burkina Faso.
Zongo’s dissertation study, “Integration of Emerging Learning Technologies in Secondary Schools: A Burkina Faso Case Study,” will attempt to better understand the various considerations that determine the successful integration of emerging ELTs in secondary schools in poor countries and will particularly focus on the benefits and challenges of integration.
“My research explores the role that Emerging Learning Technologies play in ensuring the right education is provided to those in need,” says Zongo. “An informed, knowledgeable and innovative society is essential for sustainable development to foster peace and economic freedom in sub-Saharan Africa. My research is rooted in analyzing how to provide the right education to help build such a society regardless of the socioeconomic status of its members. This travel grant is a great support for my research.”
The International Thesis Research Travel Grant provides travel support for University of Minnesota graduate students conducting short-term and extended research and/or field work in countries outside the United States. The grant is funded by the University of Minnesota to support the internationalization of the University through research and outreach.
To learn more about the Ph.D. in the Learning Technologies program area, visit the Learning Technologies Ph.D. program page.
School of Kinesiology to be well-represented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference
A number of faculty and graduate students from the School of Kinesiology will travel to Orlando, FL., this May to display publications and presentations at the American College of Sports Medicine 2014 annual meeting.
The following publications have been accepted:
- Tholen, J.T., Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G., & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). Associations between pre-race diet and gi distress in competitive triathletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Russell, H., Rhodes, G., Ingraham, S.J., & Wiese-Bjornstal, D. (2014). Psychological predictors of physiological changes in novice marathon runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Rhodes, G.S., Wilson, P.B. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). Pre-race dietary tendencies do not predict race performance during a half-Ironman distance triathlon. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G.S. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). The validity of self-reported fluid intake during the run of a Half-Ironman. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Lundstrom, C.J., Ingraham, S. J., & Rhodes, G.S. (2014).
Additionally, doctoral students Chris Lundstrom and Patrick Wilson will be presenting at the Northland American College of Sports Medicine on March 26.
- Lundstrom, C.J., Ingraham, S. J., & Rhodes, G.S. (2014). Allometric Scaling of VO2MAX in Models of Performance for College Aged Recreational Runners. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
- Wilson, P.B., Rhodes, G.S. & Ingraham, S.J. (2014). The validity of self-reported fluid intake during the run of a Half-Ironman. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Patrick Wilson, Chris Lundstrom, Greg Rhodes, and Jillian Tholen are advised by Dr. Stacy Ingraham, senior lecturer in the School Kinesiology, & Dr. Eric Synder, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology. Hayley Russell is advised by Dr. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor of kinesiology.
Educational Psychology’s 2014 Rising Alumni
The CEHD Alumni Society recognized twenty-three rising alumni from across the college for their exceptional volunteer service, leadership and distinction in their careers. The Department of Educational Psychology had three recent graduates on the list of rising alumni this year, David Parker, Taylor Thomas and Kristen Smith Myers. The department is extremely proud of both of these alumni and their accomplishments.
Outstanding alums win AERA’s Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) recently announced that alumni Doug and Lynn Fuchs, educational psychology Ph.D.s ’78 and ’81, are winners of its 2014 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award. AERA will honor the recipients at a ceremony on April 5 at the AERA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
“We are proud to honor the outstanding commitment and accomplishments of this year’s award winners,” said AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine. “Through their scholarship and service to the field, they stand as exemplars to AERA’s 25,000 members and to all who are committed to the study and practice of education in the United States and elsewhere.”
Along with Adam Gamoran of the William T. Grant Foundation, the Fuchs will be honored through this award for their outstanding achievement and success in education research.
Today, Lynn leads a program of research on math disabilities while Doug concentrates more on reading disabilities. Both are Nicholas Hobbs Professors of Special Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University.
In 2009, Forbes magazine named Doug and Lynn Fuchs as two of 14 revolutionary educators. Thomson Reuters identified them among the 250 most frequently-cited researchers in the social sciences in the United States in the decade from 2000 to 2010.
Healthy Mom research published by Lewis and colleagues
Dr. Beth Lewis, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, recently published an article in Mental Health & Physical Activity.
The article is titled “A randomized trial examining a physical activity intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression: The healthy mom trial” and focuses on the efficacy of a physical activity intervention for the prevention of postpartum depression.
Kane in New York Times on impact of Northwestern football union
Dr. Mary Jo Kane, director of the Tucker Center and professor in the School of Kinesiology, is interviewed in a New York Times article—”Impact of Northwestern Ruling on Women’s Sports Is Uncertain“—in the context of the National Labor Relations Board’s decision last week to allow Northwestern football to unionize.