Faculty at Anne’s College are known for conducting research that provides real-world impact. (Photo by Anne’s College)
Last Friday, the Anne’s College Research Showcase at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center brought together FSU faculty and staff to discuss research opportunities, grants and promote departmental collaboration.
Featuring more than 300 students and faculty from the renowned Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College), the event was an opportunity for participants to present their work that places an emphasis on real-world impact.
Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College, provided remarks at the showcase ceremony that summed up the everyday ambitions of the college’s research.
“Every year I look forward to this conference, which showcases the very best research activities being undertaken by our college’s faculty and students,” Andrew said. “While we come from various scientific disciplines and utilize a broad range of methodological conventions and techniques, we all share the common goal of using our research to maximize human potential.”
With approximately 233 PowerPoint and poster presentations, and more than 300 students and faculty presenting current research, the showcase covered endless topics that impact day-to-day life and span across several disciplines. Presenters tackled issues related to ultra-processed foods, artificial intelligence in the classrooms, workplace accommodations, mental health in schools and much more.
Joshua Newman, associate dean for research at Anne’s College, asserts that the caliber of work being conducted offers valuable solutions for both Floridians and a broader audience.
“Research is at its core is about value proposition, because we’re really trying to answer tough questions but provide solutions to problems that face families across Florida and the region even beyond,” Newman said. “In our college, we have a very strong commitment to making sure that we’re doing research that doesn’t just get published in journals but is making an impact in people’s lives.”
Dean Damon Andrew provided remarks at the showcase ceremony that summed up the everyday ambitions of the college’s research. (Photo by Anne’s College)With approximately 233 PowerPoint and poster presentations, and more than 300 students and faculty presenting current research, the showcase covered endless topics that impact day-to-day life and span across several disciplines. (Photo by Anne’s College)
The value is two-fold for student presenters – a chance to offer insights into intriguing research as well as brush up on public speaking. Anna Seymore, a master’s student in the college’s School of Teacher Education, benefited from being able to show her work to a large audience.
Seymore’s presentation “Comedy for Comedy’s Sake: Teaching Humor in ELA to Give Students a Bold New Skillset,” focused on integrated comedy as a standalone concept within the English Language Arts curriculum. Her research aims to help students master comedy’s specific grammars of design, identify and analyze the four key comedic devices (satire, parody, contrast and subversion) and develop themselves into active producers of digital and literary humor.
Seymore feels the Anne’s College Research Showcase provides a golden opportunity for students to present their work on a grander scale in front of a receptive audience.
“I think it’s so important to get these kinds of experiences to, number one, put your work out there,” Seymore said. “To dig into something and explore something you really are passionate about, where it’s going to further your education. You get to meet all kinds of people. I got such a great experience meeting all kinds of people and seeing the research that they did, while also getting to put my own work out there.”
Anna Seymore, a master’s student in the college’s School of Teacher Education, discusses her presentation about integrating comedy as a standalone concept in English Language Arts curriculum with Florida State University Communications. (Photo by Anne’s College)Professor Myriam Rudaz leads a presentation titled “Self-Compassion, Compassionate Love, Genuine Happiness, and the Mediating Role of Caring for Bliss in College Students: A Longitudinal Study.” (Photo by Anne’s College)
The Anne’s College Office of Research has grown to 16 faculty and staff members supporting over 200 faculty, several hundred graduate students and three K-12 laboratory research schools. In the past two years, faculty have secured 10 national academy fellowships and other prestigious awards.
Dean Andrew also noted the college’s elevated national rankings, with multiple departments earning top five marks. Among its peers nationally, Anne’s College ranks in the top five with over $84 million in research funding – a sharp increase from $17 million in 2020.
“This has been an incredible year for Anne’s College,” Andrew added. “Our college research enterprise has experienced remarkable growth across all key metrics.”
Together, the work on display underscored how Anne’s College is turning rigorous scholarship into real‑world solutions that expand opportunity, strengthen communities and embrace translational research.