“Authentic Community-Engaged Scholarship in STEM Education Postdoc Training Program,” a project led by principal investigator and William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering assistant professor Jerrod A. Henderson along with three UH Co-PIs and funded by the National Science Foundation with a grant of $1,227,108, has onboarded three elite postdoctoral researchers in pursuit of producing highly-skilled, community-engaged engineering educators to benefit the Houston area and beyond.
“I’m so excited for this work,” said Henderson.
The program will support “the development of three independent STEM education researchers equipped with distinctive skills in building community-engaged research-practice partnerships and leading community-embedded research.”
“Our partnerships with schools, community organizations, and informal learning spaces will expand access to engineering pathways, particularly for the communities surrounding the University of Houston (e.g., Third and Second Wards), and educators impacted by our research and practice will gain tools to implement student-centered, research-based practices, directly improving classroom experiences for thousands of students,” he said.
Co-PIs David Horton, Mariam Manuel and April Peters-Hawkins will work with Henderson to train these postdoctoral researchers over the next two years of the project, bringing together knowledge and experience from both the College of Education and the Cullen College of Engineering between them.
“Our scholars will be able to hit the ground running in working on existing projects and helping to get ongoing work published,” Henderson said. “While they are here for training, they bring skills, resources, and expertise that they will utilize to assist with research design, publication, and mentoring undergraduate and PhD students.”
Horton, Manuel and Peters-Hawkins each bring their own areas of research interest and expertise, as do the postdoc trainees, each helping to “expand the footprint of the types of engineering education research coming out of UH.”
“I’m primarily known for conducting identity research in engineering, particularly with a focus on Black males in the field,” said Henderson. “These trainees will add new research thrusts such as neuroscience and engineering education, and they will also help the team increase our presence and impact in the community.”
Researchers are often limited in balancing their responsibilities as faculty members with their availability to engage with the community, but with community engagement built into this program, trainees will be able to mentor “graduate students, undergraduates, and even high school outreach participants, amplifying mentoring reach and [creating] a community of future engineering education scholars tied to UH.”
“By winning early career awards, publishing solo-authored work, and securing fellowships, postdocs will become ambassadors for UH as a training ground for the next generation of leaders in engineering education research. Graduated postdocs will move on to tenure-track roles nationwide and other leadership roles, becoming, over time, a national alumni network of engineering education scholars, each carrying forward the UH brand,” Henderson added. “This long-term pipeline will establish UH as not just a powerhouse of research output, but a powerhouse of talent production.”
David Horton
David Horton, Jr., Ph.D., is a scholar, educator, and administrator with over two decades of experience in higher education. He currently focuses on advancing equity and access in engineering education through data-informed research and community-based initiatives. His research, teaching, and program development have centered on improving outcomes for underrepresented students in STEM, particularly Black men in engineering.
“In my current role, I serve as a research assistant professor for STEM/Engineering Education in the Cullen College of Engineering and work with and alongside an amazing group of undergraduate and graduate students interested in engineering education research. I also work directly with Dr. Henderson and his research group. We have worked together on several other grant projects, so when I was invited to participate in this project, it was a no-brainer. Adding the cohort to the mix has been an amazing experience thus far, and I look forward to our future work,” said Horton.
“My hope is there will be real-world effects of this program and our work seen and felt within academia, in the local community where are scholars will engage with schools and families, within the Authentic Community Engaged Scholars (ACES) team, in the College of Education, the Cullen College of Engineering and throughout the entire university. I look forward to how this experience will impact and affect the work I do and how I engage with my work, and why I do my work. I know that two years will go by fast, so I want to just enjoy each moment as we go.”
Mariam Manuel
Mariam Manuel, Ph.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor/Master Teacher for teachHOUSTON, a secondary STEM teacher preparation program in the Department of Mathematics at University of Houston. She is a proud graduate of the University of Houston and was part of the inaugural cohort of the teachHOUSTON program during its inception in 2007.
“I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Henderson on several initiatives, so when he shared this opportunity, it was an immediate yes,” said Manuel. “It aligned with our shared values, expanded our existing work, and allowed me to grow professionally in areas I deeply care about: community engagement, mentorship, and broadening participation in STEM. I hope this program shows the value of collaboration and shared purpose between universities and local communities. It has the potential to support scholars in designing projects that are deeply responsive to community needs, while also pushing institutions to be more grounded, intentional, and transparent in how they engage with those they serve.
“There’s something powerful that happens when a team comes together around shared commitments and trust. I’m excited to see how the fellows’ work unfolds and how our collaboration continues to push the boundaries of what research, mentorship, and community engagement can look like in higher education.”
April Peters-Hawkins
April L. Peters-Hawkins, Ph.D., is a professor in the UH College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. She previously served as a middle school teacher, school social worker and high school principal in addition to four years as a consultant with Atlanta Public Schools. She has also served as Associate Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (DELPS) and is a Past President of the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA), a consortium of higher education institutions committed to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders for the benefit of schools and children.
“A very important feature of this project is community engagement,” said Peters-Hawkins. “The PIs and the postdocs share a commitment to research that is relevant to the community. Our commitment is ‘research with’ rather than ‘research on,’ which undergirds our collective philosophical approach to research.”
“I look forward to learning as I contribute,” she added. “Our postdocs are brilliant scholars with substantive ideas that will contribute to the local community as well as to their respective scholarly communities. I am hopeful that this project will become a model for others to replicate in mentoring and supporting postdoctoral fellows to engage in research that matters. I hope that we are able to meaningfully contribute to the growth and support of each postdoc in ways that benefit them professionally and personally.”