CEHD conference highlights growth in research enterprise
UND College of Education & Human Development’s annual conference showcases research talks, poster sessions and more
GRAND FORKS — The University of North Dakota’s College of Education & Human Development brought together students, faculty and researchers from across campus March 30 for its annual Research Conference, highlighting a growing culture of scholarship and collaboration.
Held in the Memorial Union, the daylong event featured more than 100 presentations, including research talks, poster sessions, roundtable discussions and awards recognizing excellence in research and scholarship.
The conference serves multiple purposes for the college, said Robert Stupnisky, associate dean of Research and Faculty Development.
“One is so that we can share with the members of our college community all of the scholarly research work that we’ve been doing throughout the year,” Stupnisky said. “It’s a great time for everybody, once a year, to come together and say, ‘This is what I’ve been working on.’”
A chance to give and receive feedback
Just as important, he said, is the role the conference plays in student development.
“This is a really great training opportunity for our graduate students,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for them to share with other students, but also faculty, and get some feedback — quite often, we see collaborations result from this.”
This year’s conference included 80 poster presentations, a series of on-campus and online research talks, and a new roundtable discussion format designed to encourage deeper conversation among participants.
“In the past, we had posters and we had talks, but a lot of students and faculty were saying it would be great to have more conversation, more time for in-depth discussion,” Stupnisky said.
In one of the on-campus talks, Jesse Rhoades, professor in the UND Department of Kinesiology and Public Health Education, described an ongoing, NASA-funded project in which UND is helping design a better lunar boot.
Lunar boots were designed to retain heat in extreme cold, making the soles flat, rigid and uncomfortable, Rhoades said in his talk. The new design incorporates a special insole to restore natural foot mechanisms (such as toe flexion) and reduce pressure hot spots.
Without such changes, traditional boots present “significant injury potential” for astronauts, Rhoades said. That matters, because “if you have a person that has plantar fasciitis develop on Earth, it’s not a huge deal. But when you have a group of four people, one person is now down and has a critical role, that affects the well being of everybody.
“So these types of injuries, while they’re not a big deal here, they are a much, much more important issue when you’re on the Moon.”
Significant growth in the research effort
In the latest release of the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research & Development (HERD) survey, the UND College of Education & Human Development now ranks 69th in the nation with research expenditures of $7.4 million. The prior year’s HERD survey ranked CEHD at 82nd, with roughly $5.2 million in expenditures (101st and $3.3 million the year prior).
“Moving into the Top 70 nationally is a major milestone for our college,” Stupnisky said. “What’s especially exciting is the sustained momentum that highlights the trajectory we’ve been building over the past several years. It’s not just growth in funding; it’s growth in the scope, quality and impact of the work our faculty are leading.
“The funding represents expanded opportunities to support our faculty, staff, and student, but also has an impact in schools, communities and public health initiatives across the region and beyond.”
In tandem with the above, the CEHD Research Conference has also grown significantly in recent years. What was once a smaller gathering held in the Education Building has expanded into a large-scale conference occupying ballrooms and conference rooms in the Memorial Union.
“Now we’re in the Union; we have more than 100 presentations, and so it really shows how it’s grown as an event,” Stupnisky said.
Beyond showcasing research, the conference is designed to build connections across disciplines and strengthen the college community.
“It’s just a time to be together, to get to know each other,” he said. “Because, again, we’re all so busy — so it’s a great community builder.”
Awards celebrate research excellence
Research topics this year ranged widely across education, counseling, kinesiology and related fields, with emerging themes including the impact of artificial intelligence and evolving policies in teacher education.
The conference concluded with the presentation of several research awards, recognizing graduate students, early-career faculty and outstanding scholarly work. Recognized were:
Inspire Award for Graduate Student Research:
Sydney Raboin
The Aspire Award for Early Career Excellence in Research and Scholarship:
Pempho Chinkondenji
Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award: (dual recipients)
Logan Rutten
Renuka de Silva
