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Welcome to the team, Mia Penner

Mia Penner, CYFS grants coordinator, joined the center Aug. 31.

Name: Mia Penner

Title: Grants coordinator

Hometown: Council Bluffs, Iowa

Where did you work prior to joining CYFS? What was your role there, and what did it entail?

“Prior to joining CYFS, I worked at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in the Radiology Department as an administrative research associate. I supported a variety of research administration activities. I worked closely with both clinical and research faculty. My responsibilities included coordinating grant submissions, assisting with project management and monitoring research workflows. Through this experience, I gained valuable insight into the research lifecycle and developed a strong foundation in research support.” Full Article

CEHS, CYFS research presentation series begins Sept. 9

The Fall 2026 Research Presentation Series features Alex Mason, Lisa Knoche and Andy Garbacz.

The College of Education and Human Sciences and the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools will host a fall series of research presentations beginning Sept. 9, covering social, behavioral and educational challenges important to Nebraska and beyond. Full Article

Kang earns 2026 CYFS Signature Research Impact Program award

Sungeun Kang, assistant professor of school psychology, is the recipient of the 2026 CYFS Signature Research Impact Program award. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

Sungeun Kang, assistant professor of school psychology, is the 2026 recipient of the CYFS Signature Research Impact Program (SRIP) award, which was developed to address critical issues affecting Nebraska’s children, youth, families, schools and communities. Full Article

Early Childhood Research Summit helps connect research, practice, policy

Ying Xu, assistant professor of education in the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, outlines the role and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on children’s cognitive and social development during her keynote speech April 28 at the 2026 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit at Nebraska Innovation Campus. View photo gallery.

Creating connections among early childhood research, practice and policy — and how each can enhance the lives of young children and their families — provided the central theme of the 2026 CYFS Early Childhood Research Summit .

Almost 200 attendees, including researchers from across the University of Nebraska system, practitioners, administrators, community partners and policymakers, gathered April 28 at Nebraska Innovation Campus for the daylong, seventh biennial summit, which highlighted the latest research to advance early childhood education and development, and implications for practice and policy. Full Article

Video available for MAP Academy presentation featuring Pavel Chernyavskiy

Pavel Chernyavskiy, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Virginia, leads the April 24 Methodology Applications Series presentation at the Nebraska Union.

Pavel Chernyavskiy, assistant professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of Virginia, led the spring presentation of the 2025-26 Methodology Applications Series April 24 at the Nebraska Union.

Video is now available of Chernyavskiy’s presentation, titled, “Everything is Important and Everything is Correlated: Challenges and Opportunities of Working in Correlated Data.” Full Article

Search begins for next CYFS director

Exterior of Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall on the UNL campus with a large abstract sculpture in the foreground.
Review of applications for the CYFS director and full professor position will begin May 21.

CYFS is seeking its next director — an accomplished research leader who can build on a strong foundation of partnerships, signature programs and real-world impact.

The search is being led by a faculty search committee, with support from the College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Full Article

Swiss researcher visits CYFS to observe TAPP for implementation in Switzerland

Dr. Caroline Villiger, professor and head of the “Family–Education–School” research program at the University of Teacher Education in Bern, Switzerland, arrived in Lincoln April 14 to study the Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) program.

A Swiss researcher is spending the spring in Lincoln to learn more about an innovative program designed to improve children’s academic, social and behavioral outcomes while building stronger, more effective relationships among parents and teachers.

Caroline Villiger, professor and head of the “Family–Education–School” research program at the University of Teacher Education in Bern, Switzerland, arrived in Lincoln April 14 to study the Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) program, which was developed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and supports school-age children who are struggling with a variety of behavioral, social and academic challenges. Full Article

New database streamlines data collection, support for Nebraska deafblind students, educators

An instructor works with a young student at the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children who are Blind or Visually Impaired in Nebraska City.

Deafblindness is a combination of vision loss and hearing difference that makes accessing the environment, language and communication more complex. It varies in severity and type and can be present at birth or acquired at any age.

With both vision and hearing impacted, access to the world often requires individualized supports for independent living, education and social interaction. Full Article