Select Grants and Sponsored Research

We are a select team of graduate students focused on researching multicultural issues and Latino/a values as it relates to education, teaching, service, and counseling psychology.

• Principal investigator
  Edward Anthony Delgado-Romero
  Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Services, College of Education
• Active since
  October 2019

This project will investigate the Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning curriculum to study both the co-design process and impact on the engagement of Multiple Language Learners.

• Sponsor
  William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
  $210,993

• Principal investigator
  Emily Adah Miller
  Assistant professor
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Co-principal investigator
  Emily Reigh
  Assistant professor
  University of California, Santa Cruz
  

• Active since
  July 2024

This project will use PL, reflective interviews, and observation of science teaching to explore how teachers can learn about students’ lived experiences, and then create and implement adaptations that anchor science learning in the hazardous impact of climate change.

• Sponsor
  National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine
  $76,000

• Principal investigator
  Emily Adah Miller
  Assistant professor
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

• Active since
  January 2023

This project is poised to craft a strategic roadmap for the seamless, effective, and equitable integration of AI into science education.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  Discovery Research K-12
  $99,281

• Principal investigator
  Xiaoming Zhai
  Associate professor
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

• Co-principal investigator
  Kent Crippen
  Professor
  University of Florida

• Active since
  February 2024

Researchers propose to develop a computer-based professional development intervention to increase middle school teachers’ content knowledge of proportional reasoning.

• Sponsor
  Institute of Education Sciences $1,399,982
• Principal investigator
  Allan S. Cohen
  Professor, Educational Psychology
• Active since
  July 2018

This grant funds research into ways to increase the use of quantitative reasoning in the teaching and learning of mathematics

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $741,491
• Principal investigator
  Kevin C. Moore
  Professor, Mathematics and Science Education
• Active since
  July 2014

With support from the National Science Foundation’s EHR Core Research program, this project seeks to serve the national interest by identifying effective instructional methods to support student understanding of core science concepts.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $681,542
  
• Principal investigator
  Logan Fiorella
  
• Co-principal investigators
  Paula Lemons
  Professor, UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
  
• Active since
  October 2021

Experts in assessment, AI, and science education will gather for a two-day conference at the University of Georgia to generate knowledge of integrating AI in science assessment.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Conference Grant DRK-12 Program
  $49,995
• Principal investigator
  Xiaoming Zhai
  Joseph Krajcik
  CREATE for STEM Institute Director and Professor, Michigan State
  
• Active since
  August 2021

The goals of this project are to increase the number of individuals in Clarke County School District (CCSD) providing student mental health services, promote inclusive practices among trainees and current CCSD staff, and more.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education
  Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
  Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program
  $1,898,996

• Principal investigator
  Sycarah Fisher
  Associate professor, Department of Educational Psychology

• Co-principal investigator
  Ashley Johnson Harrison
  Associate professor, Department of Educational Psychology

• Active since
  January 2023

This research project will develop Bayesian inference on attribute hierarchy for both static and dynamic cognitive diagnosis models and promote the use of CDMs in conjunction with attribute hierarchy to facilitate learning.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation $229,951
• Principal investigator
  Yinghan Chen
  University of Nevada, Reno
• Co-principal investigator
  Shiyu Wang
  Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology
• Active since
  September 2021

This exploratory project will develop and test a model of professional learning for high school teachers in which they learn how to embed the Instructional Conversation pedagogy within standards-aligned scientific and engineering practices.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12
  $449,555

• Principal investigator
  Paula J. Mellom
  Senior research scientist, Center for Multilingual-Learner Education, Research, and Innovative Teaching (MERIT)
  Office of Research and Graduate Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  John Mativo
  Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
  

  Rebecca K. Hixon
  Assistant research scientist, MERIT
  Office of Research and Graduate Education
  

• Active since
  August 2024

Visit the project website

The long-term goal of this project is to establish UGA as a site for interdisciplinary collaborations across multiple institutes in Georgia to conduct research aimed to improve stroke prevention, treatment, recovery, and education.

• Sponsor
  Emory University
  $49,970.30

• Principal investigator
  Jing Xu
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigator
  Steven L. Wolf
  Professor, Emory University
  Senior research scientist, Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA Health Care System
  

• Co-investigators
  Deborah Barany
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology
  

  Samir Belagaje
  Assistant professor, Emory University
  Director of stroke rehabilitation, Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center, Grady Memorial Hospital

  Michael Borich
  Associate professor, Emory University
  

• Active since
  September 2022

This program will increase the number of behavioral health professionals who can provide OUD/SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services in high-need and high-demand areas of Georgia.

• Sponsor
  Health Resources and Services Administration
  Opioid Workforce Expansion Program Professionals
  $1,346,150
  
• Principal investigator
  Bernadette Davantes Heckman
• Active since
  September 2019

We will examine whether metabolomic alterations are associated with exaggerated cardiovascular strain during heat stress in middle-aged adults with obesity.

• Sponsor
  American Heart Association
  $230,247

• Principal investigator
  S. Tony Wolf
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology
  

• Active since
  April 2025

The aims of this project are to examine (1) the mitochondria as a source of oxidative stress that causes vessel dysfunction in primary aging and (2) the efficacy of MitoQ (a mitochondria-specific antioxidant) for reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress and, thereby, improving blood vessel function.

• Sponsor
  MitoQ
  $97,437

• Principal investigator
  S. Tony Wolf
  Assistant professor
  Department of Kinesiology

• Active since
  November 2024

The project will investigate (a) how to meaningfully incorporate playful elements into the foundational secondary and undergraduate mathematics topics of algebra and calculus, and (b) the potential outcomes of “playifying” classroom mathematics for students’ learning and enjoyment.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation ECR-EDU Core
  $804,347
  

• Principal investigator
  Amy Ellis
  Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Robert Ely
  Professor, mathematics and statistical science, University of Idaho
  

• Active since
  August 2024
  

This project addresses the pressing need to more effectively organize STEM teaching and learning around big ideas that run through science disciplines.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation’s Discovery Research K-12 program $549,688

• Principal investigator
  Daniel K. Capps
  Associate Professor, Mathematics and Science Education

  Jonathan T. Shemwell
  Associate Professor of Secondary Science Education, University of Alabama

• Active since
  August 2020

This project will investigate how learning by drawing contributes to comprehension, monitoring accuracy, and self-regulation.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation’s ECR-EHR Core Research program
  $447,202
• Principal investigator
  Logan Fiorella
  Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology
• Co-principal investigator
  Allison J. Jaeger
  Assistant Professor of Psychology,
  St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Active since
  September 2020

This project will develop units of instruction for third, fourth, and fifth-grade students that integrate coding into mathematics and science.

• Sponsor
  NSF Computer Science for All Program
  $1,000,000

• Principal investigator
  AnnaMarie Conner
  Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Roger Hill
  Professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
  

  Timothy Foutz
  Professor, UGA College of Engineering
  

  Barbara Crawford
  Former professor and department head, Department of Mathematic, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Active since
  August 2023

The project aims to understand how fifth grade students evaluate ideas about scientific consensus regarding effects of UV radiation on human health.

• Sponsor
  National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health
  $5,000

• Principal investigator
  Rita Mathew
  Doctoral student, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

• Co-principal investigators
  Emily Adah Miller
  Assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

  Wentao Li
  Assistant professor, College of Public Health
  

  Xiaoming Zhai
  Assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Active since
  June 2023

The proposed project aims to enhance psychological health and traumatic brain injury (TBI) care through evidence-based interventions focusing on treating co-occurring TBI and psychological conditions and preventing psychological health issues by optimizing problem-solving training (PST).

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Defense
  Subaward from Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation & Research Center
  Subaward to UGA: $375,099
  

• Principal investigator
  Shannon Juengst
  Senior scientist and clinical investigator, Brain Injury and Research Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann
  Adjunct associate professor, UT Health Sciences Center at Houston, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  

• Co-principal investigator
  Matthew Schmidt
  Associate professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology; College of Pharmacy

• Active since
  July 2023

The primary purpose of this four-year Early Career project is to develop an integrated word-reading and spelling intervention that leverages models of word-reading and spelling to improve reading and spelling outcomes of adolescents.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences
  Research Training Programs in Special Education, Early Career Development and Mentoring
  $697,178

• Principal investigator
  Kelly Williams
  Assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

• Active since
  August 2023

This project team will develop a freely-available, web-based formative assessment system that will provide teachers with valid, timely, and actionable feedback about middle school students’ understanding of probability and chance.

• Sponsor
  US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Research
  $1,399,746

• Principal investigator
  Laine P. Bradshaw
  Associate Professor, Educational Psychology

• Co-principal investigators
  Hollylynne Lee
  North Carolina State University

  Roger Azevedo
  North Carolina State University

  Jessica Masters
  Research Matters

  Lisa Famularo
  Research Matters

• Active since
  July 2017

The current objective of this project is to investigate behavioral and neural mechanisms of hand dexterity and its impairment and recovery after stroke.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  $2,736,478

• Principal investigator
  Jing Xu
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Michael Borich
  Associate professor, Emory University
  

  Timothy Verstynen
  Associate professor, Carnegie Mellon University
  

  Jeremy Brown
  Assistant professor, John Hopkins University
  

• Active since
  September 2023

This Diversity MATTERS in Neuroscience proposal provides educational activities to enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce.

• Sponsor
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  $258,590

• Principal investigator
  James Lauderdale
  Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

• Co-principal investigators
  Ikseon Choi
  Professor

  Janette Hill
  Professor

• Active since
  July 2018

This project will assess driving performance in adolescent and young adult driving after a concussion and identify clinic assessments, used commonly in primary care and concussion clinics, which predict post-concussive driving performance.

• Sponsor
  Andee’s Army (sub-award from the Shepherd Center)
  $122,869
• Principal investigators
  Julianne Schmidt
  Russell Gore
  Medical Director of Vestibular Neurology, Shepherd Center
• Co-principal investigators
  Robert Lynall
• Active since
  December 2020

The long-term goal of this research is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying lingering functional movement deficits post-mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to design novel neurorehabilitation interventions for improving motor recovery and maximizing patient care.

• Sponsor
  Medical University of South Carolina NC NM4R Pilot Project
  $37,500

• Principal investigator
  Deborah A. Barany
  Assistant professor
  Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigators
  Robert C. Lynall
  Associate professor
  Department of Kinesiology

  Jing Xu
  Assistant professor
  Department of Kinesiology

• Active since
  July 2023

Cerebral palsy is the most common developmental disability in children. Therefore, identifying effective treatment strategies that lead to better muscle development and balance and increased physical activity participation is needed.

• Sponsor
  National Institute of Health
  $2,985,608

• Principal investigator
  Christopher M. Modlesky
  Professor, Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigators
  Karl Newell
  Department of Kinesiology

  Ye Shen
  Department of Kinesiology

  Robert Bruce
  Emory University

• Active since
  September 2017

This study will investigate how to program reinforcement for communication strategies so responses will persist longest when functional communication training is challenged, and will begin to clarify the role extinction plays in the maintenance of the treatment to help minimize relapse.

• Sponsor
  Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  $491,710
• Principal investigator
  Joel Ringdahl
  Associate Professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education
• Active since
  September 2018

This project will determine if eating formulated egg products can improve bone strength and cognitive function in obese and normal weight children ages 9 to 13 years, potentially mediated by reduced inflammation.

• Sponsor
  American Egg Board
  $564,302

• Principal investigator
  Richard Lewis, UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences

• Co-principal investigators
  Patrick O’Connor
  Kinesiology

  Kirk Kealy
  Food Science and Technology

  Emma Laing
  Foods and Nutrition

  Assaf Oshri
  Human Development and Family Science

• Active since
  December 2017

This project aims to pinpoint actions directors can take to support infant and toddler teachers. The results of this study will enhance efforts to stabilize and support the early childhood workforce.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation Secondary Analyses of Head Start Data
  $99,872

• Principal investigator
  Erin Hamel
  Assistant professor
  Department of Educational Psychology

• Co-principal investigators
  Kristen Bub
  Professor
  Department of Educational Psychology

  Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett
  Professor and senior associate dean
  Department of Educational Psychology

• Active since
  September 2024

The purpose of this study is to better understand the test-taking behavior of 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade students.

• Sponsor
  Institute of Education Sciences
  $1,392,920
• Principal investigator
  Scott Patrick Ardoin
  Professor and Department Head, Educational Psychology
• Co-principal investigator
  Katherine S. Binder
  Mount Holyoke College
• Active since
  July 2017

This project aims to serve the national need of supporting and retaining science teachers by exploring how the professional learning (PL) of district science coordinators (DSCs) impacts, if at all, the effectiveness and retention of new science teachers in high-need schools.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  Robert Noyce Scholarship Program
  $999,995

• Principal investigator
  Brooke Whitworth
  Associate professor, Clemson University
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Julie Luft
  Athletic Association Professor of Science Education
  Distinguished Research Professor
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

  Karen High
  Professor, Clemson University
  

• Active since
  October 2022

This project will increase Georgia’s behavioral health workforce of counseling health psychologists and enhance their competencies in OUD/SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

• Sponsor
  Health Resources and Services Administration
  Graduate Psychology Education Program
  $1,348,327
  
• Principal investigator
  Bernadette Davantes Heckman
• Active since
  September 2019

With funding from the EHR Core Research Program, this project will investigate how productive mathematical generalization can be supported in whole-classroom settings. Generalization is the ability to recognize patterns in relationships between numbers.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $1,499,857

• Principal investigator
  Amy Ellis
  Professor, Mathematics and Science Education

• Co-principal investigators
  Kevin C. Moore
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

  Elise Lockwood
  Oregon State University, Department of Mathematics

  Erik S. Tillema
  Indiana University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

• Active since
  October 2019

This research project aims to develop and make accessible to applied researchers a multilevel extension to the longitudinal diagnostic classification model (DCM) to help researchers take into account contextual effects that can impact the fidelity and effectiveness of an educational intervention.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences $899,995
• Principal investigator
  Matthew Madison
  Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology
• Co-principal investigators
  Minjeong Jeon
  University of California, Los Angeles Michael Cotterell
  Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science
• Active since
  July 2022

This instrument will provide formative assessment information during the first six weeks of kindergarten.

• Sponsor
  Pearson Education
  $2
• Principal investigator
  Jeff Barker
• Active since
  December 2014

This year-long, performance-based assessment helps teachers assess the level of instructional support needed for students entering kindergarten and first grade.

• Principal investigator
  Jeff Barker
• Active since
  December 2016

GSAP provides families, early intervention providers, special education teachers, regular education teachers, related services personnel, and administrators with the training and information needed to develop and implement individualized supports to ensure children who are deaf-blind have high-quality early intervention and educational opportunities.

• Sponsor
  United States Department of Education
  $1,742,891

• Principal investigator
  Cindy Vail
  Professor
  Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education

• Active since
  October 2023

This grant provides scholarship support for inservice Georgia teachers to receive one of five endorsements.

• Sponsor
  Georgia Department of Education
  $332,770
• Principal investigator
  Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett
  Senior Associate Dean and Professor, Department of Educational Psychology
• Active since
  April 2022

The goal of this project is to produce 34 secondary science and mathematics teachers over five years who will work in high-need schools in Northeast Georgia.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship program
  $1,199,978

• Principal investigator
  Julie A. Luft
  Athletic Association Professor of Science Education & Distinguished Research Professor
  Mathematics and Science Education

• Co-principal investigators
  Dorothy Yazidah White
  Associate Professor, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

  Paula Lemons
  Professor, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

  Nathaniel Hunsu
  Assistant Professor, College of Engineering

• Active since
  March 2020

This project’s goals are to increase Georgia’s behavioral health workforce and expand integrated behavioral health/primary care outreach by training graduate students to become behavioral health providers in rural and high-need areas of the state.

• Sponsor
  Health Resources and Services Administration: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Professionals
  $1,918,245
  
• Principal investigator
  Bernadette Davantes Heckman
• Co-principal investigators
  Amanda Giordano
  Orion Mowbray
  Jolie Daigle
  Jennifer Elkins
  Associate Professor, UGA School of Social Work
  Rosemary Phelps
• Active since
  July 2021

The overarching purpose of this study is to describe the academic experiences and racial/cultural identities of Black youths studying early childhood education in non-selective high school career pathway programs.

• Sponsor
  Foundation for Child Development Young Scholars Program
  $225,000
  

• Principal investigator
  Morgan Faison
  Clinical associate professor, Department of Educational Theory and Practice
  

• Active since
  September 2023

Our study goal is to compare cottonseed oil to a fatty acid composition-matched diet on changes in fasting and postprandial lipid metabolism and chronic disease risk factors.

• Sponsor
  United States Department of Agriculture
  National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  $294,000

• Principal investigator
  Jamie Cooper
  Professor and department head, Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigator
  Chad Paton
  Associate professor, College of Family and Consumer Sciences

• Active since
  May 2024

This project will make significant contributions to racial equity in STEM by identifying and describing forms of systemic racism inherent in mathematics teacher education programs.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Racial Equity in STEM Education
  Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
  $644,642

• Principal investigator
  Dorothy Y. White
  Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Luz A. Maldonado Rodríguez
  Associate professor, Texas State University
  

  Juanita M. Silva
  Assistant professor, Texas State University
  

  Peter Eley
  Professor and interim dean, Alabama A&M University
  

• Active since
  October 2023

This Research Practitioner Partnership project is aimed at making data science education accessible to rural, elementary students, including students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders) to increase participation in computer science education and broaden ways to hone computational thinking skills.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation; CS for All: Research and RPPs program
  $953,126

• Principal investigator
  Danielle Herro
  Clemson University

• Co-principal investigators
  Matthew Madison
  Assistant Professor
  Educational Psychology

  Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens
  Assistant Professor
  Clemson University

  Shanna Hirsch
  Assistant Professor
  Clemson University

• Active since
  September 2020

The goal of this project is to revise UGA’s current speech-language pathology (SLP) specialist in education (EdS) degree program to a fully online SLP EdS program that prepares school-based SLPs with competencies in evidence-based culturally and linguistically responsive language and literacy interventions.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Preservice Improvement Enhancement Grants to Support Related Service Providers to Effectively Serve Children with Disabilities and Their Families
  $423,322

• Principal investigator
  Jennifer A. Brown
  Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Hannah Krimm
  Assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

  Kristin Sayeski
  Associate professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

• Active since
  October 2024

This project will increase the number and diversity of mental health providers from the University of Georgia’s school counseling and school psychology programs who will provide contextualized mental health services in five high-need schools in rural northern Georgia.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
  $4,733,188

• Principal investigator
  Bernadette Heckman
  Professor, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services

• Co-principal investigators
  Sycarah Fisher
  Associate professor, Department of Educational Psychology
  

  Timothy Heckman
  Professor, College of Public Health
  

  George McMahon
  Clinical associate professor, department head, Department of Counseling and Human Development Services

• Active since
  April 2023

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving preservice teachers’ evidence-based teaching practices through an interactive program with personalized feedback.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship Program
  Subaward from the University of Southern California
  

  UGA subaward: $381,786
  Total award: $1,999,680
  

• Principal investigator
  Yasemin Copur-Gencturk
  Associate professor, University of Southern California
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Allan Cohen
  Professor emeritus, Department of Educational Psychology
  

  Jiliang Tang
  University Foundation Professor, Michigan State University
  

  Shiyu Wang
  Associate professor, Department of Educational Psychology
  

• Active since
  August 2023

The co-investigators of this study seek to examine the knowledge, skills, abilities, and social networks of rural Black students that support postsecondary education access and choice, while also examining how systemic barriers may hinder postsecondary education access for rural Black students.

• Sponsor
  The Spencer Foundation
  $49,906
• Principal investigator
  Darris Means
  Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh
  
• Co-principal investigators
  Collette Chapman-Hilliard
  
• Active since
  February 2021

This research project will advance statistical estimation methods for computerized adaptive testing (CAT) item bank calibration and replenishment in small-scale assessments.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics Program
  $300,000

• Principal investigator
  Shiyu Wang
  Associate professor, Department of Educational Psychology

• Co-principal investigator
  Yuan Ke
  Assistant professor, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

• Active since
  August 2023

The U.S. State Department’s University Partnerships Initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration between U.S. and African universities while harnessing the enormous opportunity posed by Africa’s projected doubling in population by 2050. It is intended to increase the capability of universities in Africa to offer high-quality, workforce-responsive education while building long-term academic relationships with key institutions in the United States.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of State
  $250,000

• Principal investigator
  Brian Watkins
  Director of International Initiatives

• Co-principal investigators
  Rob Branch
  Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

  John M. Mativo
  Associate Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

  Erik Ness
  Associate Professor, Institute of Higher Education

• Active since
  September 2020

The Just Education Policy institute will host a three-day program that brings together doctoral student scholars from across the nation with advocates and practitioners to gain contextual knowledge about racial equity and justice in education policy.

• Sponsor
  Spencer Foundation $49,999
• Principal investigator
  Richard Blissett
  Assistant Professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy
• Co-principal investigators
  Elizabeth DeBray
  Professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy
• Active since
  February 2022

This research project aims to to determine whether online training can change teachers’ language use during shared book reading, determine the effect of context—virtual or face-to-face—on teachers’ language use during shared book reading, and, determine the effect of context on children’s language use during shared book reading.

This three-year exploratory project consists of two years of design-based qualitative research, followed by one year of quasi-experimental mixed-methods research to test the hypothesis that LbE will significantly improve student learning.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12 Program
  $1,257,321
• Principal investigator
  Nathan Mentzer
  Associate Professor, Purdue University Polytechnic Institute, Technology Leadership & Innovation
• Co-principal investigators
  Andrew Jackson
  Scott Bartholomew
  Assistant Professor, Brigham Young University, Technology and Engineering Studies
• Active since
  August 2021

This study will determine the acute and subacute time course of post-concussion driving impairment and determine key predictors of post-concussion driving performance. Results from this innovative approach will have a broad and positive impact that will improve the safety of both concussed individuals and the general population.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  $1,839,782

• Principal investigator
  Julianne Schmidt
  Associate professor
  Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigators
  Robert Lynall
  Associate professor
  Department Kinesiology
  

  Hannes Devos
  Associate professor
  University of Kansas Medical Center
  

  Karli Dill
  Athletic trainer
  Emory University
  

• Active since
  September 2023

Upwards of 3.8 million concussions occur annually in the United States. Concussed individuals are slower to identify hazards and present poorer vehicle control throughout full symptom recovery. There is a critical need to determine when concussed individuals should return to driving and to identify the key concussion assessment predictors of readiness to return to driving.

These results will have a broad and positive impact that will improve the safety of both concussed individuals and the general population, guide the practices of health professionals, inform the future work of researchers, and substantiate the work of policy-makers by providing evidence-based recommendations for managing post-concussion driving.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health to Emory University Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance
  $58,048
• Principal investigator
  Julianne D. Schmidt
  Associate Professor, Kinesiology
• Co-principal investigators
  Hannes Devos
  Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center
  Russell Gore )
  Medical Director, Vestibular Neurology at Shepherd Center & SHARE Military Initiative; Adjunct Associate Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering; Director, Complex Concussion Clinic Georgia Tech and Emory University
  Robert C. Lynall
  Assistant Professor, Kinesiology L. Stephen Miller
  Professor and Department Head, University of Georgia
• Active since
  July 2020

Guided by self-efficacy theory and social cognitive career theory, this EHR Core Research project will characterize key features of UREs and CUREs in the life sciences and how these features relate to students’ development as scientists.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $1,420,571

• Principal investigator
  Erin Dolan
  Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

• Co-principal investigators
  Allan S. Cohen
  Department of Educational Psychology

  Kyle Johnsen
  College of Engineering

  Hye-Jeong Choi
  Educational Psychology

  Juan Ramirez-Lugo
  University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

• Active since
  October 2019

The GENIUS Center will integrate generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) with the teaching and learning of science and engineering practices through a GenAI learning agent named GenAgent.

• Sponsor
  National Center for Education Research
  $10,000,000

• Principal investigator
  Xiaoming Zhai
  Associate professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Gautam Biswas
  Vanderbilt University
  

  Lei Lui
  Educational Testing Service
  

  Dorene Medlin
  Albany State University
  

• Active since
  September 2024

The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read project will produce a series of book discussions and events to raise local attention on what it means to age well and live well in our diverse community.

• Sponsor
  National Endowment for the Arts
  $15,000
• Principal investigator
  Melisa Misha Cahnmann-Taylor
  Professor, Language and Literacy Education
• Active since
  June 2020

This project will contribute to changing the conversation about Native individuals in STEM by conducting critical research on the largely unexplored topic of experiences that act either as supports or as barriers for Native individuals to successfully continue their paths in STEM higher education and professions with special emphasis on women, LGBTQIA+, and two-spirit individuals.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation’s ECR-EHR Core Research program
  $329,466

• Principal investigator
  Mia Ong
  Senior Research Scientist and Evaluator, TERC Inc.

  • Co-principal investigators
    Kathy DeerInWater
    Chief Program Officer, American Indian Science and Engineering Society

  Nuria Jaumot-Pascual
  Research Scientist, TERC Inc.

  Matthew Madison
  Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology

• Active since
  August 2020

This investigation is poised to address the true natural history of clinical recovery of SRC, which has critical implications for improving safety, injury prevention, and medical care in athletes and military personnel.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Defense
  (subcontract from University of Michigan)
  $413,453
• Principal investigator
  Julianne D. Schmidt
  Associate Professor, Kinesiology
• Active since
  August 2014
  

The goal of this project is to determine if lower doses of cottonseed oil can be equally effective in improving cholesterol and other markers of chronic disease risk in adults.

• Sponsor
  Cotton Incorporated
  $91,361

• Principal investigator
  Jamie A. Cooper
  Professor and department head
  Department of Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigator
  Chad M. Paton
  Associate professor
  College of Family and Consumer Sciences

• Active since
  January 2025

This project aims to develop a flexible optimal design framework so that we can design well-powered studies with minimal financial resources.

• Sponsor
  Spencer Foundation Research Grant-Large
  $362,220

• Principal investigator
  Zuchao William Shen
  Assistant professor, Department of Educational Psychology
  

• Co-principal investigator
  Ben Kelcey
  Professor of quantitative research methodology, University of Cincinnati
  

• Active since
  August 2023

Using a sophisticated mathematical approach (machine learning), this project aims to develop a model that can be applied more broadly across military and civilian institutions to inform intervention efforts that improve concussion care seeking.

Our long-term goal is to increase the number of and how quickly military service members and athletes seek medical care after sustaining a concussion. Our immediate objectives are to identify negative outcomes linked with the previous history of undiagnosed concussions and delayed medical care and identify individual and institutional level risk factors for undiagnosed concussions and delayed medical care.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Defense
  (Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research Analysis Award)
  $703,745

• Principal investigator
  Julianne D. Schmidt
  Associate Professor, Kinesiology

• Co-principal investigators
  Robert C. Lynall
  Assistant Professor, Kinesiology

  Johna, Register-Mihalik
  Assistant Professor, UNC Chapel Hill

  Zachary Kerr
  Assistant Professor, UNC Chapel Hill

  Christopher D’Lauro
  Associate Professor, U.S. Air Force Academy

  Emily Kroshus
  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Washington

  Daniel Leeds
  Assistant Professor, Fordham University

• Active since
  September 2020

This study seeks to explore the extent to which Black mothers have been included and involved in the development of education policies related to anti-blackness. The analytical arguments derived from the experiences of these mothers may offer insight into educational policy around anti-blackness, which could serve to inform various educational stakeholders.

• Sponsor
  Spencer Foundation Racial Equity Research Grants
  $71,588

• Principal investigator
  Tianna Dowie-Chin
  Assistant professor
  Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

• Active since
  January 2023

This project aims to provide training to students seeking certification and endorsement in the areas of birth through kindergarten and early childhood special education.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education
  Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities
  $927,729

• Principal investigator
  Rebecca Lieberman-Betz
  Associate professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Cynthia Vail
  Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

  Alicia Davis
  Clinical professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
  

• Active since
  October 2023

The Peers and Professionals Project is committed to increasing the personal, professional, and cultural diversity of speech-language pathologists in the southeast.

• Sponsor
  Office of Inclusive Excellence

• Co-principal investigators
  Anne K. Marcotte
  Communication Sciences and Special Education

  Sandie Bass-Ringdahl
  Communication Sciences and Special Education

• Active since
  September 2019

We will test Epilepsy Journey, a multicomponent treatment program designed to equip adolescents with epilepsy with problem-solving skills to manage their executive function challenges.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  Subaward from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
  $239,410

• Principal investigator
  Avani Modi
  Professor, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology; director, Center for Adherence and Self-Management, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Sonal Bhatia, MD, and Janelle Wagner, Ph.D.
  Medical University of South Carolina
  

  Chris Coffey, Ph.D.
  University of Iowa Clinical Trials Statistical and Data Management Center
  

  Tracy Glauser, MD, and Shari Wade, Ph.D.
  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  

  Heather Huszti, Ph.D.
  Children’s Hospital of Orange County
  

  Matthew Schmidt
  Associate professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
  

• Active since
  February 2024

This research project will employ a multi-center prospective, case-matched control observational study to identify the differences in neuromuscular control following concussion that may contribute to increased MSKI risk.

• Sponsor
  Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Prime: Uniformed Services University of the Health Services Department of Defense $567,846
• Principal investigator
  Robert Lynall
  Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology
• Co-principal investigators
  Julianne Schmidt
  Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology Jarrod Call
  Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology
• Active since
  September 2021

The proposed project supports a newly formed interuniversity collaboratory, which is pleased to propose the training of 15 high-quality and competent scholars at the doctoral degree level at two universities who will (a) serve as higher education faculty and (b) train pre-service physical educators, adapted physical educators, and related service professionals to appropriately educate high-need children with disabilities.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services: Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities $1,192,943
• Principal investigator
  Justin Haegele
  Old Dominion University
• Co-principal investigators
  T. Nicole Kirk
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology Wesley J. Wilson
  University of Utah
• Active since
  September 2022

This initiative helps middle school students with disabilities build essential STEM skills by designing their own video games using Nintendo’s Game Builder Garage.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Advancing Informal STEM Learning
  Subaward to UGA from the University of Missouri
  $377,144

• Principal investigator
  Noah Glaser
  Assistant professor, University of Missouri
  

• Co-principal investigators
  Matthew Schmidt
  Associate professor, Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology
  

  Amanda Olsen
  Associate professor, University of Missouri
  

  Lucas Jensen
  Associate professor, Georgia Southern University
  

  Kieren Mendoza
  Assistant professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha
  

• Active since
  November 2024

This project targets the millions who suffer from voice disorders. By developing new methods to measure and quantify voice quality, it stands to transform voice science and clinical treatment of voice disorders and the professional voice.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  $1,400,000
• Principal investigator
  Rahul Shrivastav
• Active since
  July 2007

This project aims to serve the national need of increasing the capacity of more qualified healthcare providers to address the challenge of COVID-19. By developing and deploying web-based tools that individuals and employers can use to explore healthcare-related competency frameworks, self-identify skill gaps, and find credentials and training, this project seeks to fill gaps in the healthcare workforce.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $199,114

• Principal investigator
  Robert Robson
  CEO, Eduworks Corporation

• Co-principal investigators
  Janette Hill
  Professor, Workforce Education and Instructional Technology

  Myk Garn
  Assistant Vice Chancellor for New Learning Models, University System of Georgia

• Active since
  June 2020

This RAPID study incorporates a diverse project team to investigate how people interpret media using quantitative data representations (QDRs) of COVID-19 data. Drawing on their respective areas of expertise, the project team will also produce novel QDRs to support individuals in making data-informed decisions regarding their behavior, personal health risk, and the health risk of others. Collectively, the project activities and deliverables will produce a deeper understanding and tangible examples of how STEM education research can be used to improve students’ and citizens’ learning and well-being.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $193,101
• Principal investigator
  Cameron O’Neill Byerley
  Assistant Professor, Mathematics and Science Education
• Co-principal ivestigators
  Kevin C. Moore
  Professor, Mathematics and Science Education
• Active since
  July 2020

Through our summer institute, open institutes, writing retreats, and Saturday workshops, we offer teachers a wide and engaging list of professional learning opportunities, many for UGA credit or state PLUs.

• Sponsor
  National Writing Project
• Principal investigator
  Stephanie Jones Professor, Educational Theory and Practice

Battlefield casualty and trauma often result in major injury to the extremities, one example of this is Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML) injuries. While advances in prolonged field care have saved many warfighters’ lives, those with VML injures are left with long-term functional complications. Unlike more simple muscle injuries, VML injuries are not capable of undergoing significant self-repair. Furthermore, simple muscle injuries have known, validated, and highly reproducible rehabilitation protocols that return those injured to full function, while there are no current evidence-based rehabilitation protocols to improve function following VML injuries.

Our central hypothesis is that to improve function (i.e., strength, power, endurance) following VML injury, optimal evidence-based rehabilitation needs to be developed, treatment of physiologic limitations needs to occur in conjunction with rehabilitation, and long-term impacts of both injury and treatment need to be understood across the neuromusculoskeletal system (e.g., bone and muscle) to support the long-term health of those injured. Our overall goals are to optimize regenerative rehabilitation solutions to skeletal muscle and bone pathology following limb trauma that will improve warfighter performance and quality of life.

• Sponsor
  University of Minnesota; U.S. Department of Defense
  $1,500,000

• Principal investigator
  Sarah Greising
  Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota

• Co-principal ivestigators
  Jarrod A. Call
  Associate Professor, Kinesiology

  Luke J. Mortenson
  Assistant Professor, University of Georgia College of Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

• Active since
  September 2020

This grant will work to enhance how students and teachers can learn about the nature of scientific models. Visit the website for the research project .

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $449,849
• Principal investigator
  Daniel K. Capps
  Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator for Science Education, Mathematics and Science Education
• Active since
  May 2017

The RACER project will focus on researching the persistence and retention of newly hired secondary science and mathematics teachers in high-need school settings.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship program
  $1,000,000

• Principal investigators
  Shannon Navy
  Kent State University

• Co-principal investigators
  Julie A. Luft
  Athletic Association Professor of Science Education & Distinguished Research Professor
  Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

  Robert Isardi
  Eastern Washington University

• Active since
  October 2021

To address substance use and risk behavior prevention programming needs, a virtual training for youth development professionals and caregivers will be developed. Program outcomes will be evaluated through pre- and post-tests during training, and at three months post-training. Participants are expected to increase their knowledge of youth risk behavior and self-efficacy in responding to youth needs.

• Sponsor
  U.S. Department of Agriculture
  Subaward from West Virginia University
  Total award: $343,719
  Subaward: $68,215
  

• Principal investigator
  Kristine Ramsay-Seaner
  Assistant professor
  West Virginia University

• Co-principal investigators
  Amanda Giordano
  Associate professor
  Department of Counseling and Human Development Services
  

  Amber Letcher
  Professor
  South Dakota State University
  

  Meagan Scott Hoffman
  Associate professor
  North Dakota State University
  

• Active since
  September 2024

The goal of this four-year exploratory study is to determine if a specialized professional development program for district science coordinators can facilitate their growth as instructional leaders and the instructional practices of science teachers of their school districts.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $1,370,197
• Principal investigator
  Julie A. Luft
  Athletic Association Professor of Science Education & Distinguished Research Professor, Mathematics and Science Education
• Co-principal investigator
  Brooke Whitworth
  Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi
• Active since
  August 2019

This project addresses the “Exploring Human Learning and Thriving” focus by transforming the focus of homeschool research toward a strength-based, more inclusive research agenda beyond existing stereotypes associated with who homeschools and why. The project aims to expand the understanding and value of homeschool research to inform educational knowledge overall.

• Sponsor
  Spencer Foundation Conference Grant
  $50,000

• Principal investigator
  Cheryl Fields-Smith
  Associate Professor, Educational Theory and Practice

• Co-principal investigators
  Marian Higgins
  Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, College of Education

  Andrea Dennis
  Associate Dean for Faculty Development and John Byrd Martin Chair of Law

• Active since
  January 2021

The focus of this proposal is to support and equip underrepresented students, with a particular focus on Latinx multilingual learners (LML), to enter the STEM pipeline and persist.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  $1,270,312
• Principal investigator
  Georgia Hodges
  Associate Research Scientist, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education
• Co-principal investigator
  Xiaoming Zhai
  Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies
  Allan S. Cohen
  Professor Emeritus, Department of Educational Psychology
• Active since
  May 2022

This unique grant program aims to make quality speech treatment accessible to people with Parkinson’s across the globe.

• Sponsor
  Parkinson Voice Project
  $17,100
• Principal investigator
  Nina Santus
  Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education
• Active since
  April 2022

This grant assists the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project with providing universal, targeted, and intensive technical assistance to families, early intervention providers, and school-based teams.

• Sponsor
  $1,594,360
• Principal investigator
  Carol Stein
  Early Childhood Coordinator, Communication Sciences and Special Education
• Active since
  October 2018

The overall study objective is to determine the mechanistic links between joint loading frequency and comprehensive magnetic resonance imaging measures of knee joint cartilage health in individuals post-ACLR.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health K01
  $598,154

• Principal investigator
  Caroline Lisee
  Assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology
  

• Mentor
  Christopher Modlesky
  Professor, Department of Kinesiology
  

• Active since
  August 2023

The goal of this project is to develop and test a peer mentoring program for college students with concussion. We aim to do this through a two-year project which will engage subject matter clinical experts as well as students recovering from concussion.

• Sponsor
  Andee’s ARMY
  $200,000

• Principal investigators
  Katy H. O’Brien
  Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Special Education

  Tracey Wallace
  Clinical Research Scientist, Shepherd Center

• Active since
  July 2019

This project will study the utility of a machine learning-based assessment system for supporting middle school science teachers.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation Discovery Research K-12
  $903,420
• Principal investigators
  Xiaoming Zhai
  Joseph S. Krajcik
  CREATE for STEM Institute Director and Professor, Michigan State University
  Gary Weiser
  Research Associate, WestEd
  Yue Yin
  Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Active since
  September 2021

This project at the University of Georgia aims to implement the University’s new core commitments to designing high-quality, more effective educational experiences for STEM students.

• Sponsor
  National Science Foundation
  $2,998,335
• Principal investigator
  Paula Lemmons
  Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
• Co-principal investigators
  Julie A. Luft
  Athletic Association Professor of Science Education
• Active since
  October 2018

This project will strengthen the adoption of equitable evaluation practices and principles among various actors in the evaluation field by promoting the acceleration of decolonized, community-based, anti-racist evaluation methods.

• Sponsor
  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  $100,000

• Principal investigator
  Giovanni Dazzo
  Assistant professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy

• Active since
  March 2023

Childhood obesity is a critical health issues facing children between the ages of 6-10. The Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem is a system of consumer-grade digital devices to help children and parents move together toward a common goal of increasing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.

• Sponsor
  National Institutes of Health
  $3,316,724
• Principal investigator
  Sun Joo Ahn
  Grady College
• Co-principal ivestigators
  Michael D. Schmidt
  Kinesiology
• Active since
  August 2017