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Select Grants and Sponsored Research

¡BIEN! 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.

Adapting Science Teaching in Regions Impacted by Climate Change

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

Advancing Middle School Teachers' Understanding of Proportional Reasoning for Teaching

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

Advancing Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Quantitative Reasoning

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

Advancing the Cognitive Science of Instruction

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

AI-Based Assessment in STEM Education Conference

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

Assessing the Structure of Knowledge in Teaching Mathematics

This study will develop measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching in both novice and experienced elementary teachers to more effectively assess teacher knowledge and its relationship to student learning.

  • Sponsor
    National Science Foundation $475,565

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

  • Co-principal investigators
    Erik D. Jacobson
    Indiana University

    Temple Walkowiak
    Indiana University

  • Active since
    July 2016

Athens Community Collaborative for Equitable Student Support (ACCESS)

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

Bayesian Inference for Attribute Hierarchy in Cognitive Diagnosis Models

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

Behavioral Health Workforce Development

This grant seeks to continue and expand efforts at increasing Georgia’s behavioral health workforce by training graduate students in the University of Georgia’s Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Program, School Counseling M.Ed. Program, and Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. Program.

  • Sponsor
    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    $1,909,044

  • Principal investigator
    Bernadette Davantes Heckman
    Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Counseling and Human Development Services

  • Co-principal investigators
    Jolie Daigle
    Department of Counseling and Human Development Services

    Georgia Calhoun
    Department of Counseling and Human Development Services

  • Active since
    November 2017

Building a Stroke Patient Research Network in Athens and Northeast Georgia (GaCTSA Pilot Project)

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

Building Georgia’s Behavioral Health Workforce for OUD/SUD Prevention and Treatment

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

CAREER: Equity Focused Elementary Mathematics: Creating Virtual Mathematics Communities in Rural Georgia

This project aims to provide in-service and beginning elementary school teachers increased opportunities to refine their mathematics teaching to support minoritized youth in racially diverse rural Georgia communities with less access to elementary mathematics specialists.

  • Sponsor
    National Science Foundation Discovery Research PreK-12
    $1,205,086

  • Principal investigator
    Susan O. Cannon
    Assistant professor
    Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education

  • Active since
    June 2023

Collaborative Research: How Deep Structural Modeling Supports Learning with Big Ideas in Biology

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

Collaborative Research: Exploring the Comprehension and Meta-Comprehension Benefits of Learner-Generated Drawings in Science

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

Creating Cognitively-Demanding, Conceptually-Focused Coding Opportunities in Mathematics and Science

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

Designing AI-Based Inquiry to Assess and Improve Elementary Students’ Environmental Health Literacy

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

Development and Pilot Testing of eHealth Problem Solving Training (ePST) for Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

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

Development of an Integrated Word-Reading and Spelling Intervention for Middle School Students with Word-Level Reading Disabilities

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

Diagnostic Inventories of Cognition in Education (DICE)

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

Diversity Matters in Neuroscience Training

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

Drive Safe

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 Effect of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Corticospinal Excitability During Complex Action Preparation

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

Effect of Vibration on Muscle Properties, Physical Activity, and Balance in Children with Cerebral Palsy

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

Effects of Reinforcer and Extinction Factors on Response Strength of Behavior

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

Egg Consumption, Skeletal Health, and Cognition in Obese Children

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

Examining the Processes and Outcomes of Reading Comprehension (EXPO-RC)

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

Examining the Role of District Science Coordinator Professional Learning in Supporting and Retaining Science Teachers

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

Expanding Georgia’s Behavioral Health Workforce for Integrated OUD/SUD Prevention and Treatment with Underserved Populations

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

Generalization Across Multiple Mathematical Areas: Classrooms and Teaching (GAMMA-CAT)

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

Generalized, Multilevel, and Longitudinal Psychometric Models for Evaluating Educational Interventions

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

Georgia Kindergarten Entry Profile

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

Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (GKIDS) Learning Trajectories

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

Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP)

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

Georgia Teacher Endorsement Project

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

GROUP GEMS

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

Growing Georgia's Behavioral Health Workforce Through Transformative Experiential Training

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

“Growing Our Own”: A Mixed Methods Study of Black Youths in High School Early Childhood Education Career Pathway Programs

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

Identifying Systemic Racism in Mathematics Teacher Education: Building a Cross-Site Community with Preservice Teachers of Color

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

Inclusive Data Science Education for Rural Elementary Students

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

Innovative Partnerships to Train School-Based Mental Health Providers in High-Need Schools & LEAs in Rural Georgia

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

Intelligent, Adaptive Program with Just-in-time Feedback for Preservice Teachers

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

Investigating Postsecondary Education Access and Choice for Rural Black Students Using a Participatory Mixed Methods Approach

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

The Item Bank Calibration and Replenishment for Computerized Adaptive Testing in Small Scale Assessments: Method, Theory and Application

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

IUGB-UGA Development Focused Learning and U.S.-Style Higher Education in West Africa

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

Just Education Policy

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 Walker Swain
    Assistant Professor, Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy
  • Active since
    February 2022

Language Use During Face-to-Face and Virtual Shared Book Reading

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.

Learning by Evaluating: Engaging Students in Evaluation as a Pedagogical Strategy to Improve Design Thinking

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

Longitudinal Assessment of Post-Concussion Driving in Young Adults (LAPDYA)

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

Longitudinal Assessment of Post-Concussion Driving (LAPD)

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

Momentary Assessment of Research Learning Environments

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

National Endowment for the Arts Big Read: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

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

Native STEM Portraits

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

NCAA-DOD Grand Alliance

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

Nutritional Effects of Different Doses of Cottonseed Oil in Humans

In this project, our goal is to determine if lower doses of cottonseed oil can be equally effective as previously proven higher doses on cholesterol levels, fasting and postprandial lipid metabolism, and other markers of chronic disease risk.

  • Sponsor
    Cotton Incorporated
    $91,793

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

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

  • Active since
    January 2024

Optimal Design of Experimental Studies Investigating Moderation and Main Effects

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

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking (OCCS) In Military Service Members and Athletes: A Machine Learning Approach Using CARE Consortium Data

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

Our Input Matters: Black Mothers’ Agency in the Formation and Implementation of Anti-Racist School Policies in Multicultural Toronto

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

Paving the Way for High-Quality Personnel Entering the Workforce in Support of Young Children With Disabilities

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

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

  • Sponsor
    UGA Office of Institutional Diversity

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

    Sandie Bass-Ringdahl
    Communication Sciences and Special Education

  • Active since
    September 2019

Post-Concussion Neuromuscular Function and Musculoskeletal Injury Risk

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

Project CAPER: Preparing Leadership in Adapted Physical Education through an Interuniversity Collaboratory

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

Promoting Rights-Based Evaluation (PRE)

The long-term goal of this project is to strengthen the use of partner-centered evidence to promote equitable design, implementation, and evaluation of human rights policies and practices.

  • Sponsor
    U.S. Department of State
    $1,771,623

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

  • Co-principal investigator
    Robin Lin Miller
    Professor, Michigan State University

  • Active since
    September 2023

A Psychoacoustic Approach to Dysphonic Voice Quality Perception

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

RAPID: Bridging the Health Care Skill Gap

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

RAPID: Creating Opportunities for Visualization of Data and Applying STEM Education Research

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

Red Clay Writing Project Grant

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

Regenerative Rehabilitation Solutions to Improve Functional Limitations and Plasticity Following Volumetric Muscle Loss

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

Research on the Utility of Abstraction as a Guiding Principle for Learning about the Nature of Models in Science Education

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

Resources Accessed to Cultivate and Enhance Resilience (RACER)

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

Russian Flagship Program

This grant continues the Russian Flagship Program in the U.S. Southeast to create a unique regional, as well as national, pipeline of global Russian-speaking professionals critical to U.S. competitiveness and security.

  • Sponsor
    Institute of International Education
    $1,300,000
  • Principal investigator
    Victoria Hasko
    Associate Professor, Language and Literacy Education
  • Active since
    June 2020

SCAFFOLD: Science Coordinators Advancing a Framework For Outstanding Leadership Development

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

Setting the Agenda for Research and Practice: Exploring the Tensions and Possibilities of Homeschooling

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

SISTEMAS: Stimulating Immersive Science Through Engaging Motivating and Authentic Scenarios

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

SPEAKOUT! Grant

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

State Technical Assistance Projects to Improve Services and Results for Children who are Deaf-Blind

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 Darrah
    Early Childhood Coordinator, Communication Sciences and Special Education
  • Active since
    October 2018

Steps Towards OA Prevention

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

SUCCESS: Success in College after Concussion with Effective Student Supports

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

Supporting Instructional Decision Making

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

Transforming STEM Education at a Research 1 University through Multi-Level Action Teams

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

Unearthing Healing Through Anti-Racist, Decolonizing, and Community-Engaged Methods to (Re)imagine Inquiry as Restorative Practice

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

University of Georgia STARTALK Russian for Global Professionals Program

This program is designed to attract highly motivated undergraduate students striving for advanced proficiency in Russian and a strong interest in joining the federal workforce.

  • Sponsor
    National Security Agency
    $295,345.49
  • Principal investigator
    Victoria Hasko
    Associate Professor, Language and Literacy Education
  • Active since
    June 2022

The Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem

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
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