The College of Education鈥檚 staff and faculty are actively engaged in teaching, research and service activities both within the university community and beyond. Read about the accomplishments and achievements of our faculty and staff during the Fall 2021 semester.
To submit information for a future issue of College of Education Faculty and Staff Notes, please contact Elizabeth Engasser at eengasser@usf.edu.
Professor Vonzell Agosto was featured in multiple news stories about varying topics within the education sector.
- News Channel 8: 鈥溾��
- Bay News 9: 鈥淟egislative Proposal that Would Eliminate Common Core鈥� (aired on Sept. 16, 2021)
- WUSF Public Media: 鈥溾�樷��
Professors Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson received a Library of Congress grant for a project that will strengthen the skills of early childhood teachers in supporting preschoolers鈥� exploratory learning and play-based inquiry using community-based historical photographs. The project, titled 鈥�Scaffolding Historical Inquiry for Preschoolers: School & Home Active Play-based Explorations (SHIP-SHAPE),鈥� is funded by the Library of Congress鈥檚 Professional Learning & Outreach Initiatives Office and is conducted in partnership with the , the Florida Department of Education鈥檚 and early learning coalitions in , and counties.
Professor William Black presented the presidential address at the Annual Meeting in November. His address, titled 鈥淟eadership Beyond Ableism: Towards Collective Responsibility and Interdependency,鈥� was presented in an innovative format, including a Zoom-like platform to reflect the new technologies adopted in education during the pandemic, and having the audience sit in a seating circle to represent community and interdependence.
Dr. Black also served as a panelist at the College of Education鈥檚 Education in Action luncheon in November. The theme of this year鈥檚 event was 鈥淢oney, Politics and the Future of Public Education.鈥� A recording of the event is available on .
Academic Advisor Bobby Brown presented at in October. In his presentation, titled 鈥淔ixed? Time to break it! Advising toward a growth mindset to increase student success,鈥� Brown explored the concept of growth mindset and how to effectively apply strategies promoting it within the academic advising context.
Professor Barbara Cruz was featured in WUSF鈥檚 in an episode about Tampa鈥檚 Hispanic food history. The podcast episode also discusses a book Dr. Cruz co-authored with Andrew T. Huse and Jeff Houck titled 鈥�.鈥� The book is scheduled to be published this fall.
Dr. Cruz also was featured in a documentary from the Florida Channel titled 鈥溾�� that explores how Cubans have shaped the Florida cities of Key West and Tampa and have left longstanding institutions and traditions that still exist today.
Associate Professors Cheryl Ellerbrock and Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic were featured in about the Helios Middle Grades Residency Program. The article, published in January, highlights how the residency program aims to help fill local middle school science, technology, engineering and math teaching vacancies in Hillsborough County Public Schools. In November, the Helios Residency Program hosted a signing day ceremony for 21 students who received early job offers from the school district.
Associate Professor Evan Dart is serving as principal investigator on a new research project titled Project STARS, which stands for 鈥淪cholars in Teaching, Applied Research, and Service.鈥� Funded by a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the multi-year project will prepare school psychology students to become faculty members in higher education settings.
Professor Amber Dumford published a new book chapter titled "Cleaning and Reporting Complex Survey Data: What to Do About Skip Logic and Conditional Response Options." The chapter was co-authored with Angie L. Miller from Indiana University, Bloomington, and was included in the book 鈥�.鈥� The book was published by Information Age Publishing.
Professor Allan Feldman was awarded a USF Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning Research Grant, titled 鈥淎 Study of the Incorporation of Authentic STEM Research Experiences in SCE 4863: Science, Technology and Society.鈥� The study will explore how a current science education course at USF can provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to have authentic research experiences so that they can learn the practices of science and engineering and later teach about those experiences to their future students. The project began in September.
Assistant Professor Nathan Fisk is the principal investigator of a new research project titled 鈥淭he 502 Project.鈥� Funded by a $2 million grant awarded by the National Security Agency鈥檚 National Centers of Academic for Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program office, the project will design, implement and support an online community connecting cybersecurity education events and community organizations throughout the NCAE-C program鈥檚 Southeast Region. Project partners include the University of West Florida, Florida International University, Tennessee Tech University, Forsyth Technical College, St. Petersburg College, the International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals, and the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida).
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Hadley and Associate Professor Eunsook Kim were awarded a grant by the Spencer Foundation for their research project, titled 鈥�.鈥� The grant was awarded as part of the Foundation鈥檚 call for proposals focused on Critical Issues in Advancing Racial Equity and Innovative Methods.鈥�
Associate Professor Jennifer Jacobs was appointed Interim Campus Director of the College of Education at USF鈥檚 Sarasota-Manatee campus. In this role, Dr. Jacobs will serve as part of the College of Education鈥檚 leadership team and work to ensure excellence in teaching, research and service conducted by faculty members at USF鈥檚 Sarasota-Manatee campus. Dr. Jacobs鈥� appointment commenced in November.
Dr. Jacobs also was selected to receive USF鈥檚 Outstanding Community Engaged Teaching Award for the 2020-21 academic year. The award is hosted by USF鈥檚 Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President to recognize excellence, innovation and effectiveness in teaching that demonstrates community collaboration, institutional impact and deeply engaged, high-quality teaching. Dr. Jacobs will be presented with the award at USF鈥檚 Faculty Honors and Awards Reception on March 10, 2022.
Associate Professor Ruthmae Sears was recognized at the USF v. Temple Football Game in October for her contributions to advancing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in higher education and in STEM disciplines. That same day, Dr. Sears served as the keynote speaker at the Intercultural Student Leadership Conference hosted by USF鈥檚 Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Associate Professors Ruthmae Sears and Dana Thompson Dorsey are part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers who presented their findings to the St. Petersburg City Council on how the city can identify and address structural racism in the community. The report, 鈥溾�� was reviewed by the council, which voted in December to act upon the recommendations made by the research team. The report was undertaken and authored over a six-month period and includes five recommendations for the city.
Professor and Chair Barbara Shircliffe served as a panelist at a Florida Conversations panel hosted by the Tampa Bay History Center in November, titled 鈥�.鈥� The panel recounted the history and stories of brave leadership as schools were desegregated in Hillsborough County.
Assistant Professor Sara Smith鈥檚 learning app, MARVL, was shortlisted for the in the Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality category. The MARVL app, which stands for , allows children to complete their English vocabulary learning on their own while also reinforcing their knowledge of words in their home language.
Instructor Cindy Topdemir wrote multiple notes for the Florida School Counselor Association鈥檚 bi-monthly newsletter. Dr. Topdemir currently serves as governing board chair of the Florida School Counselor Association. Links to her articles are included below.
- (September 2021)
- (November 2021)
- (January 2022)
Professor Zafer Unal received the Outstanding Presentation Award from the (SITE) Interactive Online 2021 Conference.
SITE is an international, academic association of teacher educators, researchers,
practitioners and collaborating organizations across multiple disciplines. SITE creates
and disseminates knowledge enhancing teacher education through the use of technology
across a global context.
Professor Brenda Walker was featured in about the Call Me MiSTER program. In November, the Call Me MISTER program, which stands for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models, who have committed to becoming teachers at schools in Pinellas County. Dr. Walker serves as director of the program, and instructor Sandra Vernon-Jackson serves as coordinator.