Friday Institute Selects 2024 Graduate Student Fellows

Each year, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation selects graduate students to become Friday Institute Graduate Student Fellows. Fellows are nominated by Friday Institute faculty fellows or directors and are selected for their strong record of academic achievement and service to students and educators. This year’s Friday Institute Graduate Student Fellows are working to increase mathematics teachers’ engagement in project-based learning, study the efficacy of tangible landscapes for learning science and develop a scale to measure the criticality in English Language Arts education. 

Fellows must be an advanced graduate student at NC State University who are beginning their dissertation and have been actively engaged in the Friday Institute’s work. They receive $2,000 to support their research. All of this year’s fellows are students in the NC State College of Education.

Learn more about each of the 2024 Friday Institute Graduate Student Fellows below.

Margaret Borden

Margaret Borden is a doctoral student in the Ph.D. in Learning and Teaching in STEM math education concentration. Her dissertation is entitled “Investigating Mathematics Teachers’ Interactions with Curricular Resources: Selecting and Adapting for Project-Based Learning.”

Borden works as a graduate research assistant for the Exploring Mathematics Curricula Creatively (EMC2) research team under College of Education Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Friday Institute Senior Faculty Fellow Erin Krupa.

Borden’s dissertation seeks to contribute to research on project-based learning (PBL) by providing insights into the behind-the-scenes work and thought processes of mathematics teachers as they plan to implement PBL in their learning environments. Understanding this process can help inform the supports that PBL mathematics curriculum writers include in their teacher guides as well as supports to include in professional development around teaching mathematics with PBL.

Krupa nominated Borden for this award.

“From day one, Margaret has been committed to researching project-based learning and supporting teachers to engage in PBL,” said Krupa. “Her passion for PBL is evident in every conversation she has about research, teaching and harnessing the professional expertise of teachers. She is driven and motivated to do good in the world through supporting project-based learning because she believes it is a really important way to engage students in the learning of mathematics and statistics.”

Amber Meeks

Amber Meeks is a doctoral student in the Ph.D. in Learning and Teaching in STEM science education concentration. Her dissertation, entitled “The Efficacy of Tangible Augmented Reality as a Tool For Learning Science,” is examining how students use a 3-D tangible landscape to investigate phosphate runoff remediation strategies. 

Under College of Education Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor of Science Education and Friday Institute Senior Faculty Fellow Gail Jones, Meeks conducts research at the Friday Institute on multiple studies that include climate change education, students’ concepts of viruses and vaccines, and convergence graduate education. 

Her research interests include working with neurodiverse individuals in STEM education, as well as new ways to educate the next generation about the problem of phosphorus sustainability. 

Jones nominated Meeks for this award.

“Amber is a dedicated scholar and educator who is committed to conducting high quality teaching and research,” said Jones. “She is smart, very hard working and highly motivated to make a difference in science education. She has all the characteristics of students who deserve this special recognition.”

Janell Miller

Janell Miller is a doctoral student in the Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences literacy and English language arts concentration. Her dissertation title is “Avoiding Harm, Centering Humanity, and Planting Seeds of Understanding: Developing and Validating a Scale for Measuring Criticality in English Language Arts Education.”

Miller has been a member of the Program Evaluation and Educational Research Group at the Friday Institute as a graduate research assistant since 2022, where she has contributed to creating capacity for innovation across education systems by engaging in program evaluation to ensure the efficacy of educational practices. 

Her research focuses on critical, culturally responsive pedagogies, critical consciousness, classroom discourse and emotional literacy. Miller is particularly interested in the transformative potential of diverse texts and dialogic pedagogies in ELA classrooms. 

Friday Institute Senior Director of Program Evaluation and Education Research and Director of Strategic Initiatives Callie Edwards nominated Miller for this award.

“Janell is truly one of the most talented and promising students I’ve had the honor of teaching, consistently demonstrating thoughtfulness, dedication and innovation,” said Edwards. “In my fall 2021 Qual II class, she stood out not only for her academic rigor but also for her deep commitment to making a meaningful impact in education. Janell’s dedication, both in research and practice, perfectly aligns with the Friday Institute’s mission, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this fellowship.”