Annual meeting will showcase UNG faculty presenters

Ten University of North Georgia (UNG) faculty have been selected as presenters at the 2018 American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting April 13-17 in New York City.

Founded in 1916, AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association dedicated to the science of education and learning. The annual meeting is the largest gathering of education researchers in the world, attended by more than 15,000 members, scholars, policy experts, and practitioners.

"This is a very prestigious conference, and AERA is very selective about who presents," said Dr. April Nelms, associate professor and head of UNG's teacher education department. "Typically, UNG is represented by about five to 10 attendees, so to have 10 faculty presenting at the conference is quite an honor."

This year's conference theme is "The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education." It will feature more than 2,500 sessions, including keynote addresses and lectures, panel discussions, research and science policy sessions, and research paper presentations.

UNG faculty presenters at the AERA annual meeting include:

• Lauren Bradshaw, assistant professor; "Hello from the Other Side: Social Studies Faculty Teaching Biography within State History Courses."
• Gina Childers, assistant professor; and Dr. Donna Governor, assistant professor; "Science and the Community: Exploring Individuals' Motivations in Attending Science Cafés."
• Natasha Merchant, assistant professor; "Teaching on Top of the Frame: The Trouble with Educating Against Islamophobia."
• Sheri Hardee, associate dean, College of Education; and Dr. Lauren Johnson, assistant professor; "Building Bridges Not Walls: Developing Pathways for Latinx Educators in the United States."
• Max Vazquez Dominguez, assistant professor; "Interrupted Schooling: Pedagogical Perspectives of Educators Working with Bilingual Teenage Refugees in the United States."
• Sanghee Choi, associate professor; Nelms and Dr. Mark Spraker, professor; "Developing Elementary Teachers' Science Content Knowledge and PCK Through STEM-Focused Professional Development."