Is an achievement missing? Faculty and staff can still submit fall 2024 accomplishments to be added to this compilation.
Publications
Audiologist Brent Fisher, assistant professor in the Department of Education, co-published an article in the November issue of the Minnesota Academy for Audiology’s newsletter, about the shortage of hearing healthcare services in rural areas in the November issue of “Charting the Future: Mapping Hearing Loss and Enhancing Access to Hearing Healthcare.”
Elizabeth Boileau, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences published, “Navigating Approaches to “Thinking With”: A Discussion of the Practicalities of Posthuman Research Involving Young Children,” in the Australian Journal of Environmental Education. (Relational Ontologies and Multispecies Worlds: Transdisciplinary Possibilities for Environmental Education Special Issue).
Boileau, along with co-authors (Whittaker, L., & Whittaker, M.) published an article titled, “Documenting and sharing children’s learning and growth in a nature-based program,” in Play Outdoors Magazine.
Boileau published an article titled, “Nature is Essential: Playing in Nature. The Child's Right to Play,” in the International Play Association’s IPA USA White Paper, 50th Anniversary Edition.
Marzell Gray, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences and Viann N. Nguyen-Feng, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, contributed to a new open-access book. The “Power of One” illustrates the power that one teacher, researcher, or administrator has to change their campus and the hearts and minds of students, and includes observations from experts in the field who draw from their experiences in the classroom, personal reflection, and evidence-based research.
Jessica Hanson, associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, collaborated with community and academic partners to publish a manuscript that outlined the process to recruit human subjects participants during the COVID-19 pandemic titled, “The Role of Community Engagement in Successful Recruitment of Research Participants During the COVID-19 Pandemic” in Health Equity.
Hope Kitts, assistant professor in the Department of Education, published “Maybe tightening the collar is the way to do it: Naturalizing oppression in teacher discourse on student learning,” in the journal, Critical Education.
Grants
Elizabeth Boileau, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, received a $3,000 grant from the Institute on the Environment for a project titled: Bioremediation of toxic mercury in the St Louis River Estuary and related environmental education opportunities.
This grant allowed an interdisciplinary team to continue collaborative work to address the issue of local mercury contamination and work on the writing of a manuscript outlining the project's accomplishments in 2023-2024.
Co-investigators on the project include:
- Luke Busta (assistant professor in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering)
- Carter Meland (associate professor in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences)
- Jessica Sieber (assistant professor in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering) Jennifer Moore (associate professor in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences)
- Students: Caitlin Huges-Parry, Rory Westerman, Chanda Blesi, and Ian Halpaus
Priscilla Day, professor emeritus in the Department of Social Work, along with the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies (CRTCWS), received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will support the “Partnerships in American Indian Child Welfare Best Practice” project, which will collect data on best practices in American Indian child welfare and develop a model for others.
Awards
Fall 2024 CEHSP Staff Award
Recognizes excellence in leadership on the job, customer service, and quality of service.
- Jodi Lieske, CEHSP Academic Advisor
- Michelle Tessier, Office/Administrative Services Supervisor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Kayleen Jones, CEHSP librarian, received the Minnesota Library Association's Academic and Research Libraries Division (ARLD) RLD awarded the 2024 Minnesota Academic Innovators Award for collaborating with faculty, staff, and students to improve UMD's Children's Literature Collection. Jones' group emphasized books that better reflect the experiences of BIPOC students and provide positive representations for young readers.
Presentations
Elizabeth Boileau, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, presented, "What’s happening with nature-based early learning in Canada and how does it compare to the USA?" at the Natural Start Alliance Conference 2024 in Portland, Oregon on August 1, 2024.
Jody O’Connor, director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center, presented, “Employing Campus Resources in support of Native American S-STEM students” at the November 2024 S-STEM Scholars & PI Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
Jeremy Wilson, assistant director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center, facilitated a cultural event at the Iron Trail Motors event during Native American Heritage Month in November. It included Native American song and dance renditions and a pipe ceremony.
Additional Accomplishments
The Tribal Training and Certification Partnership (TTCP) offered training to 606 social workers throughout the fall semester and averaged 22 training days each month. The TTCP offered two specialized BSW and MSW cohorts during fall semester that incorporated experiential learning outside of the classroom and allowed students to learn from the experiences of child welfare professionals. The TTCP offered immersion-based learning/practicing/being within American Indian communities and interacting with Native people to students participating in these cohorts.
Jody O’Connor, director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center, took part in a discussion panel along with UMD faculty Anne Hinderliter, Jennifer Jones, Arshia Khan and Sherri Turner (Twin Cities campus). The panel was on supporting Native Students on their educational, professional networking, and vocational development into the workforce by creating that sense of belonging within their STEM programs.