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College of Education

  • People looking at posters. A grey couch is in the foreground.

COE Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium

This event showcases the innovative research conducted by our graduate students across various fields, providing an excellent opportunity to engage with the next generation of scholars in the College of Education.

The 2026 Graduate Student Research Symposium will take place on February 19, 2026.



 

Schedule of Events
8:45am Registration & Welcome
9:20am Ignite Session
10:10am Idea Incubator A, Poster Session
11:00am Ignite Session 2
11:50am Morning Session Conclusion
12:00pm Break
1:30pm Registration & Welcome
2:00pm Ignite Session 3
2:50pm Idea Incubator B
3:45pm Ignite Session 4
4:30pm Awards Presentation & Afternoon Session Conclusion

 

Faculty and Staff Mentors

  • Allison Anders, Ph.D.
  • Kara Brown, Ph.D.
  • Ryan Carlson, Ph.D.
  • Matt Cunningham, Ph.D.
  • Molly Dawes, Ph.D.
  • An De Mester, Ph.D.
  • Suzy Hardie, Ph.D.
  • Dean Thomas Hodges
  • Toby Jenkins-Henry, Ph.D.
  • Ashlee Lewis, Ph.D.
  • Dodie Limberg, Ph.D.
  • Julia López-Robertson, Ph.D.
  • Davíd Martínez, Ph.D.
  • Dorian McCoy, Ph.D.
  • Meir Muller, Ph.D.
  • Jonathan Ohrt, Ph.D.
  • Waleed Raja, Ph.D.
  • Nicole Silverio, Ph.D.
  • Angela Starrett, Ph.D.
  • Andrea Taliaferro, Ph.D.
  • Hentao Tang, Ph.D.
  • Chas Thompson, Ph.D.

 

2025 Graduate Student Participants

  • Ozgur Altintas*
  • Anthonia Awhinawhi
  • Jessica Barnes*
  • Sonya Burns*
  • Regin Dean
  • Jonathan Dillensnyder
  • Michael Ertel*
  • Shea Ferguson*
  • Shazia Hamid*
  • Brittany Holden
  • Katie Hopkins
  • Jeremy Lewis
  • Cheolho Lim
  • Emily Lohrbach*
  • Sylvester L. Maduna
  • Giovanna Morara
  • Alyssa Raygoza
  • Peter Rifenburg*
  • Alison Scheide
  • Sam Schmoker
  • Keah Tandon*
  • Cornelius U-Sayee*
  • Amita Verma*
  • Xiaobo Wei
  • Patricia Wilson*

*indicates student volunteer

 

2025 Awards

Emerging Scholar Award

This award goes to a student whose project is currently in development and showing promise.

Alyssa Raygoza

2025 Emerging Scholar Awardee: Alyssa Raygoza

 Educational Psychology, Educational and Developmental Science

 

 

Innovative Idea Award

This award goes to a researcher who is developing an innovative research pursuit.

Shazia Hamed

2025 Innovative Idea Awardee: Shazia Hamid

Program and Department: Language and Literacy, Teacher Education

 

Graduate Student Research Award

This award goes to a student who has demonstrated exemplary completed research project.

Shea Ferguson

2025 Graduate Student Research Awardee: Shea Ferguson

Program and Department: Educational Psychology, Educational and Developmental Science

 

Symposium Support

  • Dean Thomas Hodges
  • Office of Research
  • Office of Communication

 

Symposium Organizers

  • Ali Brian, Ph.D., CAPE
  • Katie Cunningham, Ph.D.
  • Gwen Lorinovich

 

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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