Fall 2025 faculty and staff accolades

fall aerial view of hartley park with golden leaves

Celebrating CEHSP faculty and staff excellence!

Congratulations to faculty and staff in the College of Education and Human Service Professions for their fall 2025 achievements!

Publications

Farhana Afroz, assistant professor in the Department of Education, has a manuscript titled “Preschool Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Mathematics: A Multiple Holistic Case Study” currently under peer review. This qualitative study examines preschool teachers’ beliefs and self-efficacy related to mathematics instruction, highlighting factors that influence their instructional practices in early childhood settings.

Mindie Clark, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, published two articles along with colleagues:

Department of Applied Human Sciences Professor Julie Ernst, Assistant Professor Claire Underwood, and UMD EdD alumna Thelma Nayquonabe published “Empathy, reconciliation, and sustainability action: An evaluation of a three-year community of practice with early Educators” in Sustainability. The article shares learnings from an ongoing community of practice of nature-based educators in Duluth. 

Alejandra Fernández Morgado, assistant professor in the Department of Education, published three papers:  

Jennifer Frisch, associate professor in the Department of Education, served as an editor for the book “Wicked Problems in PreK-12 Science Education: Stories and Strategies for Confronting Complex Topics in the Science Classroom.” Frisch and colleagues also contributed a chapter to the book “Be Like Fungi: Mycorrhizal Pedagogy.” 

Mark Hartman, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Sciences, published four articles with researchers from other institutions. 

June Lee, associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, published two articles with researchers from other institutions. 

Mary Stenson, interim department head and associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, published four papers:

  • “From Attendance to Engagement: Outcomes of Undergraduate Student Participation in a Regional Exercise Science Conference” in International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education.
  • “Implementing Ungrading in Undergraduate Exercise Physiology: Student Perceptions of Learning” in Teaching and Learning Inquiry.
  • “The Prevalence of High-Impact Teaching Practices in Undergraduate Introduction to Exercise Science Courses” in the International Journal of Kinesiology in Higher Education.
  • “The landscape of undergraduate introduction to exercise science courses” in Advances in Physiology Education.

Grants

Mark Hartman, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Sciences, will serve as faculty mentor for Anna Malone’s UROP project “How does Vagus Nerve Stimulation Affect Blood Glucose, Food, and Movement Cravings?”

Hartman and colleague June Lee, associate professor, received a Technology Fund Grant “ActiLife software to objectively measure physical activity for teaching and research purposes.”

Estephania Nunez, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, received an American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Playmaker Grant for “Virtual Reality as a Prevention Tool for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries.”

Estephania Nunez and Mindie Clark, in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, received two Tech Grants:

  • “Integrating HumanTrak Technology to Enhance Exercise Science Curriculum and Research Capacity.”
  • “Improving Accessibility to Motion Capture Tools in Student Research and in the Classroom using OpenCap.”

Nomi Ostrander, associate professor and head of the Department of Social Work, was awarded a $654,450 grant from the Minnesota Department of Education will allow the department to provide comprehensive support to emerging school social workers. The funding aims to increase the number of licensed school social workers in the state, with a focus on supporting trainees from historically marginalized communities.

Mary Stenson, interim department head and associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, received a Chancellor’s Innovation Grant along with colleagues June Lee, associate professor, and Sharyl Samargia Grivette, associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, to study “Goal-directed aerobic activity in healthy young adults: impacts on physiology, cortical excitability and mood.” 

Stenson also received a Chancellor’s Small Grant to study “The Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Recovery from Heavy Resistance Exercise.”

Presentations

Ferhana Alfroz speaks about preschool teachers self efficiency in teaching mathematics
Farhana Afroz's poster presentation. 

Farhana Afroz, assistant professor in the Department of Education, gave a poster presentation at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition. The poster examined preschool teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching mathematics and identified key factors influencing their confidence and instructional practices in early childhood mathematics education.

Mindie Clark, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, presented:

  • “Mechanical advantages of running prostheses: Settling the Debate” to the Exercise Science Club.
  • “Early detection of newborns at risk for developing spasticity due to infantile cerebral palsy” at the Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Power Hour.
  • “Optimizing Quality of Life through the Aging Process” to the Socialize group in the Robert F. Pierce Clinic.
Madeline Harms and two members after paper presentation
Madeline Harms (middle) presenting her paper. 

Madeline Harms, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, presented a paper, "Student Perceptions and Outcomes in a Decolonized Intro Psychology Course," at the Society for the Psychology of Social Issues Annual Meeting in Portland, OR.

Estephania Nunez, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, presented "Virtual Reality and the Athletic Trainer: Integrating VR into the Clinical Setting," at the Illinois Athletic Training Association Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium in Naperville, Illinois.

Alejandra Fernández Morgado, assistant professor in the Department of Education, presented several papers: 

  • “Gifted voices from Latin America: Testimonios of being identified...or not” at the National Association for Gifted Children Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • “The spirals of making rajaduras into K-12 advanced education for teachers and students who are multicultural, multilingual, and multiply marginalized” at the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum Annual Conference, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • “Co-teaching en comunidad: Authentic collaboration between profesores de gifted and multilingual learners” at the National Association for Co-Teaching Annual Conference, New Albany, Indiana.
Sharlyl Samargia presents a return of speech presentation
Sharyl Samargia-Grivette presenting.

Sharyl Samargia-Grivette, associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, presented “Return of speech is not the end of pediatric post-surgical cerebellar mutism syndrome (ppCMS): Continuing rehabilitation across stages of recovery” along with colleagues at the American Congress for Rehabilitation Medicine.

Claire Underwood, assistant professor, and Julie Ernst, professor, from the Department of Applied Human Sciences, presented “Walking toward reconciliation: Educator journeys with land-based learning,” a live virtual workshop at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Annual Conference.

Underwood and Ernst also presented “Beyond the surface: Ripple effects mapping for evaluating community-based learning,” a live virtual workshop at the NAAEE Research Symposium. 

Mary Stenson, interim department head and associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, led a student panel, “Mentored to Mastery: Using CUREs to Build Scientific Confidence and Independence in Undergraduate Exercise Science Researchers,” at the online International Community of Scholars in Kinesiology Student Research Week Online Conference. They will also present at Northland ACSM in March 2026. 

Awards & Honors

Laura Brandt and Kaitlyn McCracken, Department of Social Work, received the Fall 2025 CEHSP Staff Award. They were nominated and selected for the award, which recognizes exceptional service in leadership on the job, customer service, and quality of service. Performance that merits the award reflects a high level of dedication to their unit/department, CEHSP, and UMD. McCracken serves as student support specialist and graduate program coordinator, while Brandt is the practicum director for the Bachelor of Social Work program.

Alejandro Fernández NAGC award
Alejandra A. Fernández Morgado (far right) and the award.

Alejandra A. Fernández Morgado, assistant professor in the Department of Education, received the National Association for Gifted Children's Carolyn Callahan Doctoral Award

Rhea Owens, professor in the Department of Psychology, was selected to receive Fellow status for Division 17 (Counseling Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. She was also elected to the Board of Directors of the International Positive Psychology Association. 

Lisa Paulson, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, was selected as co-chair of the SHAPE America Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Standards Revision Task Force, contributing to the national revision of standards that define the knowledge and skills pre-service physical educators should acquire. This leadership supports SHAPE America’s framework for high-quality physical education teacher preparation and ongoing excellence in the profession.

Patty Wendinger, instructor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, was selected as the Minnesota Society of Health and Physical Educators’ (MNSHAPE) Lou Keller Award Recipient. This award honors and recognizes outstanding services and contributions given by a college or university professor or other professional worker in the fields of health, physical education, recreation, or dance.

Additional Accomplishments

LeAnn Boyer and Jocelyn Wittenburg speak to youth
Anna Boyer and student Jocelyn Wittenburg at Youth With Stethoscopes. 

Faculty from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders participated in the Youth With Stethoscopes event to encourage youth from underrepresented backgrounds to explore the field. Representing the department were speech-language pathologists Anna Boyer and LeAnn Taylor, as well as audiologist John Coverstone. 

Lisa Paulson, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, supported the revitalization of the UMD Unified Club, creating opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to participate together in inclusive activities on campus and in the community. This work also centers student leadership, inviting students to step up as advocates and change-makers who help build a culture of belonging, connection, and shared purpose through Unified experiences.

Mindie Clark, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences, received third place in the Exercise Science Club’s “Pie a Professor” Homecoming event!