Online Newsletter
March 2026
Note
Moving forward, the College of Education Online Newsletter will be released on a bi-monthly basis and will feature a new format much like that of our digital magazine.
By featuring previews that will direct readers to each full-length article in that edition, we aim to make our newsletter more concise, accessible and reader-friendly.
Thank you!
Dr. Kagendo Mutua receives Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award
As a recipient of one of the University's highest honors, Mutua demonstrates unparalleled standards of scholarship, leadership and service.
Adhering to 24-hour movement guidelines can help lower your mortality risk
Dr. Benjamin Boudreaux’s new study suggests we can get a more accurate picture of a person's health by knowing more about their physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep duration over 24 hours.
Dr. Demitrius Barksdale recently received the UA National Pan-Hellenic Council's Faculty Breaking Barriers Award during its fifth annual awards ceremony. ➤ READ MORE
Project gets high schoolers excited about math through radar sensor technology and robots
Dr. Hazel Altindis and her team introduce students to machine learning, data science through engaging lessons and experiments
The College's first "Legends in the Making" Block Orientation helps give early childhood and elementary education students a clear vision of what lies ahead as they progress through their programs.
From left, Abria Birchfield, Tori Adams and their guests.
From left, Abria Birchfield, Tori Adams and their guests.
Dr. Latrise Johnson and Dr. Brittany Adams.
Dr. Latrise Johnson and Dr. Brittany Adams.
Foreground, Krista Hall, Yudith Valencia-Garcia and Dr. Adams; background, Macy Jo Hamm and Mariana Sebastian-Tomas.
Foreground, Krista Hall, Yudith Valencia-Garcia and Dr. Adams; background, Macy Jo Hamm and Mariana Sebastian-Tomas.
Jillian Boyda, Lola Smith, Lily Feely and Romina Aguirre Revilla.
Jillian Boyda, Lola Smith, Lily Feely and Romina Aguirre Revilla.
BOWL TIDE BOWL 🎳
The First-Generation Learning Community and Teach in Bama scholars recently came together for a fun evening of bowling, connection and community building. Latrise Johnson and Brittany Adams, faculty mentors from both programs, organized the joint social event, which created opportunities for students to meet peers outside their immediate cohorts, share experiences and strengthen relationships across the College of Education.
Events like this highlight our College’s commitment to fostering supportive networks that help future educators thrive academically, professionally and personally. By encouraging collaboration and cross-program interaction, Teach in Bama and the First-Generation Learning Community continue to build a strong sense of belonging among our teacher candidates.
Future Teachers of Alabama
conference returns to the Capstone
More than 600 students from across the state attended the FTA Western Conference to experience a day of immersive learning experiences and opportunities for collaboration and connection.
Teach in Bama students cheer on the Tide at gymnastics meet
Several of our Teach in Bama scholars cheered on the Tide at their gymnastics meet vs. Oregon State earlier this month! From left are Madison Taylor, Macy Jo Hamm, Israel Cole, Kallie Wilson, Alillian Brown and Emily McKee.
You can larn more about our Teach in Bama scholarship program at teachinbama.ua.edu!
edTPA Writing Workshops ✏️
Drs. Brittany Adams, Cortney Dilgard and Mandy Cramer recently hosted four edTPA Write Nights! These workshops (Writing Night 1 shown above) are part of their Rising Tide grant work focusing on improving the elementary education undergraduate student experience.
Two education alumni featured in 18 Under 31 Young Alumni Awards
Savannah Fisher
Fisher is a fifth-grade science and social studies teacher at Pelham Ridge Elementary School in Pelham. She graduated cum laude from The University of Alabama in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a certificate in early childhood education, then returned to earn a master’s degree in elementary education with specializations in math, science and social studies.
While at UA, Fisher was a member of the Million Dollar Band and Alta Marea Winterguard, where she has assisted in coaching the color guard since the fall of 2022. She helped lead Alta Marea Winterguard to a historic silver medal finish at Winter Guard International’s World Championships in 2024. She currently serves as secretary for the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit.
Fisher is also a leader in her school community, serving as a mentor teacher, grade level chair, action team leader and Lighthouse Coordinator for her school’s “Leader in Me” program. In 2025, she was named Elementary Educator of the Year by Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.
Staff Sgt. Matthew Meadows
Originally from Jasper, Meadows joined the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in April 2025. He is an in-demand soloist, chamber musician, and clinician who has earned top honors in numerous national and international competitions. In 2019, he received second prize in the International Horn Competition of America University Division. His additional accolades include National Winner of the MTNA Young Artist Competition, winner of the Kappa Kappa Psi Biennial Solo Competition, the FOOSA Philharmonic Concerto Competition, the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” National Collegiate Solo Competition, and more.
Meadows has held principal and section horn positions with the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. He has also performed with orchestras including the Alabama Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic and Huntsville Symphony. Internationally, he appeared as a soloist with the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra at the 2024 Toradze International Music Festival. Meadows earned both his bachelor’s degree in music education and master’s degree in horn performance from The University of Alabama.
COE Graduate Research Symposium currently accepting proposal submissions and volunteers
Graduate students can submit their paper and poster presentation proposals for the College of Education Graduate Research Symposium (COEGRS 2026) here! All proposals entered will also be eligible for UA College of Education Travel and Research Awards.
Priority deadline for submissions is March 5, with the final deadline being March 31.
Faculty, staff, students and the community are welcome to attend all in-person and virtual COEGRS 2026 events April 22-23.
If you are interested in assisting with the event, offering professional development or reviewing presentations, please complete a short volunteer survey here!
Contact your faculty advisor or email Dr. Stacy Hughey Surman at ssurman@ua.edu if you have questions.
Faculty & Staff Achievements
Student Services welcomes academic advisors and existing staff into new roles
The Office of Student Services has seen several updates within academic advising this spring semester.
This month, the team welcomed Tyler White as a new kinesiology academic advisor.
Hannah McGee, a 2005 special education graduate, has also returned to campus as an academic advisor for teacher education. The College of Education is excited to welcome her back and looks forward to the experience and perspective she will bring to this role.
Epiphany Wells-Kelly received a promotion and is now serving as the advising supervisor for teacher education.
Christy Gordon earned a promotion as well and now serves as the advising supervisor for Kinesiology, managing advisors Tyler White, Tyler Cranmore and Gretchen Whisenant.
From left, Hannah McGee, Epiphany Wells-Kelly and Christy Gordon.
From left, Hannah McGee, Epiphany Wells-Kelly and Christy Gordon.
"I am excited about my new role," Gordon said. "I now have the opportunity to support the Kinesiology advisors through collaboration and thoughtful leadership. I want them to feel equipped and supported as they do the important work of serving our students."
The teacher education advising suite is in 109 Carmichael Hall, and the advising suite for kinesiology is in Suite 0002E Wade Hall.
Please welcome Tyler White and Hannah McGee to campus and congratulating our colleagues on their new roles!
Dr. Benjamin Boudreaux earns ACSM fellowship status
Dr. Bray named new director of the Education Policy Center
Professor of Higher Education Dr. Nathaniel Bray has been named the new director of the Education Policy Center. Former Director Dr. Steven Katsinas retired.
Mikayla Cain becomes OCTSA's new public relations specialist
Mikayla Cain was recently asked to take over the role of public relations specialist within the Office, Clerical and Technical Staff Assembly (OCTSA) and is now part of the OCTSA Steering Committee.
Dr. Crombie travels overseas to give research talks, collab, serve on doctoral board
Dr. Kevin Crombie recently visited Radboud University, Radboud University Medical Center as well as the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour in Nijmegen, Netherlands, where he spoke about his research, collaborated with colleagues and served as a doctoral examination board member during a PhD defense ceremony.
Dr. Emily Lund earns ethics in rehab distinguished lecture award
Dr. Emily Lund was selected to receive the Thomas Martin Ethics in Rehabilitation Distinguished Lecture Award at the 2026 Rehabilitation Psychology Conference (RP2026) for her many accomplishments and contributions in this area.
Dr. Suárez-Pellicioni named ALRI fellow, elected to journal editorial board
Dr. Macarena Suárez-Pellicioni was selected to join the second cohort of the Alabama Life Research Institute's Faculty Research Fellowship. She was also elected to the Journal of Numerical Cognition (Neuroscience) Editorial Board in March 2025 and is currently serving in this role.
Dr. Pimentel wins NSTA and NARST Research Worth Reading award
Dr. Daniel Pimentel won the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Research Worth Reading award for his publication "Learning to evaluate sources of science (mis)information on the internet: Assessing students' scientific online reasoning."
The award is given to three papers published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) that are interpreted as having the most significant implications for science educators and practitioners.
Dr. Sylvia Hollins
featured as guest on an episode of ASCA podcast
Dr. Sylvia Hollins was invited and featured as a guest on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)’s national podcast "I Hear You Say" hosted by Jill Cook, ASCA executive director, and Janae Douglas, ASCA education and training coordinator.
Hollins shared expertise on trauma-informed and equity-centered school counseling practices, contributing to national professional discourse and elevating the visibility of The University of Alabama’s Counselor Education program.
You can listen to the episode at videos.schoolcounselor.org or wherever you prefer to get your podcasts.
Co-authored publication wins AERA research methodology award
Dr. Kelly Guyotte with Dr. Stephanie Anne Shelton (UNC) and Dr. Jennifer Wolgemuth (USF), recently won the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division D Award for Significant Contributions to Research Methodology for their work in "Expanding Approaches to Thematic Analysis."
The AERA committee noted the publication's important invitation to rethink thematic analysis, its outstanding impact on the field and the teaching of qualitative methodologies, as well as the overall high quality of the nomination packet.
Guyotte, Shelton and Wolgemuth will accept the award during the 2026 AERA Convention in Los Angeles, Calif., in April.
Co-authored study by Dr. Chunhua Cao highlighted on 2 websites
A co-authored study by Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods Dr. Chunhua Cao called "Emotional support from social media found to reduce anxiety" was recently featured in the news section of the University of Arkansas website, news.uark.edu/articles/80669/emotional-support-from-social-media-found-to-reduce-anxiety, as well as on MSN's website, msn.com/en-us/health/other/emotional-support-from-social-media-found-to-reduce-anxiety/ar-AA1VkoMA.
Cao co-authored the study with Renae Merrill, a lecturer in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
Louellen Lowe joins Dean's Office as new director of development
Louellen Lowe has taken on her role as our new director of development, coming to the College with years of experience in policy and state relations in both New Mexico and Texas.
Dr. Carol Donovan named special education department head
Dr. Carol Donovan has been appointed as the next department head of special education. Donovan is a professor of literacy education and multiple abilities and the UA CALT program director, which provides certification pathways for those who want to become dyslexia therapists and practitioners. She also recently served as interim director of faculty development.
Student & Alumni News
Genevieve Bangert awarded $2,500 for M.S. research grant
Dr. April Jones earns AERA Qualitative Dissertation Award
Dr. Venus Watson co-winner of AERA Qualitative Research SIG dissertation award
Dr. Venus Watson earned national recognition for her excellent work, announced as a co-winner of the AERA Qualitative Research (QR) SIG’s Dissertation Award.
This makes the second year in a row that a UA student has won the highly competitive QR SIG Dissertation Award.
Dr. Watson is currently the St. Clair County Schools director of preschool special education.
Sherretta Williams now
Lawson State director of online education
Sherretta Williams, an adjunct professor and PhD candidate in instructional leadership, accepted a job offer as the director of online education and instructional technology at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham.
In this position, Williams will be responsible for training faculty to integrate the use of technology across all learning platforms while also collaborating with student services and other departments to contribute to student success outcomes and career technology in the use of innovative technologies.
Williams is a graduate student assistant with the Department of Civil Engineering and has master's of science in education degrees in both adult education and instructional design and technology education.
Kinesiology doctoral students give presentations during annual meeting of the Southeast ACSM chapter
Department of Kinesiology doctoral students Grant Malone and Erica Schafer both presented last week during the 2026 meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM). Below are summaries of both poster presentations.
"Comparing Health Descriptors and Physiological Stress Responses Among Successful and Unsuccessful Smoke Diver Candidates," presented by Erica Schafer
Data collection at the Alabama Fire College has revealed unique predictors of success during the arduous Smoke Diver firefighter training program. Specifically, health descriptors such as BMI and severity of PTSD symptoms are associated with a candidate’s likelihood of passing the course. Additionally, physiological stress responses such as momentary mechanical and training intensities collected during a high-intensity air consumption course were also associated with candidate success. The work provides insight into individual Smoke Diver candidates’ abilities to successfully complete this program and may inform future strategies aiming to provide support to those at a greater risk of failure.
"The Influence of Circadian Rhythm on Antihypertensive Exercise Interventions," presented by Grant Malone
Ongoing research from the Cardiovascular Health and Physical Activity Laboratory suggests that your body's internal clock, circadian rhythm, may affect how much your blood pressure drops after a workout. Preliminary results showed that people with intermediate chronotypes (those who don't strongly prefer mornings or evenings) had the biggest differences in pre- vs. post-exercise blood pressure depending on whether they exercised in the morning or evening. This work suggests that timing your workout to match your natural sleep-wake cycle could play a role in getting the most blood pressure-lowering benefit from exercise.
Erica Shafer, pictured above, and Grant Malone, below, give their poster presentations.
Erica Shafer, pictured above, and Grant Malone, below, give their poster presentations.
If you need assistance from the COE
Student Food Pantry, please
apply 👉 here 👈 for support.
Have questions?
Interested in volunteering?
Contact edupantry@ua.edu ✉️
Mark Your Calendars
March 13 - March 22
Spring Break 🏖️
Classes dismissed, UA offices closed.
APRIL 24
Exercise Science
Graduation Celebration 🎓
⏰ 3-5 p.m.
📍 First-floor conference room at Wade Hall
APRIL 30
Teacher Pinning Ceremony 🌟
⏰ 10-11:30 a.m.
📍Sellers Auditorium
Newsletter by
Kelcey Sexton
Communications Specialist
Visit the official College of Education website at education.ua.edu.