2025 Anne's College Research Showcase
Anne's College hosted its 2025 Research Showcase, which featured 246 participants presenting work from across all six academic departments, laboratory research schools, and community partnerships.
The 2025 Research Showcase, hosted by the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, brought together students, faculty, and staff for a day dedicated to discovery, innovation, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Held on Friday, March 28, in the Stone Building, the showcase featured nearly 100 oral presentations delivered across four concurrent morning sessions, followed by 120 research posters in the afternoon. From early childhood education to cardiovascular health and artificial intelligence in sport, the breadth of topics reflected the wide-ranging impact of research happening across Anne’s College.
The Research Showcase marked a record-breaking milestone for Anne’s College, with 246 participants presenting work from across all six academic departments, laboratory research schools, and community partnerships.
This year’s projects spanned a wide range of timely and impactful topics—from mental health, school climate, and bullying prevention to the ways stress, nutrition, motivation, and prenatal health influence learning, performance, and well-being. Researchers also explored cardiovascular health, emotional regulation, and other factors that shape human development and educational outcomes. In the fields of education and sport, studies examined the long-term impact of accelerated math programs, the use of artificial intelligence in training and online learning, and the application of new technologies to language acquisition and assessment design—offering fresh insights into how students learn and how educators can adapt.
Dean Damon Andrew noted the college’s extraordinary growth in research activity, with research funding totaling over $75 million—placing the college eighth nationally among peers. This growth, supported by an expanded Office of Research and new research infrastructure, reflects the college’s rising national profile and deep commitment to research that improves lives and maximizes human potential.
Much of the research featured at the showcase will be presented at regional, national, and international conferences—including Italy, France, Finland, and Ireland, among others —further extending the reach of Anne’s College research. The 2025 presenters are sharing their research at more than 75 different conferences.
The 2025 Robert M. Gagné Research Award recipients were also announced at the showcase. Ph.D. candidate Saurabh Kadyan (pictured left) from the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Sciences received the top student honor for his presentation, “How Prenatal Diet Shapes Offspring Microbiomes and Metabolic Health.” Kadyan’s research is conducted in The Gut Biome Lab under the direction of Assistant Professor Ravinder Nagpal. Kadyan collaborated with fellow researchers Gwoncheol Park (2024’s top student award recipient), Nathaniel Hochuli, and Bo Wang.
On the faculty side, Dr. Yeo-eun Kim (pictured right) from the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems received the Gagné Research Award for her project, “Dynamic Interplay of Motivational Regulation Strategies and Achievement: Insights from Intensive Longitudinal Data.”
The Gagné Research Award honors the legacy of Dr. Robert Mills Gagné, a pioneering scholar in instructional systems design. Recruited to FSU in 1969 after an already distinguished career, Gagné is the only faculty member from Anne’s College to have served as president of the American Educational Research Association and one of only two to be named a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor. His groundbreaking work elevated the reputation of his program, the college, and the university. The award reflects his enduring impact on research and his deep commitment to mentoring students and faculty alike.
Student Gagné Research Award finalists included Amber Noor Mustafa (ELPS), Wenyi Li (EPLS), Meghan Litchfield (HDFS), Dhruv Joglekar (SM), and Hao Lin (STE). Faculty finalists included Matthew Lenard (ELPS), Longfeng Li (HDFS), Michelle Parvatiyar (HNFS), James Du (SM), and Veronica Fleury (STE).
For a full list of presentations, view the 2025 program.