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Category: Grant Related

MAP Academy helps researchers see big picture of rural adolescent nutrition insecurity

Extension educator Natalie Sehi is leading a team of researchers focused on adolescent nutrition insecurity.

Making sure rural youth have enough to eat is important for both their health and education. Attending school with an empty stomach affects a student’s ability to focus and learn, making proper nutrition essential for academic success.

Nebraska Extension educators Beth Nacke and Natalie Sehi are leading research focused on adolescent nutrition insecurity. They recently worked with the MAP Academy to create a database to analyze the nutritional and economic impact of Nebraska Extension’s statewide Monthly Meal Kit program. Full Article

Project examines ways to foster future leaders in rural communities

Lindsay Hastings, Clifton Professor in Mentoring Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, is leading a project to build a leadership development system to sustain rural communities for the future.

As the makeup of American communities changes in coming years to grapple with impending transfers of wealth and leadership, sustainability of rural communities is a priority.

Lindsay Hastings, Clifton Professor in Mentoring Research at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has recently worked with her team — Justine Bircher, Mary Emery and Jordan Rasmussen — on a project to build leadership development systems to sustain rural communities for the future. Full Article

Research explores how classroom time affects children’s self-regulation skills

Jenna Finch, assistant professor of psychology, is exploring the effects of time in school on students’ executive function — mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking and self-control. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

In recent years, illnesses, quarantines and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased emphasis on the importance of instructional time for children’s academic achievement following absences from the classroom.

There is also recent evidence that pandemic school closures disproportionately affected U.S. schools that had students with lower third-grade standardized test scores and higher shares of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Full Article

Brain-connected technology opening doors for children with severe speech, physical impairments

Kevin Pitt, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, is leading a three-year project that uses brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to facilitate better communication for people with severe speech and physical impairments. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Imagine being locked inside your own body, isolated and struggling to meaningfully connect and communicate with those around you.

Now imagine trying to cope with such isolation as a child.

For children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI), the lack of reliable communication methods has devastating impacts on their quality of life, well-being, medical care and social interactions. Full Article

Project provides Huskers with hands-on teaching experience in diverse classrooms

Jillian Harpster, assistant professor of practice in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, is leading a project to help pre-service middle school teachers broaden their practical experiences in diverse classrooms. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Becoming a teacher is not easy. Along with the required formal education, the process requires plenty of patience, preparation, curiosity and enthusiasm.

One less-apparent ingredient of learning to be a teacher is the ability to navigate the ever-changing landscape of diversity in schools, including socio-economic, racial, linguistic, cultural and other demographic characteristics. Full Article

Nebraska WORDS targets post-pandemic reading success, educator growth

WORDS team members include, from left, Janet Bohaty, Mary Jo McElhose, Amanda Witte, Sarah Zuckerman, Natalie Koziol, HyeonJin Yoon, Nancy Coffey and Rachel Schachter. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

A student’s ability to read is a critical predictor of academic and lifelong success. In Nebraska, the COVID-19 pandemic hit students with reading difficulties especially hard, particularly students attending rural schools.

A team of Nebraska researchers is working to boost reading outcomes for rural students in kindergarten through third grade by providing professional learning opportunities to teachers across the state, speeding up pandemic recovery for students with reading difficulties, as well as those at risk. Full Article

Partnership aims to diversify, strengthen Nebraska’s early childhood workforce

Julia Torquati, professor of child, youth and family studies, is leading a collaborative effort to help prepare diverse early childhood professionals throughout Nebraska. Learn more about the project in the CYFS Research Network.

Nebraska, like other states, faces a shortage of qualified early childhood professionals to meet its demand for quality care and education. This shortage not only poses significant problems for families with young children, but also threatens the state’s future economic prosperity. Full Article

Global toolkit promotes inclusive health care for marginalized refugees

Included in the research team are, from left, Lucy Njiru, lead principal investigator, Amref International University/Amref Health Africa; Julie Tippens, associate professor of child youth and family studies; Angela Palmer-Wackerly, associate professor of health communication; and Alice Lakati, Amref International University. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

In recent years, there has been an increase in global initiatives aimed at providing mental health support in low- and middle-income countries for those affected by disaster, conflict and forced migration.

However, older refugees and refugees with disabilities have received less attention in humanitarian research and often face barriers to accessing wellness-promoting interventions. Full Article