School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education (HDOSE) Highlights

Fall 2025

  • Dr. Bhattacharya awarded NSF grant entitled “Track 2: An Exploration of Challenges and Self-Adjustment Experiences of Community College Transfer Students in Engineering”.
  • Dr. Zyrashae Smith-Onyewu had a paper “Variations in local funding sources for community colleges and their relationship to institutional characteristics” accepted into the journal Education Finance and Policy.
  • Dr. Jen Kent completed the 10 week NCFDD Faculty Success Program over the summer.
  • LEAD ’24 EdD student, Deanna Thompson, was selected to be a National FFA Teacher Ambassador AND nominated by her Superintendent and Principal and selected for the ’25-’26 Agriscience Education Leadership Program with the USDA and Florida Dept of Agriculture.
  • Dr. Therriault selected as AI Faculty Fellows of AI2 at UF.
  • Dr. Chris Curran awarded a grant from the Bainum Family Foundation.

Summer 2025

  • Dr. Chris Thomas selected as a National Academy of Education/Spencer Post-Doctoral Fellow.
  • Dr. Chris Redding awarded a sub-award for the IES-funded Special Educator Workforce: A Research Collaborative (SPARC) Center.
  • Dr. Chris Redding was awarded the 2025-2027 Rosser Term Professorship.
  • Dr. Mercedes Machado was awarded the 2025 Rosser Educator Excellence Award.
  • Dr. Chris Thomas was awarded the 2025 Robert B. Primack Memorial Foundations of Education Endowment.
  • Dr. Jinnie Shin was awarded the 2025 Diane E. Haines Teaching Excellence Award.
  • Research team including Amber Moss & Mercedes Machado (both co-authors on the project) published the following in the Journal of Counseling and Values:
    Schuermann, H., Tozzi, M., Moss, A., Machado, M. M., & Zamiri, N. (2025). Eight Weeks to More Mindful Counselor Trainees: A Classroom Model. Counseling and Values, 70(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1163/2161007x-bja10020
  • Dr. Laura Shannonhouse published “Psychometric Analysis of Scores on a Mexican Dialect Spanish Adapted Version of the GAD-7 with Mexican Earthquake Survivors”
  • Dr. Chris Curran awarded a grant from the Buffett Early Learning Fund through Columbia University.

Spring 2025

  • Representatives from UF Educational Leadership and Policy attended the Florida Association of Professors of Educational Leadership 30th Anniversary Awards Banquet at University of Central Florida, followed by a day of collaboration with educational leadership and policy professors around the state.
  • UF CTE January 2025 Inspired Teaching Newsletter named Tuuli Robinson as a recipient of an Artificial Intelligence badge. These badges are awarded to faculty for attending a series of workshops and earning miles in various workshop categories. AI workshops focus on discovering innovative ways to use AI to support student learning.
  • Dr. Sondra Smith celebrated 25 years of service to UF!
  • Dr. Jinnie Shin recognized with the UF Excellence Award for Assistant Professors.
  • Dr. Corinne Manley funded an undergraduate student to present research from a CURE course to key stakeholders in fair educational measurement at the National Council on Measurement in Education.
  • Drs. Walter Leite and Wei Li received Lastinger Center Catalyst Awards.
  • Dr. Wei Li was selected to participate in the following training programs and workshops: (1) the IES-funded 2025 Methods Training in Economic Evaluation at the University of Pennsylvania; (2) the IES-funded workshop on Bayesian Longitudinal Data Modeling at the University of Virginia; and (3) the 2025 Chicago School of Experimental Economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Dr. Helena Mawdsley was awarded the Harnessing AI for Teaching and Learning Series Certificate and participated in the SRCD Teaching Institute Workshop.
  • Drs. Moss, Therriault, and Wright earned the Technology Innovation and Learning Incentive award from ETC and the COE, acknowledging achievements in integrating advanced technologies into undergraduate courses.
  • Graduate student Xueyan Gao secured a research externship with Pasco County Public Schools
  • Dr. Chris Thomas published an op-ed in Education Week

Fall 2024

  • Zyrashae Smith-Onyewu had an article “Public Transit and Urban Community College Access” accepted for publication in Research in Higher Education.
  • Chris Thomas published an edited book: “7th Edition of the Principal’s Legal Handbook”
  • Chris Thomas’ Podcast Chalk and Gavel passed 10,000 listens.
  • Jennifer Kent and David Miller completed the AI2 Learning Academy and Micro-Credential and are now affiliated faculty for the AI2.
  • Melissa Mariani published the “The Importance of Prevention in School Safety Planning and Response” in the Journal of School Health.
  • Jue Wu was selected to the Institute in Critical Quantitative, Computational, & Mixed Methodologies (ICQCM) 2024 Scholars Training Program.
  • Lindsay Byron – Selected as a participating scholar for the NEH Summer Institute at George Mason University on the History of of American Higher Education.
  • Cliff Haynes- Appointed to national board of directors of the Higher Education Consortium for Student Affairs Certification; Appointed to Graduate Curriculum Committee; Earned online Exemplary Course Designation for EDH6065
  • Melissa Mariani – Completed an American School Counselor Association Research Grant and new publication with a former student as co-author: Bendit, A. & Mariani, M. (2024). The implementation of universal mental health screeners in an early college high school program. Professional School Counseling.
  • Mercedes Machado – Setup a virtual exchange program with students in Mexico through the International Center’s Collaborative Online International Learning Program.
  • Corinne Manley – Awarded top-cited article award from Wiley Publishers for paper on AI assessments; Awarded Graduate School Graduate Champion Award; Awarded Irving and Rose Fiend Endowed Professorship
  • Christopher Redding – Recognized by the American Journal of Education for excellence in peer review
  • Anne Seraphine – Awarded the Rosser Educator Excellence Award
  • Laura Shannonhouse – Invited to be a Scientific Advisor for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention; Gave international keynote address to the Suicide Prevention Australia Conference; Transferring DHHS Clinical Trial grant to UF