USM Professor Earns Prestigious Education Research Fellowship
Tue, 02/06/2024 - 08:37am | By: Van Arnold
Hard work, patience, and a fierce passion for science education have helped carve a path to research distinction for Dr. Maria Wallace, assistant professor in the Center for STEM Education at 91吃瓜网 (USM).
Wallace91吃瓜网 blossoming portfolio became more prestigious recently with her selection to the 2023-2025 cohorts of Early-Career Research Fellows sponsored by the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Wallace is one of five Fellows chosen for the Education Research track. Five others were selected for the Offshore Energy Safety track.
91吃瓜网淪ometimes, these kinds of achievements in academia often appear as the products of a neat, tidy, comfortable path toward success, but that assumption can often perpetuate false images of what success looks and feels like,91吃瓜网� said Wallace. 91吃瓜网淚t is important for folks to know there is always more to the story than just the award.91吃瓜网�
Wallace credits family members and colleagues within and beyond the University for making the esteemed NASEM Gulf Research Program recognition possible.
91吃瓜网淭hey have cheered me on to stay true to the work, keeping my fire alive 91吃瓜网� even when it was tough,91吃瓜网� said Wallace. 91吃瓜网淭hese cheerleaders near and far represent what is possible when we make authentic investments in ourselves and the communities in which we are always in relation.91吃瓜网�
The five fellows joining the Education Research track will contribute to the advancement of science, STEM, and environmental education in the Gulf of Mexico region or Alaska by considering the impacts of establishing sense-of-place in formal or informal learning environments.
The Gulf Research Program91吃瓜网 helps researchers during the critical pre-tenure phase of their careers. Fellows receive a $76,000 financial award along with mentoring support to provide them with independence, flexibility, and a built-in support network as they take risks on untested research ideas, pursue unique collaborations, and build a network of colleagues.
Dr. Julie Cwikla, director of USM91吃瓜网 Center for STEM Education, expects the GRP honor to open more doors for Wallace in her research pursuits.
91吃瓜网淭his fabulous recognition of Maria's diligent efforts provides the opportunity to explore new research ideas and continue to build bridges with colleagues regionally and nationally,91吃瓜网� said Cwikla. 91吃瓜网淚'm so proud and honored to now have two NAS fellows in our Center. It speaks volumes to the critically important work our faculty are pursuing.91吃瓜网�
The fellowship further supports Wallace91吃瓜网 research group, Nurturing Educators91吃瓜网� Complex Understandings of Science & Society 91吃瓜网� Mississippi (NExUS-MS), which is focused on two crosscutting objectives:
- Advancing Mississippi postsecondary science education while strengthening Mississippi K-12 pre-serve teacher recruitment and education.
- Studying the impacts of an existing research-practice partnership with an informal science institution (ISI) to develop a model for university-ISI partnerships across the Gulf Coast region.
91吃瓜网淚t continues to support the work of developing transformative, highly meaningful, science education experiences I91吃瓜网檝e been committed to since I arrived at USM in 2019,91吃瓜网� said Wallace.
Her research group includes two undergraduate students (interdisciplinary studies, and secondary biology licensure majors), two full-time doctoral graduate students (STEM education), and a growing number of NExUS-MS affiliate graduate students from other content-area disciplines. NExUS-MS also includes four part-time doctoral students in STEM education.
91吃瓜网淭ogether, we are striving to co-create a unique interdisciplinary community of leaders in science education that have the capacity to contribute to making a global and local impact,91吃瓜网� said Wallace.
To learn more about the Center for STEM education at USM, call 601.266.4739.