Kudos: Luft receives Distinguished Research Professor Award; Wang and alumna receive awards from NCME; Student worker honored as Student Employee of the Year

Luft receives 2020 Distinguished Research Professor Award

During Honors Week, the title of Distinguished Research Professor is awarded to UGA faculty who are internationally recognized for their contributions to knowledge and whose work fosters continued creativity in their discipline.

As a leading scholar in the field, Julie A. Luft, the Athletic Association Professor of Mathematics and Science Education in the Mary Frances Early College of Education, investigates the professional development of science teachers. Over the years, Luft has designed, implemented, and studied different types of professional development programs and how these programs influence the learning of newly hired science teachers.

“At the end of the day, my goal is to have my research make a difference in the lives of science teachers,” Luft said. “This is why I get up in the morning and this is what drives my daily work. To be honest, I am incredibly lucky to be recognized for doing something I enjoy so much.”

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Wang and alumna receive awards from the National Council on Measurement in Education

Shiyu Wang and alumna Seohyun Kim received prestigious awards from the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).

Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, received NCME’s 2020 Jason Millman Promising Measurement Scholar Award. Kim (Ph.D. ’19), who graduated from the Department of Educational Psychology, received the NCME Brenda H. Loyd Outstanding Dissertation Award. NCME is the largest and most visible research organization in the field of educational measurement and statistics.

“This award recognizes one early career scholar annually for the contributions the scholar’s body of research has made to the field and is a very competitive and prestigious award,” Wang said. “Receiving such an award is important to me, as it recognizes my established research work and directions and gives me confidence to further expand and promote my research.”

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College of Education student worker honored as Student Employee of the Year

Katie Ebbert, a work study student in the College’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, was honored as a UGA Student Employee of the Year. With more than 5,000 student employees on campus, this award honors the top 100 nominees.

Ebbert has worked in the DEI Office for three years and is majoring in biological engineering.

“The people I work with are some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and being recognized by them is such an honor,” she said. “It’s crazy to me that they nominated me for an award when they are the ones who changed my life.”