We believe that research can change lives, so our program was developed to encourage new ideas with a focus on social justice.
Prior to beginning the fellowship, students will identify a faculty mentor with compatible research interests with whom they will work on multiple projects throughout the year. Mentors will work closely with fellows as they develop and implement their service learning research project at the North Florida Freedom Schools. Fellows will further develop their research experience through research apprenticeships on mentors’ ongoing projects.
Below is a complete list of the 2018 PURPOSE faculty mentors. Students may choose to work with any faculty mentor, regardless of whether that mentor is from the same program, department, or university.
| Mentor | Institution | Department/Program | Research Interests | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peggy Auman | FAMU | Elementary Education | Instructional design process and how it relates to learning in young children; alternative assessment procedures; and measuring teaching effectiveness | Site |
| Vannessa Pitts Bannister | FAMU | Secondary Education and Foundations/Math Education | Mathematical thinking and learning of preservice teachers | Site |
| Rebecca Blankenship | FAMU | Elementary Education | Marginalized populations; access to technology for educational and social equity; digital literacy among faculty and students; development of pedagogic identity, and its use as an agent for social change; development of binary digital agency using the Johari window of personal awareness | Site |
| Cheron Hunter Davis | FAMU | Elementary Education | Exploring preservice teachers’ reflective pedagogy and digital literacy; early literacy interventions; multicultural literature; using literature to address social justice | Site |
| Lama Jaber | FSU | School of Teacher Education/Science Education | Learner engagement in scientific inquiry in different contexts; and learners' emotions during engagement | Site |
| Leona Johnson | FAMU | Educational Psychology | Classroom dynamics and the classroom learning environment (primarily from the student’s voice); factors which influence the classroom learning environment and classroom dynamics such as: culture and learning, online and face-to-face learning, sleep deprivation and learning, stress and learning, group dynamics, student learning preferences, innovative teaching strategies, teacher characteristics, and social media and learning. | Site |
| Tamara Bertrand Jones | FSU | Educational Leadership and Policy Studies/Higher Education | Influences on socialization during graduate education and the professional experiences of underrepresented populations, particularly Black women, in academia; culturally responsive assessment and evaluation | Site |
| Erik Hines | FSU | Educational Psychology and Learning Systems/Counselor Education | College and career readiness for African American males; parental involvement and its impact on academic achievement for students of color; improving and increasing postsecondary opportunities for first generation, low-income, and students of color (particularly African American males); career exploration in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for students of color in K-12. | Site |
| Hassiem Kambui | FAMU | Educator Leadership and Human Services/Counselor Education | The knowledge of, and training with the understanding and application of culture ethically essential for professional treatment intervention of African Americans | Site |
| Rhea Lathan | FSU | English/Rhetoric and Composition | Literate and rhetorical history of women of African descent; development of literacy, and delivery systems for the teaching of writing; community based critical intellectualism; identity politics and social historical activism; and critical race theory in rhetoric and composition | Site |
| Huijun Li | FAMU | School Psychology | Psychobiosocial factors related to mental health, such as culture specific beliefs about causes of mental illness, stigma, barriers to services, and physiological stresses among adolescents (middle and high school students in particular) from diverse backgrounds; School staff knowledge of mental illness and its impact on student learning; Using mobile health technology to characterize risk and protective factors of student mental health and school learning, and to improve student cognition (memory, attention, and processing speed in particular) | Site |
| Joshua Newman | FSU | Sport Management/Media, Politics, and Cultural Studies | Critical theory, and cultural and political economies of sport and the active body | Site |
| La'Tara Osborne-Lampkin | FSU/FCRR | Florida Center for Reading Research, Regional Education Laboratory-Southeast | Researcher-practitioner partnerships; translational & implementation science; policy & education reform in K-12 & post-secondary settings; underserved student populations; and strategic planning, innovation, and research at Minority Serving Institutions | Site |
| Jenelle Robinson | FAMU | Food Science/Nutrition | Exploring dietary behaviors in association with spirituality and religion among African Americans; examining body image ideas and diet among African American women; exploring the value of the performing arts to enhance nutrition education; and enhancing nutritional knowledge and behaviors through nutrition education | Site |
| Serena Roberts | FAMU | Office of Student Services/Center for Academic Success | Institutional research for FAMU and the FAMU College of Education; student progression, persistence and retention | Site |
| Alysia Roehrig | FSU | Educational Psychology and Learning Systems/Learning and Cognition | Effective teaching; teacher professional development; student literacy learning and motivation | Site |
| Alishea Rowley | FAMU | Educator Leadership and Human Services/Counselor Education | Identity development in single African American mothers and children, urban school population, counselor training and development, and social justice | Site |
| Gwendolyn Singleton | FAMU | Neuropsychology | Efficacy of cognitive and behavior-based interventions in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression; relationships among stress, blood pressure, cortisol, and interleukin-6 (IL-6); impact of stress management intervention on the recovery response to neuropsychological rehabilitation; and relationships among perceived stress, perceived racism, cultural identity, stress biomarkers (cortisol and IL-6) and health outcomes | Site |
| Novell Tani | FAMU | Psychology | Self-efficacy, self-motivation, and impact on achievement; predictors of academic self-esteem variants; cultural and experiential components that impact the sexuality development of LGBTQ individuals; racial identity and consciousness; capital identity projection, and scholastic identity development; race and gender differences; stereotype threats; self-concepts; academic achievement; teacher-student interactions; and micro- and macro-level factors that impact academic success | Site |
| Nicholas Thomas | FAMU | Music Education | Music teacher education; urban teacher education; music education pedagogy; instrumental music; and wind band pedagogy | Site |
| Jeannine Turner | FSU | Educational Psychology and Learning Systems/Learning and Cognition | Motivation, emotions, and self-regulation within learning endeavors | Site |
| Ian Whitacre | FSU | School of Teacher Education/Elementary Mathematics Education | Mathematical thinking and learning of preservice teachers and K-8 students; use of computer simulations in mathematics teaching and learning | Site |
| Carla Wood | FSU | Communication Science & Disorders | Early intervention for English language learners and hearing impaired; clinical and distance education; efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies with young children; family quality of life measurement; bilingual assessment | Site |