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UVM Impact
Graduate Education and Research News May 2022
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| Welcome
Welcome to the May issue of IMPACT, an e-newsletter highlighting research, scholarship, and graduate education at the University of Vermont. Please read on and discover what else has been happening.
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Featured Graduate Students
Hans Cabra, Ph.D., and Lori Dolezal, Ed.D., are both recent graduates of the College of Education and Social Sciences' (CESS) Educational Leadership and Policy Studies doctoral program. They were recently profiled by Doug Gilman, CESS Communications Director, in an article titled "Agents of Change in Education." As the article explains, the program prepares graduates to "become agents of change as they build and sustain communities of learning between practitioners, researchers, and the communities they serve." While Cabra chose the Ph.D. track and Dolezal the Ed.D., they both exemplify the program's philosophy and approach. Cabra is passionate about transforming education through evidence-based solutions. Dolezal's overarching focus is to find ways of improving equity and justice for PK-12 education in Vermont. Click through to read the article highlighting Dr. Cabra's and Dr. Dolenzal's accomplishments and aspirations. See more>>
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Graduate Student Senate After a busy and successful year, the current Graduate Student Senate (GSS) executive council has stepped down, passing the gavel to the newly elected council:
-Justin MH Salisbury, President
-Ijaz Ul Haq, Vice President
-Cara Simone, Treasurer
-Sandra Nnadi, Secretary
-Erica Lamkin, Communications Director
The new executive team has outlined several priorities for the upcoming academic year and look forward to supporting graduate students by liaising with UVM administration, staff, and students. They are currently outlining strategies and will soon be assembling committees to support their initiatives and plan events. Click through to see the board's initial priorities and meet the team .
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University Scholar Lecture: Gary S. Stein, Ph.D.
Perelman Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry
Professor, Department of Surgery
Professor Stein is dedicated to translating cellular and molecular mechanisms into understanding cancer. The central theme of his research is control of proliferation and differentiation with emphasis on cancer-compromised genetic and epigenetic regulation. His research, a long-standing partnership with Janet Stein and Jane Lian, has consistently focused on innovative exploration of mechanisms and molecular signatures. Dr. Stein is recognized for development of paradigm-shifting concepts and strategies that opened the field of skeletal biology and pathology to molecular, cellular and epigenetic investigation.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy Professor Stein's inaugural University Scholar lecture: The Cancer-Compromised Genome
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Postdoctoral Association This April, postdoctoral scholars had the opportunity to participate in UVM’s first ever Research Week, sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research. To celebrate the contributions made by postdoctoral scholars to UVM’s growing research prowess, the Postdoctoral Association (PDA) hosted UVM’s first Postdoctoral Research Conference.
The conference consisted of two parts: 1. Oral presentations, which were judged by faculty and fellow postdocs, with prizes awarded for the best presentations, and 2. A poster session where postdocs and their mentors could enjoy some refreshments, network, and talk about their scholarly work in a more informal setting.
Participation was outstanding. Many departments were represented, including Plant Biology, Chemistry, the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Neurological Sciences, Pathology, Immunobiology, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and more! Vice President Dombrowski attended the event and enjoyed viewing the scholarly work presented. A diverse audience that included postdocs, graduate students and faculty also attended to watch postdocs from across campus present their work. We hope that having such a broad audience of UVM scholars will lead to more intra-institutional collaborations in the near future and that postdoctoral research at UVM will contribute to the rising research profile of UVM in significate ways. Opportunities such as these to discuss scholarly work are an essential part of postdoctoral training, and administrative support for these activities will serve to make UVM an even more attractive destination for prospective postdocs.
After the event, a group of postdocs met in an informal setting to celebrate both the research accomplishments of UVM and that of its postdocs. For us, it was perfect end to a successful research week at UVM. Here's to doing it again next year! (By Brandon Bensel, UVM PDA Co-Chair)
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Postdoc Spotlight: John Meluso
John Meluso (he/him, they/them) is the VERSO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Vermont Complex Systems Center. He works with Professor Laurent Hébert-Dufresne in the Laboratory for Structure and Dynamics and studies topics in organization science, including collective problem-solving, inclusive system design, and organizational culture. He studies these topics through a unique combination of interviews, surveys, and supercomputing simulations. These methods, combined with UVM’s leading-edge computing resources at the Vermont Advanced Computing Core, give him unique access to the micro-level interactions of people in organizations and the macro-level repercussions for all who rely on those organizations. Click through to read more about Meluso's research in this area, including how toxic and inclusive behaviors spread throughout organizations. See more>>
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| Graduate Program Spotlight
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Program SpotlightBoth Shelburne Farms and UVM’s College of Education and Social Services (CESS) have long-standing commitments to supporting and empowering educators. To accelerate transformative societal response to today’s unprecedented and interconnected environmental, social, and economic challenges, the University of Vermont and the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools recently launched two new Education for Sustainability Certificate of Graduate Study (EFS-CGS) programs. There are two path choices: a 12-credit Micro Certificate of Graduate Study (mCGS-EFS) or an 18-credit Certificate of Graduate Study (CGS-EFS). Coursework benefits preK-12 educators as well as those working in museum education, outdoor education, parks and recreation activities, and other fields where natural and built environments are part of the curriculum. The partnership's unique co-teaching arrangement, along with scholarship opportunities, reduces costs for graduate students. Coursework begins in July 2022, and courses take place online and at the Shelburne Farms’ campus. See more >>
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Research Spotlight“Research has always been at the center of progress at the University of Vermont,” said Vice President for Research Kirk Dombrowski. To celebrate the innovative and creative powerhouse that is UVM Research, the university — home to over 1,200 full-time faculty scholars — held the first ever UVM Research Week, a week devoted to showcasing faculty and student research and to celebrating UVM's standing as a top 100 public research university. UVM Research Week was held April 18-22, 2022, and offered a glimpse into the breadth of research conducted at UVM. Events included a sponsored research celebration luncheon, a research resource fair, a corporate mixer, the 2022 Invention 2 Venture (I2V), and both an undergraduate and postdoctoral research conference. See more>>
(by Joshua Defibaugh)
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Alumni NewsSarah Ford, M.S., (G' 2016 Master of Science in Natural Resources) completed both her undergraduate and graduate work at UVM. As a graduate student, Ford worked with Professor William (Bill) Keeton ( Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources), a forest ecosystem scientist who greatly influenced her research interests and career path. Since completing her graduate degree, Sarah has been working as a forester, first in the maple industry and most recently for Forest Carbon Works, a company that promotes long-term conservation and forest stewardship through carbon projects that enable landowners to earn money for the carbon offsets secured by their forests. IMPACT recently had the opportunity to ask Sarah about her background and work as a forester. See more>>
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