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.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Casey Yorks (Division of Undergraduate Studies) and graduate assistant Rebekka Friborg led “Noles Everywhere,” a group of trained student staff selected to support off-campus and out-of-state students, which won the Innovative Retention Program Award at the 2025 NODA: Orientation, Transition and Retention Annual Conference.
Lynn Hobeck-Bates, M.Ed. and Bethany Ritz, MFA (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) received an Award of Distinction for The Ringling’s “Watermelon Regatta” conservation press release at the Florida Public Relations Association’s PR and Comms Summit Golden Image Awards.
Anna Posbergh, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) was inducted as a North American Society for the Sociology for Sport (NASSS) research fellow at the annual NASSS conference.
Kathleen P. Wilson, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, FAANP, FNAP, DipACLM (College of Nursing) was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in Washington, D.C.
GRANTS
Noël Wan, Ph.D. (College of Music) received a Research and Creation Grant from the Canada Council of the Arts for her electroacoustic harp project “The Mother’s Teeth: Feminism, Futurity, and Noise.”
Alexandra Jimenez, DM (College of Music) received a conference travel grant to NAFSA: Association of International Educators to attend the 2025 Region VII Conference in Mississippi and was recognized with the 2025 New Professional Award.
Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH, Casey D. Xavier Hall, MPH, Ph.D., Eugenia Flores Millender, Ph.D. , RN, PMH-APRN, FAAN, FAANP, Frank “Frankie” Y. Wong, Ph.D. and Jean-Marc Wise, Ph.D. (College of Nursing) were awarded a $2,277,208.00 million Food and Drug Administration (FDA) research and development contract for the project “Modernizing and Decentralizing Clinical Trials with AI, Digital Health, and Community-Driven Innovation to Deliver Better Health for All Americans.” Led by Millender, with Drs. Xavier Hall and Wong as MPIs and Drs. Hightow-Weidman and Wise as key personnel, the team will advance decentralized, at-home clinical trials by identifying participation barriers, co-designing community-based curricula, leveraging AI and digital health tools for secure data transmission, and empowering community organizations in outreach and support. Anticipated outcomes include a practical playbook for at-home clinical trials, a scalable curriculum, and implementation guidance to inform FDA regulatory science and sponsor practices.
BYLINES
Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda J. Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) and Michael Killian, Ph.D., MSW (College of Social Work) co-authored “Effects of a Group-based Online Lifestyle Medicine Intervention Among Rural Participants: A Randomized Controlled Trial” in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.
Carla Wood, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) published “Beyond Definitions: Examining Morphology-Focused Vocabulary Strategies in Second Grade Classrooms” in Literacy Research and Instruction.
Jessica Bahorski, Ph.D., APRN, PPCNP-BC, WHNP (College of Nursing) co-authored “Central Adiposity, Rather Than in Utero Exposure to Maternal Obesity or Gestational Diabetes, Predicts Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Children Aged 4–10 Years,” published in Pediatric Obesity.
Kelly Farquharson, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) published “Identifying and De-Implementing Low-Value Practices in Education: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach for District and School Leaders” in the Journal of School Leadership.
Timothy Baghurst, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) co-authored “What Are You Thinking When You Coach? An Exploration of Tennis Coaches’ Cognitions Using Stimulated Recall,” published in the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. He also co-authored “Salaries of High School Coaches in Florida and the Never-Ending Cycle of Turnover,” published in Quest.
Shannon Hall-Mills, Ph.D. and Lakeisha Johnson, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) published “The KASE for Telepractice,” a research article based on their seed grant from Florida State University’s Council on Research and Creativity, in the Journal of Communication Disorders.
Dawn Sowers, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) published “Short Mobile Training Is Effective and Efficient in Preparing Educational Personnel to Interact With Students With Cerebral Palsy Who Utilize AAC With Eye Tracking” in Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools.
Laura Widman, Ph.D. (Institute on Digital Health and Information) co-authored “A Digital Program to Promote Sexual Communication Between Early Adolescents and Parents: Development and Acceptability Testing Results” published in the Journal of Sex Research. This paper describes the development and initial user testing for a new digital program to help parents and early adolescents talk more openly about puberty and growing up.
Jacob Eisler, JD, Ph.D. (College of Law) had his article “Towards Defensible Judge-Made Democratic Process” featured in the Southern California Law Review. His article “Gerrymandering Is Democratic” was also featured in Compact Magazine.
Kadir Kozan, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) is leading a special issue “The Role of Technology in STEM Education: Opportunities and Challenges” in the journal Education Sciences in collaboration with his colleagues.
Adrienne Barnes-Story, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) authored “Teaching and Managing Large Classes: A Scoping Review of Methods With Primary and Secondary Learners” published in the International Journal of Educational Development.
Rob Schoen, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) authored “Effects of a Professional Development Program on Teacher Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching and Learning After One and Two Years: An Experimental Study” published in Teaching and Teacher Education.
Anthony Nguyen, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy) authored “Colonial Injustice and Self-Respect” published in Philosophers’ Imprint.
Sonia Hazard, Ph.D. (Department of Religion) authored “Empire of Print: Evangelical Power in an Age of Mass Media” published by Oxford University Press.
Robin Goodman, Ph.D. (Department of English) authored “Film as World Literature” published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Ibrahim Yigit, Ph.D., MA and Henna Budhwani, Ph.D., MPH (College of Nursing) co-authored “Demographic Factors and Correlates of Trust in Types of People and Information Sources: Findings From the SAM-KAP Alabama Youth Survey on HIV Prevention.”
Jessica Bahorski, Ph.D., APRN, PPCNP-BC, WHNP (College of Nursing) co-authored “Finding the Best Pregnancy App to Support Your Health” in Society for Behavioral Medicine.
Shermeeka Hogans-Mathews, M.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored two publications, “Doulas Make a Difference: Optimizing Doulas’ Education to Improve Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes” and “A Call to Action: Leveraging Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Medical Education Reform” published in PRiMER Publications.
Jo Brown Speights, M.D. and Jessica De Leon, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) co-authored “Characteristics of Persons With Varying Vaccination Personas: Data From the CDC-funded Pandemic Project” published in Discover Public Health.
Jessica De Leon, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) authored “Impact of Web-Based Lifestyle Medicine Intervention: A Qualitative Study Among Rural Participants” published in Nursing Reports.
Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN (College of Nursing), Michael Killian, Ph.D., MSW (College of Social Work) and Lucinda J. Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) co-authored “Effects of a Group-based Online Lifestyle Medicine Intervention Among Rural Participants: A Randomized Controlled Trial” published in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
PRESENTATIONS AND CONFERENCES
Malaika Samples, Ed.D., M.P.A., Katerina Manias, M.A. and Kyle Cook, M.A. (Florida Institute for Child Welfare) co-presented “Innovations in Child Welfare Education Through Virtual Reality” at the 2025 National Association of Social Workers Virtual Forum, highlighting the Florida Institute for Child Welfare’s Experiential Learning Lab at FSU and demonstrating how immersive technologies are being used to prepare future social workers.
Paul Marty, Ph.D. (School of Information) spoke at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities annual conference.
Casey Yorks, M.S. and Danielle Porter, M.S. (Division of Undergraduate Studies) presented “Bridging the Distance: Supporting Out-of-State Students” at the 2025 NODA: Orientation, Transition and Retention Annual Conference in San Francisco.
Barbara A. Ramsay, MAC (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) co-authored and presented “Just Like the Real Thing: Jules Allard et Fils Reproduction Boiserie Period Rooms at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art” at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Rick Burnette, Ph.D. (Office of the Provost) with Paul Marty, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) and Bobby Sprinkle, MS (Information Technology Services) presented “Classroom Agentic AI Learning Tools” at the ASU Agentic AI Conference.
Nicole Bentze, DO (College of Medicine), alumni Rebecca Gibons, MD, Benjamin Behers, MD and Julian Melchor, MD co-authored “Stevens-Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis From Antihypertensive Medications: A Systematic Review of Cases” published in the journal Medicine.
Rick Burnette, Ph.D. and James Hunt, Ph.D. (Office of the Provost) presented “From Insight to Impact: Advancing the Data-Engaged Campus for an AI-Ready Future” at the Educause Annual Meeting.
Rick Burnette, Ph.D. (Office of the Provost) and Paul Marty, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) presented “Innovation in Action: What Members Are Teaching Each Other About Technology in Practice” at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities Annual Meeting.
Ebe Randeree, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) presented “Developing Leaders on Campus” at the Community Leadership Series hosted by the FSU Center for Leadership & Service; “What Skills Are Tech Employers Looking For” at the Florida Technology Student Association Leadership Conference; “In the World of AI, Can Universities Meet Tech Employer Needs” and “Positioning Yourself to Win on LinkedIn — Effective Personal Branding” at the Innovation Technology Entrepreneurship Network Wired Conference.
Dawn Sowers, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) presented “Reimagining AAC: Using Artificial Intelligence to Support Idiosyncratic Communication Gestures” at the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication virtual conference.
Gretchen Stahlman, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) and doctoral candidate Rajesh Das co-presented “The Unified Astronomy Thesaurus as a Platform for LIS Training in Scientific Knowledge Organization” at the Library and Information Services in Astronomy conference.
Kristen Guynes, Ph.D. and Michelle Torres-Chavarro, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) co-presented at the Florida Educators of Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Conference, covering the Morphological Analysis Pathway to Reading project (MAP-R).
Kristen Guynes, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) presented “Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of Educational Sign Language Interpreters” at the Florida Educators of Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Conference.
Carla Wood, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Elevating Future Pathways: Innovating Interprofessional Education Models to Advance Autism Support and Instruction” and “Morphology Meets Technology: A Digital Approach to Vocabulary Instruction” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention.
Sana Tibi, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Longitudinal Predictors of Arabic Word Reading” and “Staples of Screening for Dyslexia in University Students” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Michelle Therrien, Ph.D. (College of Communication and Information) presented “Mapping Play: Using GIS to Capture Playground Experiences of Children Who Use AAC” and “Friendship in Context: Using the Participation Model to Plan Assessment and Support for AAC Users” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Dawn Sowers, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Paradigm Shift: The Power of Leveraging AI to Pair Unaided AAC With Speech Output,” “Targeted Motion in AAC Displays for Autistic Children: Visual Attention Patterns and Learning” and “Elevating Typical AAC Assessments: Implementing the CVI/AAC Framework for Individuals With Cortical Visual Impairment” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Mollie Romano, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Speech-Language Pathologists’ Knowledge and Use of Caregiver Coaching Practices Across Work Settings,” “Learning Early Infant Feeding Cues: A Responsive Infant Feeding Intervention” and “The BabyTok Project 3.0: A Preventive, Social-Media Based Intervention for Caregivers of Young Infants” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Eundeok Kim, Ph.D. (Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship) presented her paper “The Role of Sustainable Fashion Businesses in Promoting Sustainable Consumption Through a Regenerative Economy” at the Sustainable Fashion Consumption Symposium hosted by the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut.
Richard Morris, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Use of a Training Program to Improve Voice Quality Perception” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Elizabeth Madden, Ph.D. (School of Communication and Disorders) presented “Clinical Considerations for Assessment and Treatment of Reading and Writing Impairment in Post-Stroke Aphasia” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Kari Lien, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Speech Sound Disorders in Children With Cleft Palate: A Phonological Lens for Assessment and Intervention” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Kaitlin Lansford, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Ideas and Tips for Publishing Small Datasets: Case Studies, Surveys and Preliminary Data, Oh My!” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
John Romig, Ph.D. (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) and doctoral student Trisha Phillip presented “Using Repeated Teaching to increase the Rate and Variety of Preservice Teachers’ Use of Opportunities to Respond” at the Council for Exceptional Children’s Teacher Education Division Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Yunjung Kim, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Effects of Deep-Brain Simulation on Speech in Parkinson’s Disease: Focusing on Festination” and “The Intersection of Language Variation and Dysarthria: A Speech Science Approach” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Lakeisha Johnson, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Little Learners, Big Gains: Utilizing SLP Expertise to Transform Pre-K Literacy Practices Through a PLC” and “Exploring the Contributions of Child-Level Factors to the Marking of Regular Past Tense in Writing” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Shannon Hall-Mills, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Quality Connections: Written Academic Vocabulary Use Among Adolescents With and Without LLD,” “Reimagining Language to Literacy: SLPs Shaping Reading Support for School-Age Children” and “Pathways of Possibility: Strategic and Practical Approaches for SLP Literacy Support” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Kelly Farquharson, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Developing the Scoring for Expressive Evaluation and Diagnosis (SEED) Paradigm for Speech Sound Disorders,” “Phonological Profiles of Elementary-Aged Children With Speech Sound Disorders: Preliminary Data From a Large-Scale Study” and “Is Dyslexia a Sequencing Disorder? A Systematic Review of Implicit Sequence Learning Across Domains” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Christopher Constantino, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “Subtle Discrimination, Significant Consequences: Exploring Microaggressions and Mental Health in Adults Who Stutter” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Erin Bush, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) and doctoral candidate Shaylyn King-St. Remy co-presented “A Qualitative Exploration of SLPs’ Perspectives on an Adaptive Professional Development Model for Dialogic Reading” at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Andrea Barton Hulsey, Ph.D. (School of Communication Science and Disorders) presented “The Communication Bill of Rights, 3rd Edition: Guidance for Advocacy and Practice” and co-presented “Play and Read With Me: Fidelity of a Literacy Intervention for Children With Limited Speech” with doctoral candidate Brianna Coltellino at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention.
Jennifer Lemmer Posey, M.A. (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) presented “A History of the Circus and Folk Art” at Jeanine Taylor Folk Art exhibition Folk Art Under the Big Top.
Jane Harris and Giovana Perez-Oliveras (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) presented “Educating & Engaging Museum Volunteers: Flexible Strategies for Guide Training in Changing Times” at the 2025 Florida Association of Museums.
Jane Harris and Emma Driggers, M.A. (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) co-presented “Volunteerism in a Changing Landscape” at the 2025 Florida Association of Museums.
Jane Harris (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) presented “Advancing Trust Through Museum Guide Programs in the Post-Pandemic Era” at the 2025 American Alliance of Museums Virtual Summit.
Jessica Bahorski, Ph.D., APRN, PPCNP-BC, WHNP (College of Nursing) co-presented “A Mixed-Methods Study to Understand Differences in Use of Responsive Infant Feeding” at the 2025 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convention in Washington, D.C.
Kathleen P. Wilson, Ph.D., APRN, FNP-BC, BC-ADM, FAANP, FNAP, DipACLM (College of Nursing) presented “A Triad of Diseases: A Treatment Strategy for Patients With T2D, CVD and CKD” at NP Associates for Continuing Education Orlando.
Yijionhg Yang, Ph.D., MHA and Buna Bhandari, MPH, Ph.D. (College of Nursing) co-presented “Challenges of COVID-19 Vaccination Effectiveness in Individuals With Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias” at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo 2025.
Laurie Abbott, Ph.D., RN, DipACLM, CNE, PHNA-BC, FAAN, Lucinda J. Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) and Michael Killian, Ph.D., MSW (College of Social Work) co-presented “Lifestyle Medicine Programs Can Impact Determinants of Rural Health Behaviors” at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025.
Sarah Cartwright, Ph.D. (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) presented on The Ringling’s pre-1915 European print holdings for Vanderbilt University’s symposium “European Prints in Museums in the American South” on the VU Museum of Art’s Fall 2025 exhibition “Paper Backs: Hidden Stories of European Prints From the VUMA Collection.”
Emily Brown, MS and Tara Johnston, M.Sc. (The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) co-authored and presented “A Treatment Odyssey: The Preparation of 201 Ancient Cypriot Objects for Permanent Display” at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.
Brittney Pieper, M.A. (Career Center) led a roundtable discussion “Resumes That Win” offering career readiness strategies for student-athletes entering the job market at the 2025 FloridaACE Annual Conference. It was selected as “Best of Roundtables,” and Pieper was asked to hold a second presentation at the FloridaACE Digital Summit.
Ericka Horne, DrPH (College of Medicine) presented “Community Impact Through Integration of the Translational Science Benefits Model” at the Florida Public Health Association’s Annual Educational Conference in Kissimmee, Florida.
Ericka Horne, DrPH, Jo Brown Speights, M.D., Ransome Eke, M.D. and Jessica De Leon, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) presented “Insurance Coverage and Differences in Unmet Healthcare Needs: Insights From a Florida-Based Study” at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo in Washington, D.C.
Christopher Mulrooney, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) presented the closing keynote session “The Future We Choose” for the national symposium “Empower Your Possible: A Longevity Ready Maryland Initiative” in Linthicum, Maryland.
Taylor Thompson, Ph.D., Cheryl Porter, Ph.D. and Nicki Taylor, Ph.D. (College of Medicine) presented the workshop “Calm Under Pressure: Best Practices in Test Anxiety Intervention for Medical Students” at the Medical Education Learning Specialists Annual Conference.
Delaney La Rosa, Ed.D., MSN Ed, RN (College of Nursing) presented “Supercharge Your Study: AI Tools for Smarter Learning” at the AI Nurse Nexus: Unmasking AI. The session focused on teaching students to use AI tools to improve clinical judgment and critical thinking.
Amy Hecht, Ed.D. (Vice President for Student Affairs) served as a panelist at the Student Success US 2025 conference organized by Times Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. The session was titled “Anxiety to Agency: Helping Students Take Control of Their Worry.”
Felicia Williams (Student Engagement) presented “Ubuntu in Action: Cultivating Collective Leadership for a Resilient Future” at the 27th Global International Leadership Association conference in Prague, Czechia. Williams also served as a judge for the Undergraduate Poster Presentation.
Amy Baco-Taylor, Ph.D. (Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science) gave a virtual presentation at the “Towards 30×30: Asia’s Contributions to MPA Expansion and Challenges” workshop in Yeosu City, South Korea.
Alda Balthrop-Lewis, Ph.D. (Department of Religion) was an invited speaker for the “Transcendentalism’s Past, Present and Future” workshop hosted by the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Aimée Boutin, Ph.D. (Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics) presented “Georges de Peyrebrune’s Burlesque Railway Odyssey” at the 51st annual Nineteenth-Century French Studies Colloquium in Reno, Nevada. She was also a guest on the Nineteenth-Century French Studies Unbound webinar series “The Stoics: A Bilingual Critical Edition by Louisa Siefert Adrianna Paliyenko in Conversation With Aimée Boutin.”
Erin Bennett and Danny Chiarodit (Career Center) partnered with Chris LaFever (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) to present “Emerging Supervisors Development: Reflective Practice for Growth” at the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision national conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lucinda J. Graven, Ph.D., APRN, FAHA, FAAN (College of Nursing) presented “Palliative Care and Advanced Cardiovascular Disease” at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Carmen Zachry, Rob Hanna, Zaida McGinley, Carrie Myers and Jim Reynolds (Learning Systems Institute) presented engineering design lessons during a visit to InSPIREd School Rising Leaders Academy.
EXHIBITIONS AND PERFORMANCES
Emily Zhukov, MFA (FSU Republic of Panama) collaborated with paleobiologist Erin Dillon, Ph.D., at STRI’s Punta Culebra Nature Center to reconstruct ancient reef shark communities and their responses to human and environmental impacts. Zhukov’s sculpture of an Eastern Pacific nurse shark (Ginglymostoma unami) allows visitors to explore shark resilience and habitat protection through interactive art, including a coral reef base featuring prey and mollusk examples from Panama’s earliest inhabitants. Zhukov is also co-founder of Estudio Nuboso, an organization dedicated to promoting awareness and regenerative practices through art and ecology.
SERVICE
Danielle Porter, MS (Division of Undergraduate Studies) hosted the “Partnering With NODA: Reimagining Support for Retention and Transition Professionals” roundtable at the 2025 NODA: Orientation, Transition and Retention Annual Conference.
Stephanie Zuilkowski, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) and Bhushan Dahal (Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences) were primary organizers for “Educators Shaping Futures: A Global Knowledge Exchange” in cooperation with the World Bank, UNESCO and the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. The event took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and drew 341 participants from 41 countries.
Ericka Horne, DrPH (College of Medicine) was elected to two leadership positions within the American Public Health Association’s Public Health and Education Promotion section: Governing Councilor for the 2025-2027 term and Mentoring Committee Chair for the 2025-2026 term.
John Byrnes, PA-C (College of Medicine) participated in a humanitarian trip to Ukraine as part of a team delivering combat medical kits and providing training to Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Liying Wang, Ph.D. (College of Nursing) served as a member of the expert advisory panel for the American Psychological Association to develop guidelines regarding the use of generative AI chatbots and wellness applications for mental health.
Ignacio Messana, Ph.D. (Florida State University Valencia Study Center) serves as treasurer of the European Association of Study Abroad (EUASA) and is a member of the advisory committee of APUNE (Association of American Programs in Spain). He has also been selected to be part of the Forum EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) conference committee in Lisbon.
Renaine Julian (FSU Libraries) participated in the 4th Annual Open Science and Innovation in Ukraine conference as an invited panelist on the topic of open research and reproducibility. Julian shared his work on disciplinary differences in research data-sharing behaviors and applications for university administrators.
Joanne Saxour, MD (College of Medicine) served as guest editor for the Florida Academy of Family Physicians’ summer publication, Diabetes.
Xin Henry Zhang, Ph.D. (Department of Statistics) was invited to serve as an associate editor on the editorial board for the Theory and Methods section of the Journal of the American Statistical Association for three years starting Jan. 1, 2026. JASA is one of the premier journals in statistics and was established in 1888.
NOTABLE
Undra Baldwin, MS CYBR, MBA, CIA, CISA, CDPSE, CFE, CIG (Office of Audit and Advisory Services) attended the Tallahassee Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors meeting, where Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey presented a proclamation recognizing Fraud Awareness Week. As chapter vice president, Baldwin accepted the proclamation on behalf of the chapter alongside the chapter president.
Stephanie Zuilkowski, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) partnered with the World Bank to conduct the LEAP program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The program was titled “Strengthening the Teaching Profession and School Leadership” and took place over three days.
Randolph Clarke, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy) was named on the top 10 list of “Most Cited Living Philosophers With Google Scholar Pages Working on Free Will & Moral Responsibility.”
Alfred Mele, Ph.D. (Department of Philosophy) was named number one on the top 10 list of “Most Cited Living Philosophers With Google Scholar Pages Working on Free Will & Moral Responsibility.”
Mike Stukel, Ph.D. (Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science) led a National Science Foundation-funded month-long research expedition, “California Current Ecosystem Process Cruise P2510,” in the Pacific Ocean with 30 scientists. The crew focused on understanding the processes driving long-term change in California’s current ecosystem with a specific focus on the impact of recent marine heatwave disturbances.
Yushun Dong, Ph.D. (Department of Computer Science) had his paper “TyphoFormer” win the Best Short Paper Award at the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Spatial Information 2025 international conference.
Alina Dana Weber, Ph.D. (Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics) received the Goethe-Institut/American Association of Teachers of German Certificate of Merit for furthering German teaching in the U.S. at the Celebrating Excellence in German Language Excellence award ceremony.
Carmen Zachry, Rob Hanna, Zaida McGinley, Carrie Myers and Jim Reynolds (Learning Systems Institute) launched the advanced manufacturing virtual tour video series from Maritech and Fort Walton Machining as part of FSU InSPIRE.
Rebecca Carter, MSW, LCSW (College of Medicine) recently completed Training of New Trainers curriculum and has been accepted into the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, enhancing the college’s capacity to provide evidence-based approaches to behavior change.