Wei LAB Director Dr. Brian A. Burt was named one of the 52 most influential Black leaders of Wisconsin in Madison 365’s 8th annual list of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Black Leaders. This list is used to highlight the dedicated leaders of Wisconsin’s Black community. The individuals recognized are from a variety of professions, and they each partake in important work through various forms of discrimination and oppression.
2022 News
Dr. Donald L. Gillian-Daniel presented two workshops at the 2022 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting. The first workshop for department chairs was co-presented with Robin Greenler and titled “Inclusive Faculty Framework: Supporting Equitable Faculty Practices in the Classroom, Lab, Institution and Beyond.” His second presentation was for MRS executive board members, and this was titled “Inclusive Leadership.”
Wei LAB Director, Dr. Brian A. Burt, and Graduate Research Associates, Blayne Stone Jr., Tiaira Porter, and Josh Wallace, attended the 47th annual ASHE conference in Las Vegas, Nevada from November 16-19, 2022. The conference’s theme this year was “Humanizing Higher Education.”
Throughout the conference, the Wei LAB team participated in three sessions:
- Virtual RoundTable Session: Domestic and International Black Men’s Social Adjustment Transitions to Graduate School
- Paper Presentation: Aspiring to Graduate School: Factors Influencing Black Males’ Pursuit of Advanced Degrees in Engineering
- Paper Presentation: Expectations vs Realities: Black Males Navigating Independence and Collaborations in Graduate Engineering Programs
To learn more about the conference, click here.
Research Associate Blayne Stone Jr. joined NASPA’s Socioeconomic and Class Issues in Higher Education Knowledge Community’s (SCIHE-KC) leadership team. Stone serves on the leadership team as the Foster Care and Homeless Youth Subcommunity Co-Chair.
The SCIHE KC works to be a dynamic and supportive community regarding issues of class and socioeconomic status in Higher Education. The SCIHE KC provides an environment where student affairs educators can gain access to information, training, and resources that helps them understand these issues.
In November 2022, Wei LAB Research Associate Sofia Garcia Garbuno delivered her first keynote presentation for the MSAN Intersectional Social Justice Collaborative. This annual signature event for high school students aims to develop leaders equipped to end racial disparities in academic achievement and opportunity in their own schools. During their undergraduate years at UW-Madison, Sofia was also an MSAN member.
Research Associates, Blayne Stone Jr. and Josh Wallace, were invited by Louisiana State University’s Dean Roland Mitchell to participate in a guest discussion for Dr. Sulentic Dowell’s course Intro to Scholarship in October 2022. During this, they shared their research agendas, writing processes, and experiences as graduate students.
Wei LAB Research Affiliate (former Assistant Director), Dr. Don L. Gillian-Daniel, was appointed Director of Professional Development in Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity in Engineering (College of Engineering). In this role, he will work to advance the college’s visions to create a culture of belonging and inclusive excellence that empowers all individuals in the College. He will work with the faculty to design, implement, and evaluate programming that fosters the culture and climate to be a supportive professional development environment regarding all areas of inclusion, equity, and diversity in engineering.
Wei LAB Research Associate Josh Wallace was selected for Project MALES Graduate Scholars Program. He is just one of four scholars selected for this program in the United States.
The mission of Project MALES Graduate Scholars Program (PM-GSP) is to support the academic and career advancement of emerging scholars whose research is focused on improving the educational outcomes of boys and men of color.
It is a great honor to have been selected for this program. Congratulations Josh!
Dr. Donald L. Gillian-Daniel and colleagues Jess Gregg, Rachel Kennison, and Robin Greenler presented a full day pre-conference workshop for the Center for Teaching & Learning directors at the 47th Annual POD Network Conference. This presentation was titled “Leveraging an Inclusive Professional Framework: Reimagining Personal and Organizational Transformation.”
The Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network focuses on promoting inclusive teaching, learning, and organizational development skills. It works to provide a voice for teaching and learning practices within higher education.
In September 2022, Wei LAB Director, Dr. Brian A. Burt, attended the NSF Engineering Education and Centers Grantees Conference. He served on a panel titled “Re-Envisioning Research with Secondary Data Analysis: Broadening the Conversation.” 
The Wei LAB team were members on a panel for graduate students of color at MIT. The panels is titled “Understanding Advising: Exploring the Advisor and Advisee Relationship.”
On Saturday August 20, 2022, Dr. Brian A. Burt delivered the Keynote Speech at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMBC) PROMISE Summer Success Institute.
The Summer Success Institute started as an NSF grant-funded program in 2003 with a goal to diversify the professoriate. The annual Institute provides resources for professional development, career advice, peer support, mentoring, and motivation, especially for underrepresented graduate students and postdoctoral students in STEM fields.
In August 2022, the Wei LAB team enjoyed a lunch to send-off Dr. Dajanae Palmer from Madison, Wisconsin to Columbia, Missouri, where she will be starting a new position as a tenure-track faculty member at the University of Missouri in the Fall 2022.
Dr. Dajanae Palmer was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Wei LAB and her areas of interest focus on the socialization of Black women graduate students and social justice in higher education.
On July 26th, 2022, Wei LAB Senior Research Scientist, Dr. Shawn A. Robinson, was the Keynote Speaker at the 2022 Bookshare Summer Symposium.
Bookshare is an ebook library created by Benetech with an aim to provide a way for people with reading barriers to customize their reading experience and to create methods that make reading accessible for them.
Dr. Robinson serves as a member of Benetech’s Advisory Council, is the co-founder of Doctor Dyslexia Dude (a graphic novel series that shares the story of an African-American superhero with dyslexia), and has published over forty peer-reviewed publications and three children’s books.
Wei LAB Affiliate, Dr. Shawn A. Robinson, presented at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Pediatric Grand Rounds in July 2022. His presentation focused on the topic of dyslexia.
The Pediatric Grand Rounds is a weekly multidisciplinary conference series designed to improve a participant’s ability to practice pediatric medicine by enhancing knowledge in clinical care, healthcare research, medical education, public health, and innovation implementation.
In June 2022, Wei LAB Research Scientist, Dr. Don L. Gillian-Daniel and Colleague, Dr. A Dukes (University of Pittsburgh), presented at the ASEE 2022 Annual Conference. Their session was titled “Ensuring the Curriculum is Diverse & Inclusive.”
The ASEE conference is dedicated to all disciplines of engineering and engineering technology education, and features more than 400 technical sessions and thousands of authors and speakers. Dr. Gillian-Daniel’s session introduced participants to the Inclusive Professional Framework for Faculty (IPF: Faculty), a research-informed, holistic, professional development model created by the NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance. The IPF: Faculty enables deans and other institutional leaders to consider their DEI-focused policies, practices, and programs.
Wei LAB affiliate, Dr. Shawn A. Robinson, had his article titled “Contextualizing the Science of Reading Within Adult Education Programs: An Educator’s Transformation,” published in the Special Section of the May/June 2022 Volume of The Reading League Journal. This article overviews the science behind teaching and supporting students in developing their reading skills.
Read the article here.
Dr. Brian A. Burt received recognition in the University of Michigan’s Michigan Education Magazine (Spring 2022) for being an awardee of the School of Education’s Inaugural Alumni Award. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations launched two annual alumni awards: the Distinguished Alumni Award and the Emerging Leader Alumni Award. Each award recognizes the incredible accomplishments of alumni, whether they are seasoned professionals or newer to their careers. Dr. Brian A. Burt received the Emerging Leader Alumni Award, not just for his impressive publication list, but for his “commitment to helping his students navigate all aspects of academia—including publishing.”
Read more about the award here.
Effective June 2022, Dr. Brian A. Burt joined the Editorial Advisory Board for the Teachers College Record. The Teachers College Record (TCR) is a journal for analysis, research, and commentary for the field of education. It has received continuous publication by the Teachers College of Columbia University since 1990.
As a member of the Editorial Board, Dr. Brian A. Burt will provide assistance to editors, review multiple manuscripts, and will mentor a graduate student through the review process. Dr. Brian A. Burt shares his excitement on joining the board: “I’m honored to be joining TCR’s Editorial Advisory Board…I’ve had amazing experiences with their editorial team and reviewers constructively challenging my thinking and my work, and I am a stronger scholar because of them. I’m delighted to now be in a position to give similar positive and developmental feedback to others submitting manuscripts.”
Wei LAB’s Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Dajanae Palmer, will start her new position starting as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Qualitative Inquiry at the University of Missouri, Columbia in the Fall 2022.
In this position, Dr. Palmer will serve the entire College of Education and Human Development. She will work with other faculty in the Qualitative Research Consortium helping students with their qualitative inquiry needs, and will also be involved with the campus-wide doctoral certificate in Qualitative Research.
WiscProf was a workshop held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose theme focused on future faculty positions in engineering. This workshop provided scholars from underrepresented groups in STEM the foundation to develop a successful career as a faculty member in the engineering field.
Dr. Brian A. Burt was a speaker at the workshop, and shared with the aspiring engineering doctoral students encouragement to dream about the kind of professor they want to be.
Dr. Brian A. Burt spoke on a Panel Discussion of CAREER awardees at the 4th annual CoNECD Conference. CoNECD is a conference dedicated to the diverse groups that compromise the engineering and computing workforce. The vision of the CoNECD Conference is to provide a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented groups in the engineering and computing professions.
The panel consisted of four NSF CAREER awardees, including Dr. Brian A. Burt. CAREER Awards are among the most prestigious NSF awards provided to junior level faculty. These four each received a CAREER award in the area of Broadening Participation in Engineering.
The panel provided information on the leading edge research being conducted and how they plan to move their research agenda forward.
In March 2022, Wei LAB Assistant Director, Dr. Brian A. Burt, and Research Associates, Josh Wallace, and Blayne Stone Jr., presented for the Interdisciplinary Training Seminar in Education Sciences at UW-Madison.Their presentation highlighted how to implement a caring and wholeness-promoting framework for graduate advising.
Wei LAB Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Dajanae Palmer, took the place as moderator in both the ITP and the CDIS RED Talk.
In March 2022, Dr. Brian A. Burt, and Research Associates, Tiaira Porter, Blayne Stone Jr., and Josh Wallace, presented at a UW-Madison CDIS RED Talk. Wei LAB Postdoctoral Research Associate, Dr. Dajanae Palmer, served as moderator.
RED Talks showcase the amazing work of Badgers across the world—experts in their fields, forward thinkers, creative catalysts, and inspiring philanthropists all with one thing in common: UW–Madison. They also presented on providing a more caring and wholeness-promoting framework in regard to graduate advising.
The 2022 Annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) meeting took place April 21-26 in San Diego, California. Wei LAB presenters at AERA 2022 included Director, Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Assistant Director, Dr. Brian A. Burt, and Research Associates Dr. Dajanae Palmer, Blayne Stone Jr., and Josh Wallace.
On July 28th, Wei LAB member, Dr. Brian A. Burt, served as a panelist at the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program’s (FVBP) summer symposium. FVBP’s social justice committee, who coordinates the symposium, was developed in order to provide STEM graduate students with the tools and resources to take a more active role in the advancement of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI).
The 2022 symposium was entitled Learning, Applying, and Reflecting: FVBP Summer Symposium on Social Justice in STEM Higher Ed primarily for FVBP participants. Dr. Brian A. Burt participated in the opening panel which focused on “learning” how STEM higher education professionals work to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.