Kudos: Three faculty members accepted into UGA’s Rural Engagement Workshop; Bhattacharya elected to serve on MLA forum; Reeves awarded best research article of 2020; Byun receives research grant

**Three College faculty members accepted into UGA’s Rural Engagement Workshop**

Three faculty members in the College have been accepted into the University of Georgia’s inaugural Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty, a program designed to help build momentum for high quality, community-engaged research in rural Georgia communities.

Through a series of five virtual sessions, Jamon Flowers, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration and Policy; Georgia Wood Hodges, associate research scientist and MAT coordinator in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education; and Theodore J. Kopcha, associate professor in the Department of Career and Information Studies, will gain a greater understanding of Georgia’s rural demographics and trends; obtain key information on developing sustained relationships with communities; and enhance their ability to engage in rural research in the state.

“Rural perspectives continue to be overshadowed by their counterparts and absent in academics and policies,” said Flowers. “In addition to elevating the untold stories via research and having a much larger stage in academia and policies, this opportunity will create pathways to create and sustain partnerships between the University and rural communities. In return, rural communities and rural education will receive the attention needed and deserved.”

[Read the full story on our website](https://coe.uga.edu/news/2021/01/three-faculty-accepted-into-ugas-rural-engagement-workshop).

**Bhattacharya elected to serve a position for MLA**

Usree Bhattacharya, an assistant professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, was recently appointed to serve as the new chair of the Language and Society Forum of the Modern Language Association (MLA). In this role, Bhattacharya will work with other members of the forum to plan and arrange sessions sponsored by the forum at its annual conventions among other duties.

“I am thrilled to take on this important task and serve the forum and MLA in this capacity,” she said. “The Language and Society Forum bridges research at the intersection of language and literature in the organization, and I am grateful to be part of it.”

Since 1883, MLA has worked to strengthen the study and teaching of languages and literature and has over 24,000 members in 145 countries.

**Reeves awarded best research article of 2020**

The National Institute for Digital Learning in Ireland identified a paper by Tom Reeves, professor emeritus in the Department of Career and Information Studies, and Lin Lin, a professor from the University of North Texas, as the best research article of 2020.

The paper, [“The Research We Have Is Not the Research We Need,”](https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1Uiwl8qq24buK28bsrUAS4zVe8487xd9u) was published in the Educational Technology Research and Development journal.

**Byun receives research grant from the International Olympic Committee**

Jinsu Byun, a fourth-year doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, recently received a research grant from the International Olympic Committee’s PhD Students and Early Career Academics Research Grant program.

The main objective of this program is to encourage research on any aspect dealing with the Olympic Movement or the Olympic Games. The grant will support Byun’s research project, “A Comparative Case Study of the Governance of Post-Olympic Games Legacy Organizations,” as he collects a wide range of data on three previous Winter Olympic hosts, including Salt Lake City (2002), Vancouver (2010), and PyeongChang (2018).

“Winning this grant motivates me to contribute to my academic field and society by conducting impactful research,” said Byun. “This research grant will significantly contribute to the development of my doctoral thesis.”

[Read the full story on our website](https://coe.uga.edu/news/2021/01/doctoral-student-receives-research-grant-from-the-international-olympic-committee).