Awards & Recognition
Callie Poole was recognized by Families as Allies with the organization’s Helen Reddy Johnson Award. Read more at https://bit.ly/4hbCo6i.
Awards & Recognition
Personnel
Bradley Long attended the Mississippi Rural Education Association's (MSREA) Teacher of the Year ceremony on February 28. The event, hosted by the Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS), honored educators across Mississippi, including the four finalists for the Rural Teacher of the Year. Bradley served on MSREA selection committee as part of the Mississippi Rural Education Association.
Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale will mentor research interns Harleen Kaur Maroak and Samantha Itzxochitl Rios, both masters students at California State University, San Bernardino. Additionally, Dr. Ragsdale will mentor Janiya Rutherford, an undergraduate psychology student at Mississippi State University. All the interns will work on the Nourishing Nations-Nigeria project and the Scaling ComFA+Fish for Rural Zambia project.
Dr. Heather Hanna, Lisa Long, and Heather Martin attended the Mississippi Early Childhood Capitol Day.
Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program
On February 8, the MASEP Advisory Council had its annual meeting via ZOOM. The MASEP facilitators in attendance were Teandra Jones, Jennifer Kibodeaux, Sonya Sumerlin, Brett Watson, Meoshus Johnson, Ken Brown, Eric Green, John Miller, Jason Carney, Tina Morrow, Kim Martin, Tara Warren, and Andrea Ross. The MASEP staff in attendance were Dr. Angela Robertson, Daniel Shawl, Dr. Blythe McCance, Chuck Dawkins, and Billy Brister.
Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Laboratory
The Survey Research Laboratory is administering two mail-based surveys on behalf of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Mississippi State University and the University of Wisconsin‐Madison. With funding from the USDA, the research team is exploring the types of technologies used by producers of crops and livestock in both Mississippi and Wisconsin. The surveys are targeting a representative sample of approximately 500 producers from each state. As described by Dr. Jessica Drewry, Assistant Extension Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, “Precision agriculture technologies have the potential to revolutionize agriculture by making production more adaptable and efficient. However, many producers face barriers in adopting these technologies. A better understanding of which technologies have [been] adopted and how they are used will help guide educational programming and precision technology support tools to best suit producers’ current needs.”
Presentations & Conference Participation
Haider, M., Ballenger, B. K., Starr, G., Sergi, K., Twietmeyer, G., Agiovlasitis, S. (February 2025). Feasibility and effectiveness of a dance program for people with Down Syndrome using self-determination theory. Annual meeting, Southeast Chapter of American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM), Greenville, S.C.
Long, L., Gaither, M., Brenner, R., & Sergi, K. (January & February 2025). Early Childhood ECHO. Virtual presentations to MS Department of Child Protection Services, Starkville, MS.
McMillen, R. (2025). What’s Menthol Got To Do With It? Exploring the Health, Equity, and Advocacy Impacts on Children, Youth and Families. [Panelist]. American Academy of Pediatrics webinar. Panel also included Rachel Boykin of Stoney Brook University and Bonnie Halpern-Felsher of Stanford University
Sergi, K., Gardner, S., & Love, T. (February 2025). Focus group report, Project AWARE, Year 2. In-person presentation to Project AWARE partners and Mississippi Achievement School District Superintendent and Administrators, Yazoo City, MS.
Stouffer C., & Anreddy, S. (2025. January 28). Three-hour training on the TRAPS (Tobacco Reporting and Progress System) data reporting system. [Virtual]. The training will equip the portal users with how to report on their scope of work activities and upload the required documents. The training was offered to the newly hired Office of Tobacco Control Coalition Directors and as a refresher course for all other Directors.
Stubbs-Richardson, M. (2025, Feb). #MeToo: Global and Regional, Past and Present Panel Discussion. [Panelist]. International Women's Day Event, University of Portsmouth. Panelists also included Chang-Ling Huang, Medinat A. Maelfakis, and Marta Roqueta-Fernandez.
Valentine, N. & Reid, A. (February 2025) Investing in Connections with MS Lift: An informative series regarding the Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five: Session 1
Publications
Leffler, L. (2025, February 18). Improving workforce stability in early childhood education: Stipends, wage supplements, and professional development. Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University. https://scl.ssrc.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/EC-Workforce-Stability-Brief-2.18.25.pdf
Gjika, A., Stubbs-Richardson, M., & Paul, M., (2025). From Private to Public: Narratives of Gender-based Violence Among the Everyday Voices of the #MeToo Movement. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Online First. DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605251319348.
Stouffer, C., McClelland, E., Sergi, K., & Anreddy, S., Huell, M., & Burdine, M. (2025, February). Semi-Annual State Tobacco Prevention and Control Evaluation Brief. SSRC for the Office of Tobacco Control, Mississippi State Department of Health.
Systems Change Lab. (2025, February 26). Head Start and Early Head Start programs: Mississippi enrollment highlights from the Office of Head Start - Program Information Report (PIR) Summary Report - 2024 - State Level. Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University. Created for Dr. Cathy Grace at the North Mississippi Education Consortium. https://scl.ssrc.msstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Head-Start-Infographic-8.5-x-11-in-2.26.25-1.pdf
