The Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) was well represented at this year’s Research and Creative Activities Forum and MU Graduate School’s 12th annual Graduate and Postdoctoral awards ceremony, with four HDFS scholars earning accolades.
Jessica Marmolejos, an HDFS doctoral student, was awarded the John D. Bies International Discovery Fellowship to support her dissertation research abroad. This fellowship is designed to promote international cultural exchange and to encourage doctoral students to adopt a global perspective in their scholarly work. As part of her research, Jessica will spend five months in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she will examine identity development among the Afro-descendant population in Colombia. Her study specifically investigates how Afro-Colombians come to understand race and construct a racial identity outside of the national identity of mestizaje, or multiculturalism. Jessica is advised by Dr. Antoinette M. Landor, Associate Professor in HDFS.
Also honored was Dr. So Young Park, a postdoctoral fellow in HDFS. Dr. Park received theMU postdoctoral research grant from the MU Postdoctoral Association (MUPA). Her project is titled “Parents’ Choices About Communicating Separation to Children During Contentious Divorce Transitions.” Dr. Park’s project explores critical communication choices that parents make during a contentious divorce; specifically, their choices of disclosing information about their separation to their children. Dr. Park is beginning data collection on parental divorce with Dr. Kale Monk, an associate professor in HDFS.
Dr. Jeenkyoung Lee, another postdoctoral fellow in HDFS, was awarded an MU Postdoctoral Research Grant, funded by the Office of Postdoctoral Education. With this support, she and her team are diving into a project exploring how risks and protective factors between siblings influence the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences and health outcomes. Dr. Lee will use the nationally representative National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health data. Dr. Lee is collaborating on the project with HDFS faculty and scholars including Dr. Sarah Killoren, Dr. Megan Gilligan, Dr. Francisco Palermo, and Dr. Hanamori Skoblow.
Just a few days later, Dwika Dewi an HDFS doctoral student and Fulbright Scholar, earned 1st place for the Social and Behavioral Sciences category at the Research and Creative Activities Forum organized by the Graduate Professional Council (GPC). Dwika presented a poster focused on parental Intimate Partner Violence during childhood and the role of parenting practices on behavioral problems in adolescence. Dwika is working on this project with Dr. Brenda Lohman and Dr. Shinyoung Jeon, faculty members in HDFS.