Doctoral students Ana Bellard Freire Ribeiro and Greg Rhodes recently placed first and second, respectively, in the Northland Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine's 2013 Graduate Student Research Awards.

Riberio's research, conducted with professor of kinesiology Jürgen Konczak, Ph.D., and St. Cloud State's Glenn Street, Ph.D., was titled, "Comparison of Tibial Strength Between Adult Female Dancers and Gymnasts." Rhodes' project, "Physiology Testing vs. Field Based Strength Testing in Roller Ski Race Performance in Elite Junior Cross-Country Skiers," was advised by kinesiology lecturer Stacy Ingraham, Ph.D.

Maureen Weiss, professor of kinesiology, recently gave an invited lecture and participated in a research seminar with faculty and students in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The presentation titled, "Sport as a social context for promoting youth development," was the focus of the developmental psychology scholarly lecture series and invoked interest from individuals pursuing research on and outreach with after-school programming.

Frances Vavrus, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, an Development (OLPD), and Lesley Bartlett, associate professor at Teachers College, are the co-editors of a recently published book entitled Teaching in Tension: International Pedagogies, National Policies, and Teachers' Practices in Tanzania (2013; Sense Publishers).

The book draws on a long-term collaboration between a team of Tanzanian and American educational researchers who have been carrying out research on learner-centered pedagogy as policy and practice. The authors' critical examination of pedagogical reform as it relates to teacher professional development, gender, inclusion, language policy, and standardized testing extend beyond the confines of any single country; therefore, each chapter concludes with questions for discussion that can be used in courses on social policy and teacher education in a variety of contexts, including in the U.S. The volume includes two chapters co-authored by OLPD doctoral students Matthew Thomas and Zikani Kaunda as well as a concluding chapter analyzing the benefits and challenges of international research collaboration.

Professor Michael Wade, Ph.D., has published a new text book with co-author Dr. David Sugden of the University of Leeds (UK). The book is titled, Typical and Atypical Motor Development, and provides explanations for motor development with contrastive theoretical, empirical, and experiential view points. They describe motor development from birth to early adulthood and how impactful different resources may be for a young developing person.

Frances Vavrus, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), and Deborah Levison, Ph.D., professor in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, have received a Collaborative Research Circle grant from the University's Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change for a project entitled "Subjects, Objects, Agents: Children's Lives and Livelihoods in the Global South." The two-year grant will facilitate interdisciplinary research among faculty and doctoral students in several departments including Applied Economics, Communication Studies, History, OLPD, and Sociology.

The Institute of Child Development faculty and students were well represented at the recent biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development held in Seattle, April 19-20. As president of SRCD, Ann Masten, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychology, gave the Presidential Address, Global Perspectives on Resilience in Children and Youth. Dante Cicchetti, McKnight Presidential Chair and William Harris Professor of Child Development and Psychiatry, gave an invited address, Maladaptation and Resilience in Maltreated Children: A Multiple Levels of Analysis Perspective, and Phil Zelazo, Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor, chaired an Invited Paper Symposium, Executive Function: Basic Science to Intervention. The legacy of Nicki Crick, former Irving B. Harris Professor of Psychology at the Institute, was also honored with a Memorial Symposium, which reflected the range and depth of her contributions to the field. The Symposium, chaired by Kenneth Dodge, professor, Duke University, included Dante Cicchetti, professor, ICD; Kathryn Hecht, doctoral student, ICD and former student of Crick; Dianna Murray-Close, associate professor, University of Vermont and former student of Crick; and David Schwartz, associate professor, University of Southern California. Overall, faculty, graduate students, and research staff participated in over 120 sessions at the meeting, with nearly 80 of those being lead authors, speakers, moderators or chairs.

Michelle Kuhl, a Ph.D. student (EDPA-higher education track) in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) has been named a 2013-14 Buckman Fellow. The Buckman Fellowship for Leadership in Philanthropy is an opportunity for faculty, staff, graduate students, and alumni of the University to learn about the world of philanthropy. The program is available to individuals affiliated with CEHD, the College of Design, and CFANS.

Hanife Cakici (Ph.D. student, evaluation studies) and Leah Hakkola (Ph.D. student, comparative and international development education) from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) received Women's Philanthropic Leadership Circle Awards.

On Tuesday, May 7, the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) held their 14th annual child welfare conference, "The Intersection of Child Welfare and Disability," featuring Dr. Dick Sobsey from the University of Alberta, Dr. Traci LaLiberte from CASCW, and Dr. Elizabeth Lightfoot from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. CASCW has since made available archived video footage for online viewing.

To view the conference online via archived video, or to download materials and handouts from the conference, please visit http://z.umn.edu/cwdisability.

Many faculty, graduate students and alumni from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) attended the 2013 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting held April 27-May 1 in San Francisco, California.

OLPD participants included:

Abigail Felber Smith (Ph.D. student, EdAd)
Allison Mattheis (Ph.D. student, EdAd)
Dr. Karen Seashore (OLPD faculty)
Matthew Thomas (Ph.D. student, CIDE)
Doneka R. Scott (Ph.D. student, HiEd)
Dr. C. Cryss Brunner (OLPD faculty)
Krista M. Soria (Ph.D. student, HiEd)
Brad Weiner (Ph.D. student, HiEd)
Dr. Jennifer York-Barr (OLPD faculty)
Dr. Delia Kundin (Ph.D. alumni, 2008, ES)
Dr. Timothy Sheldon (Ph.D. alumni, 2005, EdAd)
Dr. Teresa Ann Tyler (Ph.D. alumni, 2012, EdAd)
Dr. Stuart Yeh (OLPD faculty)
Dr. Andrew Furco (OLPD faculty)
Dr. David W. Chapman (OLPD faculty)
Dr. Joan G. Dejaeghere (OLPD faculty)
Christen Opsal (Ph.D. student, EdAd)
Dr. Christine D. Bremer (Ph.D. alumni, 2000, WCFE)
Patrick Duffy (Ed.D. alumni, 2011, EdAd)