Online Newsletter
Summer 2026
New course aims to bridge AI skills gap in undergraduates
Education Engagement Day a new opportunity for connection, collaboration, career preparation
McDaniel, Preast discuss new journal that focuses on shift toward integrated systems of student support
Dr. Lakin helping to increase access to STEM education for students, teachers across Alabama
➤ READ MORE
A-Day visit gives K-12 students hands-on STEM experience
The College welcomed more than 30 students and parents for an exciting STEM experience designed to inspire the next generation of learners and leaders.
Dr. Boudreaux celebrates multiple successes this spring
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Principal of Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools Elementary receives national honor
A surprise celebration was held for Dr. Preeti Nichani, who was named Alabama's 2026 National Distinguished Principal.
Drs. Adams and Dilgard spotlighted during Excellence in Community Engagement Awards
Drs. Brittany Adams and Cortney Dilgard were awarded a 2025 Seed Fund grant from the Council on Community-Based Partnerships to support this year's RT4R programming, including partnership work and community events with the Tuscaloosa Public Library as well as student involvement.
This feature on Roll Tide For Reading was shown during the 2026 Excellence in Community Engagement Awards Luncheon!
SPECIAL EDUCATION
HOLDS SIGNING DAY FOR UNDERGRADUATES 🖋️
2026 Faculty & Staff Awards
Congratulations to all of our 2026 College of Education Faculty & Staff Award winners and our retired and promoted faculty!
Retired Faculty
- Brenda Mendiola
- Emily Sims
- Robin McWilliam
- Stephen Katsinas
- Natalie Adams
- Karl Hamner
- Douglas McKnight
W. Ross Palmer Service to Students Awards
- Suzanne Gibson
- Laurel Snider
Staff Council Professional Excellence Awards
- Kim Easterwood
- Carina Larbig
Nellie Rose McCory Faculty Excellence Awards
- Jewoong Moon (Research)
- Jingping Sun (Teaching)
- Amy Williamson (Service)
Office of Faculty Development Mentor Awards
- Latrise Johnson (Graduate)
- Zacko Rightmire (Undergraduate)
Promoted Faculty
- Kelly Guyotte, Full Professor
- Hyemin Han, Full Professor
- James Hardin, Renewed Contract Faculty Full Professor
- Libba Woodruff, Renewed Contract Faculty Full Professor
- Melissa Filderman, Associate Professor
- Kristen Lamb, Associate Professor
- Feiya Luo, Associate Professor
Elementary Education hosts
alumni happy hour event
As part of an ongoing Rising Tide initiative, Dr. Brittany Adams, Dr. Cortney Dilgard, and Dr. Mandy Cramer hosted Elementary Education Alumni Happy Hour on March 9 at Avenue Pub Northbank. The event welcomed a strong turnout of alumni from local schools, representing a wide range of grade levels and years of teaching experience.
The evening created a valuable opportunity for alumni to reconnect with one another and with faculty while strengthening partnerships between the College of Education and West Alabama schools. Faculty had the opportunity to hear directly from alumni about their classroom experiences, and the conversations provided important insight to inform ongoing program development and support.
The event also highlighted the deep commitment of our alumni community.
Alumna Crystal Langston traveled from Jacksonville, Ala., taking a half day from work and braving inclement weather to attend. She later shared, “Tonight was SUPER COOL!! … felt special while being honored and treated for the greatest profession in the world from my favorite university in the world!!”
Allison Sherrill, another alumna who attended, recently celebrated her 50th year in education. She now serves as an intern supervisor in the program, bringing decades of experience and mentorship to the next generation of teachers.
Cottondale Elementary first-grade teachers Bradley Adams, Allison McGlaughn and Macy Lawrence represented the College recently by wearing their "Teach Like a Legend" T-shirts from the event during a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo.
Overall, the evening highlighted the lasting impact of our graduates and reinforced a shared commitment to supporting educators in our community.
ELED faculty surprise Honors Day award recipients
Elementary Education faculty celebrated this year’s Honors Day award recipients in a memorable and unexpected way. On March 10 — prior to the official Honors Day announcement — faculty members Drs. Brittany Adams, Cortney Dilgard, Mandy Cramer and Cailin Kerch visited award winners in their internship classrooms to surprise them in front of their students and colleagues.
With the support of mentor teachers and internship supervisors who helped coordinate the surprise, each classroom celebration included music, pom-poms and celebratory swag bags, complete with the students’ first alumni T-shirt. The visits not only recognized the interns’ outstanding accomplishments but also honored the important partnerships between the College of Education and local schools.
The excitement and pride shared by mentor teachers, supervisors and students made each visit a meaningful celebration of these future educators. Initiatives like this reflect the College’s commitment to recognizing excellence while strengthening connections between coursework, clinical experiences and the professional community.
This year's Elementary Education award recipients:
• Maddie Treadway, Outstanding Early Childhood Education Undergraduate Award (Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary School)
• Seana Kelly, Jan Wilson Award for Excellence in Teaching with Children’s Literature (Verner Elementary School)
• Trinity Henry, Outstanding Elementary Education Undergraduate Award (Southview Elementary School)
18 teachers selected to be Master Teaching Fellows
in elementary mathematics specialist project
Congratulations to the 18 teachers who were selected as Master Teaching Fellows in the NSF-funded Cultivating Elementary Mathematics Specialists (CEMS) project led by Drs. Susan Auslander, Mandy Cramer and Cailin Kerch.
We are excited to see the impact these fellows will make in their classrooms, schools and communities as they strengthen mathematics teaching and learning across Alabama.
To learn more about the project and these teachers, visit cems.ua.edu.
Faculty and students rally for reading 📚
Eutaw Primary School Principal Dr. Brittany Harris and her staff gave our faculty, undergraduate and international graduate students a warm welcome as they visited the school, surprising classes with music and a special visit from Pete the Cat.
Dr. Cailin Kerch rallied the pre-K through first-grade students in a 15-minute celebration of reading and singing about Pete rockin’ in his school shoes, showing the children that learning to read leads to delightful experiences full of fun characters, places and ideas yet to be imagined.
Thank you, Greene County Schools and Eutaw Primary School, for inviting us to spend time with students and teachers!
RT4R hosts Warm Up with a Story ❄️
In February, the University of Alabama student organization Roll Tide for Reading (RT4R) partnered with the Tuscaloosa Public Library to host Warm Up with a Story, a seasonally inspired literacy event for local families.
The program welcomed more than 50 children and their caregivers for a morning of interactive read-alouds and hands-on learning activities designed to promote family engagement with literacy.
Twenty University of Alabama student volunteers led small-group stations featuring winter-themed picture books and related STEAM and craft activities.
Children listened to stories such as Cold Turkey by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kirsti Call and Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen, then participated in creative extensions including disguising turkeys, building mini catapults for cotton-ball “snowball fights,” designing paper snowflakes, and constructing sock snowmen.
Families also received take-home literacy kits containing books, learning materials, and craft supplies to continue reading and learning together at home.
Funding to support the event was provided through a University of Alabama Center for Community-Based Partnerships Seed Grant, which supports initiatives that connect university students with community needs. Events like Warm Up with a Story provide future educators with valuable experience working with children and families while expanding access to high-quality literacy opportunities in the Tuscaloosa community.
MAP celebrates women's wheelchair basketball national title win with student and player Elizabeth Floch 🏀
While the Multiple Abilities Program loves all things UA, it has a special place in its heart for its very own Elizabeth Floch. MAP juniors have had the best time cheering on the UA women’s wheelchair basketball team this season, and getting to surprise Floch with a huge “CONGRATS, NATIONAL CHAMP!” made it even sweeter. Roll Tide!
Early Childhood Special Education students take part in interactive learning experiences with PhD students 🥽
Early childhood special education juniors in Dr. Courtney O'Grady's class participated in a fun, hands-on learning experience this week during a lecture with PhD students Amber Barton and Macy Trevillion!
The students worked with instructional and assistive technology tools from the LITE lab and APTAT program and explored how these tools can be used to support all learners inside the classroom
Faculty & Staff Achievements
Boudreaux selected to run NYC Marathon, write piece for news site
Dr. Benjamin Boudreaux was selected from among 240,000 applicants to run the 2026 NYC Marathon on Nov. 1. Only about 1% of applicants were selected.
Boudreaux was also
contacted by The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to unlocking the knowledge of experts for the public good, to write a piece about exercise guidelines for individuals with autism and different disabilities.
Rodriguez, co-author win award for best article
Dr. Miguel Casar Rodriguez and co-author Joaquín M. S. Noguera were named the 2026 recipients of the Theory into Practice Best Article Award for their piece “Who speaks for whom? The right to the word and why it matters,” which was selected by an esteemed panel of scholars.
Man named NCME Early Career Scholar
Dr. Kaiwen Man was recently named the 2026 recipient of the National Council on Measurement in Education's Jason Millman Promise of Early Career Measurement Scholar Award in recognition of his exceptional contributions to applied measurement, particularly his research on the use of multimodal data to detect aberrant test-taking behavior.
Man also served as a Special Issue Editor for the Journal of Intelligence on applying AI and machine learning in education.
Dr. Laura McNeill
Dr. Laura McNeill
McNeill highlighted in CW article about AI on campus
Dr. Laura McNeill was recently highlighted in a Crimson White article for her AI efforts on campus and Legends 101 course "Digital Minds: Your AI Adventure Begins."
You can read more about Dr. McNeill's work in this issue's article "New course aims to bridge AI skills gap."
Pimentel appointed to National Academies Workshop Committee
Dr. Daniel Pimentel was appointed to a National Academies Workshop Committee on Media Literacy Education and chosen to organize and hold a 2-day public workshop focused on how to support the development of media literacy for children and youth in the context of a complex information ecosystem.
More information: nationalacademies.org/projects/DBASSE-BOSE-25-01
Beck receives Blackboard Exemplary Course Award
Dr. Paton Beck received the 2026 Blackboard Exemplary Course Award for the course, AHE 685- Higher Education in the United States
The Exemplary Course Program honors faculty for exceptional course design. This prestigious award is based on the Blackboard Exemplary Course Rubric, which highlights key characteristics of high-quality courses within the framework of Course Design, Interaction and Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support. This award celebrates dedication to delivering high-quality educational experiences, setting a standard for institutions worldwide. This work is instrumental in shaping the future of education and stands as a testament to excellence in course design.
Moon selected as President's Faculty Research Award Emerging Scholar
Dr. Jewoong Moon was selected for the UA President’s Faculty Research Emerging Scholar Award in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. This university-wide distinction is awarded annually during Faculty Research Day, with only one faculty member selected in each discipline and career stage category following a rigorous review of research productivity, scholarly impact, external funding, and overall contributions to the field.
"Being recognized at the emerging career stage, and among such outstanding colleagues across campus, is both humbling and deeply meaningful as I complete my fifth year at UA," Moon said. "I am sincerely grateful to my students, collaborators, mentors, and colleagues whose support and partnership made this achievement possible."
Aguiar, Woodruff elected to UA Graduate Council
Congratulations to Drs. Elroy Aguiar and Libba Woodruff on being newly elected to the UA Graduate Council!
2026-27 COE Grant Fellows named
The 2026-2027 cohort of College of Education Grant Fellows include Dr. Hazel Altindis, Dr. Miguel Casar, Dr. Changki Kim and Dr. Sarah McKellar. They will be participating in the program as they work to meet their grant and scholarly goals next academic year.
Student & Alumni News
Sun Gu (PhD in Educational Research, 2026) will join The University of Oklahoma this fall as a tenure track Assistant Professor of Qualitative Research.
Mohi Uddin received the Emerging Scholar Award Recipient for International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the Common Ground Research Network (USA) at the University of Galway, Ireland 2026.
Stephen Abu, PhD, was recently selected as a recipient of the travel scholarship from AERA Instructional Technology SIG based on his proposal merit.
Congratulations to Kinesiology graduate students Kayli Lucas and Grant Malone for being recognized as Outstanding Graduate Students on Honors Day!
Secondary education student Lily Frances Price was selected for the 2026-27 Class of Shelby Scholars. Price, second row and second from right in the photo above, is a rising senior and one of 19 exceptional students and leaders chosen for this highly competitive honor.
Congratulations to doctoral students Amber Barton and Mary Lachney as well as their mentor Associate Professor of Special Education Dr. Marissa Filderman for placing second in the SITE 2026 poster competition last month! Their presentation was titled "Preparing for Change: A Pilot Study on AI as a Tool for Differentiation in K-12 Classrooms."
MAP coordinators and clinical instructors Sharron Maughn and Lisa Burgess recently welcomed Lachney and Barton back to the program as instructors of record.
UA Kinesiology students and professors, seen above, attended the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine meeting Feb. 26-28 in Greenville, S.C.
During the conference, master's student Kayli Lucas won third place in the Master's Students Research Award during the conference, and the following students gave poster presentations: graduate students Grant Malone and Hannah Schaefer, Sammy Chatham, Hannah Lew, Amy Claire Godwin, Ella Schamber, Ahsen Ezez, Kamryn Stiffler, Avery Nellos, Tiffany Adams, Israel Adandom, Cristal Benitez, Motoki Sato and Madelyn Simmang.
Our UA Kinesiology Undergraduate Quiz Bowl Team also left the conference victorious after winning its Jeopardy-style competition by beating out about 30 teams from other institutions in the region. Team members included Ella Schamber, Paityn Lisk, Sydney Visser and alternate Andrew Strong with graduate student coaches Grant Malone, Tiffany Adams and Motoki Sato.
Lela Schluer, an elementary education pre-service teacher, recently partnered with the Lab for Innovative Technology in Education (LITE) to bring virtual reality and 3D design into her classroom during a unit on space. One project the students enjoyed participating in included creating a 3D-printed model of an astronaut.
Kinesiology students present at
URCA, Midsouth Biomechanics conferences
Undergraduates Sydney Saunders, Holly Knauf, Lily Efird, Emily Swanner, Taylor Griffith, Adrienne East and Phanuelle Manuel as well as graduate students Erica Schafer and Grant Malone gave poster presentations during the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity Conference (URCA) with support from Drs. Hayley MacDonald, Elroy Aguiar and Michael Fedewa.
Students Makenna Cook, Victoria Vandiver and Alexander Stacey presented during the Midsouth Biomechanics Conference with support from Drs. Timothy Lowe and Changi Kim. Vandiver also received an award during the conference.
✨ ALUMNI SHOUTOUTS ✨
This month we are excited to spotlight two of our alumni, Dr. Justina Ogodo and Dr. Marsha Simon, both of whom attended this year's American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
Dr. Justina Ogodo
Ogodo, who earned her doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction from the College of Education in 2017, shared that she recently received tenure and was promoted to assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University’s School of Education. She is a first-generation college graduate with a science teaching career in K-20 settings that spans over 20 years. Ogodo said she is proud to be a UA alumna, and we are proud of her as well!
Dr. Marsha Simon
Newsletter by
Kelcey Sexton
Communications Specialist
Visit the official College of Education website at education.ua.edu.