Student/Faculty/Staff Updates
School of Arts, Sciences, and Business
Assistant Professor of Biology Travels For Online Learning Consortium 2025 in Orland, Florida
Dr. Meenu Vikram, Assistant Professor, Biology, had the wonderful opportunity to attend and conduct a workshop at the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) 2025 in Orlando, Florida with her team from University of Maryland Global Campus, Dr. Debra McLaughlin, Dr. Gro Torsethaughen and Ouanessa Boubsil. The topic they presented was, "Sentiment Showdown: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence Tools for Analysis of Student Voices in High-Enrollment Courses.鈥 Two undergraduate students, Nisstha Ray '26 and Adam Malinowski '27 participated in manual sentiment analysis and made a significant contribution to this research study. Their dedication truly reflects the strength and impact of undergraduate research involvement at 51视频.
School of Education
Myers Education Press Publishes New Edition Edited by 51视频 Assistant Professor
Dr. Antonio L. Ellis recently edited new edition of Advancing Special Education through Improvement Science: A Practical Guide, published through Myers Education Press. It offers a comprehensive and accessible resource for educators, administrators, and policymakers committed to enhancing equity and effectiveness in special education. It bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing a structured approach to applying improvement science within the unique context of special education services.
Assistant Professor at 51视频 Has Recently Published Two Books
Dr. Antonio L. Ellis, Assistant Professor in School of Education, recently published Literary Liberty and the Black Church: Addressing Book Bans in K-12 Classrooms in the United States. You can find your copy now through SAGE Publishing. Additionally, Dr. Ellis authored a book titled, Beyond Graduation: Navigating Postsecondary Success for Students with Disabilities, with Myers Education Press. This book explores how race, disability, and socioeconomic status intersect to shape postsecondary experiences, emphasizing the need for equity-centered transition practices that address systemic biases in special education. It critiques traditional definitions of college readiness and advocates for inclusive curriculum design and equitable access to advanced coursework.
51视频 Associate Professors Travel to Denver for National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Convention
Associate Professors Drs. Joanna Newton, Katherine Beauchat and Lauren McHugh presented at the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in Denver. In their presentation titled, 鈥溾楳ore Important Than Ever鈥: Supporting the Integration of Technology in Literacy Instruction in Teacher Preparation Classes,鈥 they shared results of work they did as part of the Maryland Computer Science Teacher Education Program Round 4 Grant led by Dr. Juliann Dupuis and Dr. Lisa Pallett. Joanna, Katherine, and Lauren discussed and shared examples of how 51视频 literacy faculty worked collaboratively to revise literacy courses to increase the use of digital tools and computational thinking after engaging in professional development. The presentation also featured the results of original research conducted as part of this work which explored teacher educators鈥 beliefs and practices regarding the integration of technology and literacy instruction and the impact of professional development. In their discussion of the study鈥檚 findings, they addressed implications for teacher preparation and the role that technology can play in advancing literacy instruction.
Dr. Joanna Newton Has Article Published in The Forty-Sixth Annual Yearbook of the Association of Literacy Educators and Research: Breaking Down Barriers to Mobilize Our Literate Selves, a Double Peer-Reviewed Publication
The article titled 鈥淛ust not on the Radar: Factors That Influence Teachers鈥 Decisions About Vocabulary Instruction鈥 reports on results from a three-year longitudinal qualitative case study that examined the experiences of three elementary classroom teachers with vocabulary instruction using a morphological approach. The study explored factors elementary teachers identified as influencing decisions about vocabulary instruction, before, during, and after engaging in extensive professional development. Findings illuminate the interplay of both internal and external factors that impact teachers鈥 decisions about when and how they teach vocabulary. The yearbook, with the article, is .
School of Pharmacy & Health Professions
Pharmacy Leadership Society Delta Beta Chapter Serving Up Thanksgiving
Volunteers from our Delta Beta chapter participated in serving meals at at the Baltimore Convention Center on Wednesday, November 26. PLS is a national honor society focused on developing and recognizing future pharmacy leaders. Our Delta Beta President, Michael Ramdass, PharmD Candidate 2027, led a group of four pharmacy students to serve a turkey dinner to over 2,000 Baltimore-area residents and even took a photo with Baltimore City Mayor, Brandon Scott, and the Oriole Bird.
Athletics
The Gators Had a Fantastic Fall Season
Men鈥檚 Soccer: It was the best season in year three of the program as the men鈥檚 soccer team finished with a 4-2-2 conference record. This earned them a #4 seed and the right to host their first playoff game in program history. Tassilo Lehmkuhl added to the year of firsts as he became the first Gator men鈥檚 soccer player to be named first team all-conference thanks to his remarkable year. He was joined on the all-conference with teammates Martin Rasiwala and Athanasios Ziliaskoupolos who were named to the third team.
Women鈥檚 Soccer: An incredible season for the Gators as a team that was largely led by freshmen won a postseason game for the first time in the modern era of record keeping (2009-present). NDM finished with a 3-3-2 conference record, earning a #7 seed where they hosted and defeated Penn State Brandywine 5-3 in a thrilling playoff game. Freshman midfielder Alex Busick earned third team all-conference honors.
Women鈥檚 Volleyball: The Gators continued to show that the volleyball program is a conference powerhouse, finishing with a 16-7 overall record and 7-3 in conference play. NDM had a 10-2 record at home on their way to earning a #4 seed in the postseason, hosting an exciting playoff match in the quarterfinals. Kaliyah Brown and Izzy Stewart were named to the second team all-conference with Stewart narrowly missing out on defensive player of the year honors.
Cross Country: A rebuilding year for the Gator runners, strong efforts by Francisca Biann and Gabriel Sisk has the program looking to future success.
Library Updates
Need a study break during finals? Check out LNDL's Stressbusters! From crafting and virtual reality to video gaming and more, there is something for everyone!