Updates

Happy
Retirement!

After 13 years with the ELRC, Lisa Kirkham will start a new chapter in her career. She will retire on May 31, 2023, and plans to spend her time taking care of the books for her family’s orchard -- Wea Creek Orchard – and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Lisa brought her many years of education experience in the classroom and as a principal in schools ranging from rural to intercity to her work at the ELRC. Lisa’s practical experience coupled with deep knowledge of educational theory and practice and her positive and nurturing attitude made her an invaluable team member. She will be greatly missed!  

Congratulations

 Kudos to Loran Carleton Parker, ELRC Associate Director, Principal Evaluator and Research Scholar for receiving the COE Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice Award for 2022-2023. Loran specializes in research, development, and evaluation of education experiences in formal and informal settings; evaluation of teacher/faculty professional development experiences and higher education institutional change; and research and evaluation of undergraduate education and training. She serves a leadership role in the development of scores of proposals each year and is actively involved in the work of at least a dozen funded projects. Over the course of her career, Loran has made significant contributions to DESJ at the K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and community levels. Her CV lists 13 projects active in the past 5 years that support teaching and learning for equitable and inclusive student outcomes in higher education, as well as 4 projects specifically aimed at developing inclusive STEM experiences for youth. Many of these projects focus on identifying, developing, or influencing infrastructure, institutional culture, and faculty mindsets and practices that minimize barriers to inclusion. 

New ELRC Partnerships

Complete College America – ELRC is partnering with Complete College America, a not-for-profit advocate for equitable higher education – to support implementation of their Purpose First program. Through this program, CCA is working with colleges and universities in Missouri to design intentional, complete, and comprehensive student experiences that create a powerful sense of purpose by connecting students with resources that foster academic and career goals, empowering students to make informed decisions about programs of study, aligning classroom learning with career competencies, and articulating the value of higher education in meeting student goals. 

Improving antimicrobial stewardship among small-scale poultry owners – ELRC is partnering with Wendy Beauvais, from the Department of Comparative Pathobiology on evaluation of her 5-year $1.3M project funded by the Food and Drug Administration. Working with a multi-disciplinary team from Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Indiana 4-H program, and Purdue extension outreach, the project will develop and implement interventions that address knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding judicious antimicrobial use and infection control among small-scale poultry production stakeholders.

Presentations

 Jennifer Sdunzik will be a one of the featured speakers for a LASER Focused event on Private Sector Engagement in International Development. The discussion will center on research methodologies, findings, and tools developed to support USAID's engagement with the private sector to achieve its development and humanitarian assistance goals. The event will showcase how researchers and funders can work closely to ensure research translation and application. Jennifer will be discussing our USAID partnership work.

 Lindley McDavid will be presenting the following at the 2023 CYFAR Conference in Phoenix, AZ and the 2023 Annual NIH Science Education Conference in Washington DC : 

Pierfax, C., Behnke, A., Guin, A., McDavid, L., & Draw-Hood, R. (2023). Using program evaluation data to improve program outcomes and increase sustainability. Annual CYFAR Professional Development and Technical Assistance Development Event. Verbal.

McDavid, L., Newell, A., Allen, A., Chuisano, S., Barraza, B., Knoll, H., Khan, H., Ojubanire, M., Fanegan, B., &  DeJonckheere, M. (2023). Tried and True Measures – What do you Use? Annual NIH Science Education Conference. Breakout Session.

McDavid, L., & San Miguel, S. (2023). Vetahumanz Need Vaccines Too!: Findings of an at-home educational program focused on vaccine education and attitudes. Annual NIH Science Education Conference. Short Talk.

In addition to her presentations, Lindley is also serving as a co-chair of the research and evaluation strand for the NIHSciEd conference.