Yinghe Qi, a postdoctoral researcher at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has received the Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award, one of cryogenic engineering’s top international honors for early-career researchers. Read more …

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The post The Big Story: June 1, 2026 appeared first on Florida State University News.

Two professors at Florida State University’s Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) have earned fellowships recognizing their contributions to the field of nutrition.

Associate Professor Sarah A. Johnson and Betty M. Watts Endowed Professor Ravinder Nagpal, both members of FSU’s Department of Health, Nutrition and Food Sciences, are among 69 researchers and professionals selected for the American Society for Nutrition’s (ASN) 2026 Excellence in Nutrition Fellows of ASN (FASN).

The program recognizes nutrition professionals who are 10 or more years beyond their terminal degree and have maintained ASN membership for five or more years. Fellows have demonstrated significant impact in their respective career paths, as well as meaningful service to ASN.

The FASN designation recognizes significant contributions to nutrition science, practice and professional service.

Johnson’s research uses clinical and translational approaches to develop food and nutritional interventions. Her work evaluates how nutritional interventions, particularly phytochemical-rich, high–nutritional quality functional foods, promote cardiometabolic health and reduce cardiovascular disease risk with aging.

Earlier this year, Johnson was one of 12 researchers whose study examined the effects of wild blueberries on cardiometabolic health. The findings received attention in national and industry publications.

Johnson said the fellowship reflects a career shaped by mentors, colleagues and collaborators.

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized as a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition among colleagues I admire and whose work continues to advance the science of nutrition and its translation to improve human health and well-being,” Johnson said. “I am deeply appreciative to everyone who has contributed to making this achievement possible. I joined the American Society for Nutrition as a PhD student, new to research and having just worked as a clinical inpatient and outpatient dietitian prior to going back to school to pursue a doctoral degree. Reflecting on that journey, it is difficult to fully express the meaning and impact of this recognition. To be honored by peers I admire so strongly is especially meaningful.”

Nagpal directs The Gut Biome Lab, which studies the mechanisms and dynamics of host-diet-microbe interactions and how they influence human health.

He has become one of the country’s top experts in gut health, a field that has fueled interest because of new research showing how the gut plays a central role in overall health. His lab collaborates with experts in gerontology, neuroscience, microbiology, nutrition/food sciences, cell/molecular biology, immunology, sepsis and clinical care.

Nagpal said the fellowship reflects the collaborative nature of nutrition research.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition,” Nagpal said. “This distinction reflects the collective efforts of an incredible community of my mentors, collaborators, students, trainees and friends who have supported my endeavors and made this recognition possible. My research is centered on understanding how nutrition shapes the gut microbiome and influences health and disease, with the goal of translating these discoveries into strategies for disease prevention and improved well-being. Since joining ASN in 2017, I have always been proud to be part of a scientific community dedicated to advancing nutrition science through education, research and service.”

The 2026 Fellows will be recognized July 25-28 at NUTRITION 2026 in National Harbor, Md., at the ASN’s annual meeting.

For more information about Anne’s College, visit its website.

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Florida State University’s distinguished faculty are central to the mission of the university. Faculty excellence in scholarship, research, and creative activity is critical to the quality of student learning and makes a difference in the lives of others.

Throughout the year, honors and recognitions are awarded to individual faculty and staff members across campus. Faculty and Staff Briefs are produced monthly to recognize accomplishments and provide a space where honors, awards, bylines, presentations, grants, service and any other notable items can be showcased.

ARCHIVE

HONORS AND AWARDS

Carrie Meyers, (Learning Systems Institute/FSU InSPIRE) was awarded the FLATE (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center) Manufacturing Partner-of-the-Year for Service award.

Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) and Thomas Ledermann, Ph.D. (Anne’s College) were awarded the 2nd place professional poster presentation award at the 11th Annual University of Texas at San Antonio, Health Care Summit held in San Antonio, TX.

Frank “Frankie” Y. Wong, Ph.D. (College of Nursing) has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2026–2027 academic year. During the Spring 2027 semester, Wong will conduct work in Ho Chi Minh City, Việt Nam, focusing on HIV research and global health challenges. His project aims to support innovative strategies for HIV prevention and long-term disease management while fostering international collaboration and cultural exchange through the Fulbright Program.

Hua (Elaine) Luo, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) received the Society for the Study of School Psychology Early Career Research Award for her project, “Bridging the Training-to-Practice Gap: A Large-Scale Mixed-Methods Study of Job Demands and Curriculum Alignment in School Psychology.”

Cheyenne Egstad, (Career Center) received the Rising Star Award from the Cooperative Education & Internship Association for her outstanding contributions to the field of work-integrated learning.

Kari DiDonato, (Campus Recreation) and Campus Recreation Marketing were awarded two Creative Excellence awards from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association. “Lakefront Rental Office, Matilda Theme” received first place in the Social Media Campaign category and “Outdoor Trip Essentials” received first place in the Student Generated Content Campaign category.

Elizabeth Cecil, Ph.D. (Department of Religion) was awarded a fellowship from the Association for Public Religion and Intellectual Life to participate in the Representing Religion in Museums summer colloquium in New York City, New York.

Debajyoti Sinha, Ph.D. (Department of Statistics) was elected a fellow of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis in recognition of his significant contributions in promoting Bayesian ideas and methods in society, through scientific works and other activities. The honor will be announced at the annual ISBA banquet in Nagoya, Japan.

Nicole Bentze, D.O. (College of Medicine) was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society.

Tonya Williams, M.D. (College of Medicine) was inducted into the FSU Chapman Chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

GRANTS

Matthew Lenard, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) is leading a research project examining how specific math skills contribute to upward mobility. Lenard’s project is one of 29 projects in the U.S. selected to receive support through the $7 million Student Upward Mobility Initiative, which funds innovative efforts to identify the PK–12 skills that drive long-term success.

Michael Ormsbee, Ph.D., and Andrew Koutnik, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) received an $84,439 grant from Health via Modern Nutrition for their project “Targeted Assessments of Cognition in Tactical-performance with Ingested Ketones: The TACTIK Trial.”

BYLINES

Nicholas Mazza, Ph.D. (College of Social Work) authored the article “Gerontology as Poetry” in the Brown Journal of Medical Humanities.

Shamra, Boel-Studt, Ph.D., Lauren Herod, MSW, and Darejan Dvalishvili, Ph.D. (College of Social Work, Institute for Quality Children’s Services) co-authored the article, “Advanced Certification Trainings for Child Welfare Professionals: Results from the Formative Evaluation of STARS,” published in the journal Child Protection & Practice.

Gashaye Tefera, Ph.D., Shelby Varol, MSW and Ponsiano Ngondwe, MSW (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “‘I’m not just a large lady; I’m a large Black lady’: Intersectional stigma and barriers to healthcare access among Black women,” published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

Lauren Herod, MSW, MPA, Melissa Radey, Ph.D., and Lauren Stanley, Ph.D. (College of Social Work and Florida Institute for Child Welfare) co-authored the psychometric article “The Power of Belonging: Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Belonging Barometer with Child Welfare Workers”, which was published in Children and Youth Services Review. 

Kristy Anderson, Ph.D. (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “Caregiver employment changes and care coordination in families with children with autism,” published in the journal Research in Autism.

Melissa Radey, Ph.D. (College of Social Work) co-authored the article, “Separated families’ use of formal and informal childcare across 12 European countries,” published in the Journal of Family Studies.

Brenda Wawire, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) co-authored “Open Educational Resources in African Languages: The Case Study of Elementary Kiswahili Hujambo textbook,” which was published in the Journal of African Language Teachers Association.

Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN and Lucinda Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) co-authored “Acceptability and Usefulness of a Dyadic Problem-Solving Partnership to Promote Rural Heart Failure Self-care” in the Western Journal of Nursing Research.

Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing), and Thomas Ledermann, Ph.D. (Anne’s College), co-authored “Effects of Coping Resources on Depressive Symptoms in Rural Heart Failure Patient Caregiver Dyads: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling Analysis” in the Journal of Family Nursing.

Timothy Baghurst, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) co-authored “Experiences and barriers to career advancement among minority assistant coaches in the National Basketball Association,” published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching.

Boris Kantor, Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) co-authored an article entitled “Cell-specific DNA methylation in human alpha and beta cells regulates gene expression in type 2 diabetes,” published in Nature Metabolism.

Xiaonan Zhang, Ph.D. (Department of Computer Science) co-authored, “From Static Constraints to Dynamic Adaptation: Sample-Level Constraint Release for Offline-to-Online Reinforcement Learning,” accepted to the 2026 International Conference on Machine Learning in Seoul, South Korea. She also had her co-authored paper “Longitudinal Behavioral Change Coaching with Multi LLM Agents: Multi-Scale Summaries and Automated Dialogue Steering,” accepted to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery’s 2026 conference on Connected Health: Applications, Systems and Engineering Technologies which will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August.

David Newheiser, Ph.D. (Department of Religion) authored, “Hope as a Political Practice,” published on the blog Contending Modernities, the University of Notre Dame’s interdisciplinary effort to explore how religious and secular powers interact, as part of his, “Hope in a Secular Age,” symposium, an ongoing series of articles considering the place of hope in contemporary political, philosophical and theological contexts.

Sara Green, MSW, Kayla Hicks, MPH, Sharry Anne Solis, MPH, Jonathan Morgan, and Sylvie Naar, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored and presented a poster titled “Insights from the SHARE Research Program: Approaches, Success and Lessons Learned in Recruitment and Retention of Emerging Adults with HIV in Florida” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 47^th Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Mike Drury, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored “Training focused on commonalities for the common good: A transdiagnostic approach for the next generation of health service psychologists,” published in the American Psychological Association’s journal, Training and Education in Professional Psychology.

Yang Hou, Ph.D., and postdoctoral scholars Dan Liu, Ph.D., and Xiaoli Zong, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) were part of the Hou-led international team of scholars that published “Age trends of internalizing and externalizing problems in children with neurofibromatosis type 1: a multicenter study,” in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Angelina Sutin, Ph.D., Martina Luchetti, Ph.D., and Antonio Terracciano, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) published “Daily activities and purpose in life” in The International Journal of Wellbeing.

Jacob Eisler, M.Phil., J.D., Ph.D. (College of Law) co-authored the forthcoming article, “Disparate (Algorithmic) Advantage”, in the Stanford Law Review Online: Special Collection on Technology, AI, and the Future of Civil Rights. Eisler also co-authored the article, “The Circuit Court Interim Docket.”

Henry Zhuhao Wang, J.D. (College of Law) co-authored “Evidentiary Rules for Administrative Hearings.”

Panagiotis Takis Tridimas, Ph.D. (College of Law) co-authored the Oxford University Press book, The Foundations of European Union Law. The book provides an in-depth yet accessible explanation of the foundational principles of constitutional and administrative law in the European Union.

PRESENTATIONS

Sherrell Cork, (Office of Business Services) co-presented “How Auxiliary Services are Navigating Strategic Partnerships” at the 2026 National Association of College Auxiliary Services – South Region in Charlotte, NC.

Remy Jennings, Ph.D., (Wertheim College of Business) presented “Family-Interference-with-Work: Antecedents and Outcomes of Employees’ FIW Disclosures” at the Purdue University’s Working Well Conference.

Shane Hockin, Ph.D., and Redgine Michel, (Academic Center for Excellence) co-presented “Developing Leadership While Sustaining Business Success” for the Florida College Learning Center Association Conference.

Nicholas Mazza, Ph.D. (College of Social Work) presented, “Finding Our Way Home: The Place of Poetry in Giving Voice and Hope for the Homeless” at the 46th Annual National Association for Poetry Therapy Conference in Chicago, Illinois.

Shamra, Boel-Studt, Ph.D. (College of Social Work)  presented, “Calming the Storm: Trauma-Responsive Approaches for Working with High Acuity Youth in Out-of-Home Care” as the keynote presentation at the national and virtual conference on Trauma Informed Care: Taking Science to Practice hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, Department of Social Work.

Sherrod, Kristyn, MSW, Patel, Dimple, Jacqueline Martin, LMSW, DSL, Kimberly Wheaton and Gray Hilliard-Koshinsky (Florida Institute for Child Welfare) (CWLA Emerging Leaders Committee) co-presented “Distributive Leadership: Dynamic and Immersive Development of Emerging Leaders” at the Child Welfare League of America 2026 National Conference.

Michael Buchler, Ph.D. (College of Music) gave three juried presentations this spring, including: “Sondheim’s Fractured Pastiches” at the annual meeting of Music Theory Southeast in February (Atlanta), “When Democracy and Equity Collide: Responses that Promote Institutional Learning” at the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions annual conference at the CUNY Graduate Center (New York), and “Musical Markers of Jewishness as Moral Signifiers in Harold Rome’s I Can Get It For You Wholesale” at Sonic Markers of Jewishness On Screen and Off conference at UCLA (Los Angeles).

Lucinda Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) presented “Caregiving with Heart for Heart Failure Caregivers” at the annual Big Bend Hospice and ACTS 2 Caregiving Conference. The focus of this presentation was to provide valuable information regarding heart failure caregiving needs and skills, as well as self-care tips and strategies for caregivers.

Delaney W. La Rosa, EdD, MSN Ed, RN (College of Nursing) presented as part of an AI seminar series through The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, designed to equip nursing educators and academic leaders with the foundational knowledge and real-world context needed to prepare students for AI-enabled healthcare environments. The series explores both the fundamentals of AI in healthcare and current applications transforming nursing practice.

Christine Andrews-Larson, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) presented a talk titled “Linear Algebra Applications in Students’ Post Linear Algebra Coursework” at the International Linear Algebra Society conference in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Cheyenne Egstad, (Career Center) co-presented the peer-reviewed conference session “Internships 101: A Toolkit on Increasing Reach of Employer Training” at the 2026 Cooperative Education & Internship Association Annual Conference. She also chaired the Technology subcommittee at the conference.

Darryl Lovett, Ph.D. (Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs) co-facilitated a discussion with student affairs vice presidents and assistant vice presidents grounded in NASPA’s “Centering the Student Affairs Workforce.” The conversation focused on leadership pathways and career visibility.

Alice Maxwell, (Division of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications) presented the keynote speech “Building a Strategic Communications Framework That Advances Student Success” at the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi annual conference.

Cynthia Vied, Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) participated in the Quest Diagnostics FOCUS Leadership Series, where she discussed the future of diagnostics and the role of patient-centered partnerships in advancing access to genetic testing for rare diseases.

David H. Ledbetter, Ph.D., FACMG, (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) presented at the 20th Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Conference demonstrating how rare pathogenic variants linked to neurodevelopmental disorders can be grouped into distinct genetic clusters associated with specific biological pathways and clinical patterns.

Pradeep G. Bhide, Ph.D., (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) discussed the Sunshine Genetics Act on the DNA Today, highlighting how the legislation established IPRD at Florida State University College of Medicine and launched a five-year pilot program providing no-cost newborn genomic sequencing to support earlier detection and more personalized care for Florida families.

Elizabeth Cecil, Ph.D. (Department of Religion) presented the invited lecture, “The Lord of the Elements & the Eaglewood Goddess: Hinduism in Monsoon Asia,” at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California.

Neil Van Leeuwen, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy) presented, “Rational pressure on ideological imagining?” at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in May. He also presented, “Pretense is Representation,” on the Acting as if Perspectives on Pretending workshop at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Christopher Mulrooney, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) was invited to present “Liver Cancer Prevention in Primary Care: The Florida Healthy Liver Program™” to the Liver Cancers Council of the Global Liver Institute, Washington, DC.

Diana Paquette, Ed.D. (College of Medicine) presented “Smart Space Strategies: Using Policy and Data-Driven Decisions on the development and implementation of the MED Lab Space Policy at the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Institutional Planning-Group on Business Affairs Conference in St. Louis.

Mark Chaet, M.D. (College of Medicine) participated in Thayer Leadership’s Battle-Tested Open Enrollment leadership training program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Amy Hall, Ph.D., and Karen MacDonell, Ph.D. co-presented a poster titled “Motivational and psychological predictors of asthma medication adherence in Black emerging adults” at the Society of Behavioral Medicine 47^thAnnual Meeting in Chicago.

George Rust, M.D. (College of Medicine) recently provided expert insight into developments surrounding the hantavirus and the importance of strong public health systems during disease outbreak response efforts in an interview aired live on FOX 35 in Orlando.

Nadia Banteka, S.J.D, (College of Law) participated in the 2026 Carolina Law Scholarship Roundtable on Immigration, Policing, and Detention at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Banteka presented her latest paper, “Police-Created Suspicion” (with Erika Nyborg-Burch). The roundtable brought together an outstanding group of scholars, to support cutting-edge legal research and scholarship.

Brian Slocum, J.D., M.A, Ph.D. (College of Law) was invited to the Georgetown Law Center as a moderator and speaker. The event focused on a forthcoming Oxford University Press book, Corpus Linguistics and the Interpretation of Statutes over Time.

Jake Linford, J.D., (College of Law), hosted a two-day Florida Intellectual Property & Technology Law Workshop at the College of Law which featured scholarship from accredited professors and Linford’s latest scholarship, “Education, Wealth, and WEIRD Trademark Surveys” (with Justin Sevier).

Brian Slocum, J.D., M.A, Ph.D. (College of Law) presented chapters from his co-authored forthcoming Yale University Press book, Twenty-First Century Textualism, at Yale Law School during a Theories of Statutory Interpretation Seminar.

SERVICE

Allison Justice, MMS, PA-C, (College of Medicine) is president-elect of the Florida Academy of Physician Assistants.

Rima Nathan, J.D. (College of Law) hosted an Estate Planning Clinic for Legal Services of North Florida through the Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic with the Legal Services of North Florida Tallahassee Pro Bono team to provide their services to the greater community.

NOTABLE

Iain Quinn, Ph.D. (College of Music) was elected to fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales.

Bernard McDonald (College of Music) has drawn numerous plaudits from veteran critics following his début with Indianapolis Opera at The Tobias Theater at Newfields, Indianapolis, IN.

Carrie Meyers and Jim Reynolds (Learning Systems Institute/FSU InSPIRE) organized and implemented the “America 250 Challenge in AI Literacy” program challenging teachers to co-design a curriculum using artificial intelligence. The goal was to create a lesson that celebrates US history, culture, and innovation.

Rabieh Razzouk (Learning Systems Institute) awarded the first-ever FCR-STEM Innovating Educator of the Year award to Holley-Navarre fifth grade teacher Anna Prindle.

Vilma Fuentes, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) led the second Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program between the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE) and FSU. In the Spring of 2026, 24 students from both universities participated in this 10-week asynchrounous virtual exchange program as part of a U.S. Department of State grant to enhance entrepreneurship education in Armenia.

Delaney W. La Rosa, EdD, MSN Ed, RN (College of Nursing) has been appointed to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Emerging Technologies in Nursing Task Force. The national task force brings together nursing leaders and innovators to explore the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on nursing education and practice to help shape recommendations and strategies to prepare the future nursing workforce for a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.

Frederick Abbott, J.D. (College of Law) participated as a panel judge in Beijing, China for the East Asia and Oceania Regional Round of the 24th Edition of the John H. Jackson Moot Court Competition in International Trade Law.

Please send items for Faculty and Staff Briefs to tfordyce@fsu.edu. We publish monthly.

The post Faculty and Staff Briefs: May 2026 appeared first on Florida State University News.

The galleries of the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) will be filled with vibrant florals June 11 during the museum’s inaugural Art in Bloom event, sponsored by Tallahassee Nurseries.

For the first time at MoFA, local floral artists will create botanical arrangements inspired by watercolor paintings featured in the Tallahassee Watercolor Society’s 2026 Tri-State Annual Juried Water Media Exhibition. The resulting displays will transform the galleries into a temporary collaborative installation.

Guests attending the ticketed event will be the first to view the floral installations while enjoying wine provided by Damas, light bites from Food Glorious Food and Cruton & Co., cakes from Eats by Elyse and live music.

MoFA Director Kaylee Spencer said the event highlights the creative connections between visual art and floral design.

“We are excited to host this event at MoFA. Art in Bloom celebrates the generative power of artistic dialogue: how a creative act in one medium can inspire, transform and expand into another,” said Spencer. “We are thrilled to share these floral creations alongside original watercolors, inviting guests to experience the conversation that emerges between paintings and floral design. That exchange between artists, materials and forms of expression is at the heart of what we foster here at the museum. Every ticket purchased helps support the museum’s exhibitions, programming and collections all year long.”

As presenting sponsor of Art in Bloom, Tallahassee Nurseries is providing both financial support and floral expertise to help bring MoFA’s inaugural celebration to life.

“We are excited to be involved with an event that showcases the artistry growing in our area and cultivates the community’s connection with the arts. Our floral designers’ creativity shines at every event or occasion, so we are delighted to see their bespoke designs displayed alongside the works of other talented florists and local artists,” said Melissa Hutchinson, social media and outreach manager for Tallahassee Nurseries.

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Yinghe Qi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab), has received the Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award, one of cryogenic engineering’s top international honors for early-career researchers.

The International Cryogenic Engineering Committee presents the Gustav and Ingrid Klipping Award to a young researcher for outstanding work in cryogenic engineering. The award honors the Klippings’ contributions to the field and their commitment to involving the next generation of researchers. It is presented during the International Cryogenic Engineering Conference, held every two years and candidates must be 35 years of age or younger at the start of the conference.

Qi will receive the award at the 30th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference and International Cryogenic Materials Conference, scheduled for June 22–26 in Daejeon, South Korea.

“It is a privilege to be recognized by the cryogenic engineering community with this award,” Qi said. “I am incredibly thankful for the chance to work with Dr. Guo and our group at the MagLab. This environment has given me the support to tackle complex challenges in cryogenics, from dark matter detection to beamline vacuum break analysis and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such impactful research.”

Advancing dark matter detection and accelerator safety

Qi was nominated by Professor Wei Guo of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, who cited her “broad knowledge, rigorous analytical ability and exceptional experimental and computational skills.” Her work spans several major research fronts, most notably the design of a cryogenic platform for the TESSERACT Collaboration’s dark matter search and new safety models for particle accelerator beamlines.

TESSERACT, which stands for Transition-Edge Sensors with Sub-EV Resolution And Cryogenic Targets, searches for low-mass dark matter roughly a hundred to a thousand times lighter than a standard WIMP (weakly interacting massive particle). Florida State University researchers, including members of Guo’s lab, are part of the collaboration and much of the effort in designing the specialized cryostat used in these searches was led by Guo’s team at the MagLab.

“This is a highly competitive international honor that recognizes exceptional early-career contributions to cryogenic engineering and applied low-temperature science,” Guo said. “Dr. Qi’s work has made a strong impact in cryogenic heat transfer and safety-relevant cryogenic-system modeling.”

The impact of cryogenic engineering research

Qi’s research has produced results published in leading peer-reviewed journals and carries practical value for laboratories around the world. Her work on sudden vacuum-break events in cryogenic accelerator systems, known as beamline vacuum break analysis, addresses safety challenges for facilities such as particle accelerators that rely on liquid-helium-cooled beamlines.

Guo’s broader research program at the college and MagLab spans quantum fluids and solids, cryogenic platforms and quantum sensing and devices. Qi has been a central contributor within that group for more than two years. Beyond her research contributions, she has also been recognized as a dedicated mentor within the lab.

Guo offered his “strongest recommendation” for the award, citing Qi’s scientific maturity and breadth of expertise across multiple subfields of cryogenic engineering.

FSU Quantum Initiative

Guo is co-director of the FSU Quantum Initiative and leads the Cryogenics Lab at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, where his research focuses on cryogenics, with applications in quantum fluid dynamics, liquid-helium-based dark matter detection, cryogenic accelerator physics, quantum-fluid-based qubits and liquid hydrogen aviation.

The Klipping Award places Qi among a small group of early-career researchers recognized internationally for pushing the boundaries of low-temperature science. Her selection reflects both the depth of her individual contributions and the strength of the research environment at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the MagLab.

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The Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at Florida State University has been selected to collaborate with IREX and other partners on the Early Grade Education Activity in Jordan. LSI will join the project to advance Jordanian-led teacher education initiatives.

Under the direction of IREX, a global nonprofit organization focused on education and development, LSI will foster a collaborative relationship between Florida State University and Jordanian universities to support initiatives that address low literacy and numeracy rates while promoting whole-child development. LSI will support Jordanian universities through curriculum review and co-development, faculty professional development and research and quality assurance frameworks.

“IREX is proud to partner with the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University to support the groundbreaking Early Grade Education Activity, ASAS, across Jordan. This collaboration reflects the value of drawing on the experience and expertise of U.S. universities to strengthen higher education institutions internationally and better prepare educators to meet the needs of students and communities. At the same time, collaboration on AI in education is essential to responsibly realizing the opportunities AI can bring and to supporting long-term student success,” said Aleksander Dardeli, President and CEO of IREX.

Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski, Associate Director for Research at LSI and Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy in the Anne Spencer Daves College College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, and Sana Tibi, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at FSU, will serve as principal investigators. Anne’s College faculty and LSI staff will provide support.

“The FSU team is excited to start work on this project, which is grounded in partnership and mutual learning,” said Zuilkowski. “We look forward to collaborating with Jordanian universities to support their efforts to advance teacher education, while also deepening our own understanding of effective, contextually responsive approaches to primary grades teacher preparation.”

IREX and its partners are working with Jordan’s Ministry of Education and universities across the country to sustainably improve early grade education.

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Florida State University Professor of Art Therapy and director of the Institute for Arts & Art Therapy with the Imprisoned Dave Gussak has launched a podcast exploring how the arts are transforming the lives of incarcerated individuals.

On “Creativity Unconfined,” Gussak, a leading expert who has authored numerous books on the topic, interviews guests involved in prison arts programs and advocacy efforts.

Gussak said the podcast is designed to raise awareness about the positive impact of arts programs in prisons, spark new ideas among practitioners, and inspire others to get involved.

“I’m incredibly excited to bring together leading voices from across the field for conversations about emerging research and personal stories about the impacts of art and art therapy in prison settings,” Gussak said. “My hope for this podcast is that it can be a space that’s welcoming and informative not only for therapy practitioners, but for anyone — including corrections professionals, community activists and artists, and of course, formerly incarcerated individuals and loved ones.”

The first eight episodes of the podcast will be available May 31 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube, with new episodes released each Monday.

Among Gussak’s first guests are Chris Fausto Cabrera, an artist and activist who credits art and writing with helping him survive 21 years in a Minnesota prison; Antonio Espinosa, a former prison guard who became an advocate safer for prison environments through the arts after the death of his partner during a prison altercation; and Julie and Mike McBride, whose son was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he committed when he was young.

The podcast is produced by FSU art therapy graduate students Malea Burroughs and Sydney Nichols.

For more information about Arts & Art Therapy with the Imprisoned and its mission, visit AATI.fsu.ed.

Those interested in supporting AATI or “Creativity Unconfined” can make a gift at give.fsu.edu/AATI.

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Signaling immense esteem for his innovative work as a longtime real estate finance scholar, the American Real Estate Society (ARES) recently awarded Florida State University’s G. Stacy Sirmans with the annual James A. Graaskamp Award, one of the academic association’s highest career honors.

“There are a lot of people who would qualify for that award, so I was very honored and surprised to receive it,” said Sirmans, the J. Harold and Barbara M. Chastain Eminent Scholar in Real Estate at FSU’s Herbert Wertheim College of Business.

But Sirmans’ academic colleagues – both down the hall and across the nation – are not surprised by his selection. They say Sirman’s accomplishments embody the academic association’s intention for the award: honoring scholars with research advancements that redefine thinking within the discipline.

“Stacy is widely recognized for his influential contributions to real estate finance, housing economics, mortgage markets and property valuation. His work has shaped the foundation of the field and continues to inform both academic research and professional practice,” said Henry J. Munneke, the Roy Adams Dorsey Distinguished Chair in Real Estate and an associate dean at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.

Advancing the field with relevant research

From his early work co-authoring seminal research on rampant assumption financing among home buyers to more recent studies analyzing the effect of climate-change beliefs on risk pricing in the marketplace, Sirmans’ work often breaks new ground. The knowledge he generates then provides insights other scholars rely on as they further examine real estate implications.

“Our job is to create and establish theories and then create the empirical work to support those, to prove them or disprove them, and then eventually that filters into business,” said Sirmans, who also has served as the academic director of the FSU Real Estate Center. “Our job basically is to answer unanswered questions.”

Among Sirmans’ significant co-authored research contributions over the years:

• Climate-change opinions, disaster risk and single-family housing price growth (2025)
• Agree to disagree: NAV dispersion in REITs (2025)
• The role of tenant characteristics in retail cap rate variation (2022)
• The capitalization of insurance premiums in house prices (2015)
• Determinants of house prices: A quantile regression approach (2008)
• The value of housing characteristics: A meta-analysis (2006)
• The composition of hedonic pricing models (2005)
• The effect of anchor tenant loss on shopping center rents (1994)
• The historical perspective of real estate returns (1987)
• Assumption financing and selling price of single-family homes (1983)

Sirmans’ persistent productivity outpaces most others in his field. He recently secured the No. 16 place worldwide among real estate scholars who have published the greatest amount of research in the top three real estate journals over the past five years, as determined by the annual Real Estate Academic Leadership Rankings in the Journal of Real Estate Literature. He ranked in the Top 10 several times in previous years for research productivity on this and other lists, rising to No. 7 globally. His successes play a large part in FSU’s real estate faculty this year placing No. 2 among faculties worldwide for its volume of research in top-tier journals.

Sirmans has forged a “remarkable career of consistent and innovative research output,” said Mariya Letdin, Kyle Riva Associate Professor of Real Estate and a colleague of Sirmans at the Wertheim College. She hailed his “outsized contributions” in hedonic house pricing models, residential mortgages and, more recently, real estate investment trusts, and said his “continued enthusiasm and productivity are truly unique in the field.”

Additionally, his breadth of work has been cited thousands of times by real estate researchers and includes foundational papers for the core real estate areas of housing markets, brokerage and finance, said colleague Tingyu Zhou, FSU’s Dean and Kathy Gatzlaff Associate Professor of Real Estate. Along with the Graaskamp Award, Sirmans received, in 2017, the ARES David Ricardo Medal, given to a thought leader with an extensive record of publications in top journals that have also influenced new research, teaching, public policy and practice.

“These are among the highest honors in the field and reflect the lasting influence of his research,” Zhou said.

Sirmans also received top research honors from his Wertheim College peers across different disciplines, earning the college’s 2023 Distinguished Faculty Research Award and 2019 Outstanding Senior Faculty Research Award. He has also been instrumental in building the college’s Top 10 national standings in real estate, teaching a senior-level finance course in the undergraduate real estate program, which ranks No. 6 among public schools, and a graduate-level finance course for the MBA real estate specialization, which ranks No. 8 among public MBA programs with a real estate specialty.

Known as a scholar and a gentleman

What sets Sirmans apart from many other accomplished scholars, most said, is his collaborative spirit and generosity.

“Stacy is the consummate colleague,” said Dean Gatzlaff, professor emeritus of real estate and namesake of Zhou’s associate professorship who worked with Sirmans for more than 30 years. “He’s approachable, he’s collegial, he’s willing to listen, and he’s careful with his advice. He has always been incredibly supportive of the program’s initiatives and the work of other faculty.”

Zhou said colleagues turn to Sirmans for “conceptual clarity,” saying, “He has a rare ability to take an early-stage idea, identify the core economic question, and position it in a way that leads to a clear and publishable contribution in top journals.”

Letdin called Sirmans the “ultimate team player,” always game to review papers, chair committees, mentor all levels of students or pick up guests at the airport. “He is always happy to pitch in, and no task is too big or too small for him to offer help,” she said.

This kind support extends beyond Florida State University.

Justin Benefield, the Thomas H. Lowder Endowed Chair in Real Estate and professor of finance at Auburn University’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, first met Sirmans by chance in 2003, when they both boarded an airport shuttle in San Jose, Calif., headed to the same event more than an hour away in Monterey. At the time, Sirmans had already developed a glowing reputation as a well-respected real estate scholar, and Benefield had just begun his academic career. Enroute to his first-ever academic conference, Benefield focused on preparations to present his first-ever academic paper.

“Needless to say, I was nervous,” Benefield said. “Stacy spent the entire ride engaging me in conversation, giving me advice, distracting me and generally putting me at ease. He then showed up at my presentation the next morning. He had no reason to spend that much time on a nervous doctoral student from the backwoods of Alabama, but he did; and I am only one on a long list of folks with similar stories.”

Sirmans said while growing up, he never dreamed of becoming a university professor. One of 10 children raised on a farm in the small town of Pearson in Southeast Georgia, he said his hard work began at an early age.

“There were five of us still at home – small kids – when our father passed away. So, our mother basically raised us,” he said. “The main thing it taught me was how to work, and so I sort of carried that through with everything I do. You started a job, started early, finished late. If something broke, you didn’t have the resources to just call somebody and fix it. You figured out how to fix it.”

Sirmans said this tenacity has served him well throughout his life, especially as he tackled advanced degrees.

“I started college and didn’t apply myself, so I did not do very well initially. But I couldn’t quit, because you don’t quit,” Sirmans said. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business at Valdosta State University, Sirmans headed to the University of Georgia for his Ph.D. in finance.

“That first year almost killed me,” he said, but – again – giving up was not an option for him. “So, I just kept going, and all worked out perfectly. I’m in the perfect occupation. This is exactly the place that I needed to be.” Sirmans taught at Emory and Clemson universities and served as a visiting scholar to the former Federal Home Loan Bank Board before choosing to join FSU’s faculty ranks 36 years ago.

Shaped by a legacy of collaboration 

Sirmans credits much of his good fortune to the company he keeps. “One thing that helped me a lot growing up, and through all matter of circumstances, was always hanging around people who were smarter than me,” he said.

His older brother, the late scholar C.F. Sirmans, became his primary role model. The two first collaborated as teenagers, earning money by playing in a popular band that traveled throughout the Southeast, featuring Stacy on keyboards and C.F. on guitar. As time went on, keeping the band intact meant wherever C.F. moved, Stacy soon followed. C.F. became the first to pursue an academic career; Stacy eventually joined him at the University of Georgia, and then both ascended to the top ranks of world-class real estate finance scholars. The pair continued to co-author research studies until two years ago when C.F., by then serving as professor emeritus at FSU, passed away.

These days, Stacy Sirmans finds opportunities to collaborate on research studies with another family member – his son, Stace Sirmans – who serves on the finance faculty at Auburn University. Stacy Sirmans also continues to play keyboards. His band, The Bushmen, plays set lists of mostly classic rock with select country standards. The group plays private parties, including an occasional academic conference when it is held near the Atlantic Coast. Sirmans devotes the rest of his free time to his family, including six grandkids living in Tallahassee or Auburn.

After more than four decades teaching and researching, mostly in Tallahassee, the FSU scholar cannot imagine a better vocation or workplace. He praises the strengths of his faculty colleagues and said he appreciates the ongoing Wertheim College administration’s support and especially the new opportunities for all made possible by the recent $65 million philanthropic investment by Dr. Herbert Wertheim and the newly opened Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence, the college’s $160 million home facility.

Staying true to his steadfast spirit, Sirmans said he has no plans to retire any time soon.

“Oh, I still enjoy it immensely,” he said about his academic responsibilities. “Well, I don’t even call it work.”

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As the job market for recent graduates becomes more competitive, a Florida State University career preparation expert offers timely perspective on how students can break through, and what employers are really seeking.

FSU Career Services Assistant Vice President Rob Liddell emphasizes that opportunity still exists for those who are prepared despite flattening hiring demand. Employers are increasingly filling roles through internship conversions and alternative pathways, including project-based and hybrid positions, placing a premium on candidates who can demonstrate real-world experience and professional maturity.

“Graduates who engage deeply and consistently through internships, research, leadership and skill building are standing out from the competition surrounding entry-level hiring,” Liddell said, noting that today’s market rewards tangible evidence of readiness.

He also highlights a persistent challenge: employers often struggle to assess communication and leadership skills. At FSU, more than 95% of students complete a foundational career-readiness course that helps them build portfolios and document competencies through hands-on experiences.

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, Liddell underscores that human-centered skills are becoming even more valuable. Creativity, adaptability, ethical judgment and emotional intelligence are increasingly essential in a workforce where technology handles routine tasks.

Liddell is available to discuss how students can navigate a shifting workforce, and why preparation, not panic, is the defining factor for success. Media can reach out to Liddell for interviews by emailing him at rll18l@fsu.edu.

Rob Liddell, assistant vice president, Florida State University Career Services

In your experience of being involved in career preparation, how do you best sum up the current climate we’re living in with college graduates entering the work force?

While the early career landscape is evolving, it is far from discouraging. It stands to reason that for well-prepared graduates and for institutions, like Florida State, that intentionally align education, experience and workforce demand, this is a moment of strategic advantage. Hiring organizations are prioritizing candidates who demonstrate applied experience, transferrable competencies and professional maturity. College graduates are entering a more selective market that rewards preparedness. Adjacent to tradition hiring, career entry points are expanding into project-based work, rotational or hybrid roles, contract and post-baccalaureate internships, and entrepreneurial pathways.

With AI weighing so heavily on several industries, what do you believe are the irreplaceable human competencies that they need to excel in the work force?

Many have approached AI-generated content with suspicion as they might have experienced occasional hallucinations, surface-level syntax or incoherent logic. Routine and technical tasks are becoming increasingly automated within the workplace. This development has placed premium value on distinctly human capabilities — the competencies that are difficult to replicate, scale, or substitute and that drive value, trust and impact for others. Among these irreplaceable human competencies are initiative and agency; creativity and innovation; ethical judgment and values-based decision-making; adaptability and intellectual agility; emotional intelligence and relational acumen; leadership and informal influence; integrative critical thinking; and persuasive communication.

In a world of abundant tools, the differentiator is not access; it is an ability to take action across novel and ambiguous situations. Taking action in this type of environment highlights the need for meaningful human connection across team collaboration, client relationships and navigating human dynamics (resolving conflict) in complex organizations. Further, as AI fetches and creates more content and information, human competencies will add important clarity and credibility by telling compelling stories, influencing complexity into alignment and action, and in communicating nuance.

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At Florida State University, Clinical Professor Rima Nathan is leading a hands-on elder law clinic that trains future lawyers by tackling several crises for low-income senior citizens.

The Claude Pepper Elder Law Clinic is a holistic, interdisciplinary program dedicated to strengthening the well-being and resilience of low-income older adults through legal advocacy and community education. Clinical students handle real cases and work on policy initiatives while helping seniors navigate turbulent times.

The post Faculty spotlight: How FSU’s Rima Nathan turns legal education into action appeared first on Florida State University News.