For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent honors, presentations, publications, appointments and exhibitions include the following:

Honors

Both Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, and Mark Samuels Lasner, senior research fellow emeritus, UD Library, Museums and Press, were invited guest participants in an online event organized by the American Trust for the British Library on Sept. 16, 2026. At this event, titled "'Where There Is Sorrow, There Is Holy Ground': Oscar Wilde in NY on 9/11," Christine Nelson, the former Drue Heinz Curator at the Morgan Library and Museum, was interviewed by Philip Palmer, currently the Robert H. Taylor Curator at the Morgan, about the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the opening, during the week of Sept. 11, 2001, of "Oscar Wilde: A Life in Six Acts." That exhibition at the Morgan was a version of one originally on view at the British Library in London. Samuels Lasner was a major lender to both exhibitions, and Nelson showed images of several works on paper that are now in the Mark Samuels Lasner Collection at UD, while also thanking him for his invaluable assistance. She also paid tribute to Stetz for her memorable lecture, "Oscar Wilde at the Movies," which was part of the official programming held at the Morgan in conjunction with the exhibition. (A version of that lecture was later published in the journal Biography.)

Abram J. Lyons, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, received the inaugural Doctoral Student Paper Award from the Social Welfare History Group in September 2026 for research he completed as a doctoral candidate. With coauthor Claudette Grinnell-Davis, Lyons received the award for “Indigenous Children and the Settler’s Pursuit of Land: Tracing Structural Colonialism Through the Child Welfare System,” published in the Journal of Public Child Welfare. The article explores the significance of the child welfare abolition movement for Indigenous children. 

Sophie Douglas has just been named the only student in Delaware to receive the 2026-2028 Voyager Scholarship by the Obama Foundation. This is a two-year scholarship created by the Obamas and Airbnb's Brian Chesky that supports young leaders who are ready to make their mark in public service. Douglas is a junior honors student studying political science with a concentration in global politics and minors in public policy and political communication. She is currently on track to complete an accelerated 4+1 master's degree at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, where she also serves as a mentor for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Student Leader Program. This scholarship recognizes Douglas' passion for civic engagement and her efforts to advance democracy and strengthen deliberative dialogue across the University of Delaware campus and beyond. 

The UD Water Resources Center (UDWRC) within the Institute for Public Administration in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration was recently named a recipient of the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin (WRA)'s 2026 Innovation and Collaboration Award. The designation results from pivotal flood-mitigation research conducted by UDWRC in the Brandywine Creek watershed. WRA's Innovation and Collaboration Awards recognize exceptional leaders and organizations making significant contributions to water resource management across the region. UDWRC will be recognized for its work at WRA's annual technical event, The Value of Water 2.0, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, at FMC Tower in Philadelphia. 

Presentations

Andrea Glowatz, director of the College of Education and Human Development’s The College School, presented “Finding the Promise: Student-Centered Teaching for Today's Middlesex Classroom” to faculty and staff at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, in late August 2026. Glowatz’s interactive seminar explored how educators could intentionally bring the school's mission to life through student-centered methodology. Grounded in brain science and practical pedagogy, Glowatz’s presentation helped participants deepen their understanding of the adolescent brain while engaging in strategies that could be implemented immediately in their own classrooms and spaces. 

On Sept. 22, 2026, Laura Lessard, associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Nutrition Sciences and senior adviser for wellbeing in the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood, was an invited speaker at the inaugural SEC Early Childhood Summit hosted by Texas A&M University. Her talk, "Expanding our impact: embedding educator wellbeing in early childhood education systems," highlighted her collaborative work across Delaware to bring together health and education.

Publications 

A recently published review article by Lauren Genova, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Catherine Grimes, professor of chemistry and biochemistry; and R. Jeremy Johnson of Butler University, was highlighted on the front cover of the September/October issue of the Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. The article, entitled “Metabolic Supercharging: Active Learning Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement With Metabolism,” presents an array of active learning exercises — including virtual activities, physical models and games, and problem-based learning activities — designed to help students engage more deeply with the study of metabolism. The cover art features a simplified diagram of various metabolic pathways with active learning activities relevant to each pathway. 

Lynsey Gibbons, associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Education (SOE), published three articles with colleagues, including a UD graduate student and professor emeritus. James Hiebert is professor emeritus in the SOE, and Rebecca Memmolo is a Ph.D. in education student. They specialize in mathematics education and teacher learning. 

• Gibbons, L. K., Hiebert, J., & McKie, K. (2026). Theories of Action Needed to Guide Emerging Models for Professional Learning: An Examination of a Theory of Action for Instructional Coaching. Elementary School Journal 127(1).

• Gibbons, L. K., Prough, S., Memmolo, R., Wilhelm, A., & Manz, E. (2026). Examining Instructional Goals Across Content Areas for Elementary Teachers. Elementary School Journal 126(4).

• Pinilla, R., Prough, S., Wilhelm, A., Gibbons, L. K. (2026). Exploring the Differences Between What Teachers Notice Individually and Collaboratively. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Educator.

Abram J. Lyons, assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development, published “Caregiver Perceptions of a Child Welfare-based Unconditional Cash Assistance Program: A Qualitative Study” in Child Abuse and Neglect with coauthors I. al-Zouabi, F. Edwards, R. Brown, A. Thompson, A. Castro, S. West and Z. Bouchelle. Lyons specializes in social work. 

Appointments

Fran O’Malley, a policy specialist at the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, was recently appointed to the 10-person National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Content Advisory Group. NAEP is one of three groups assembled by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), convening leaders with expertise in civics. O’Malley, project director of the Delaware Center for Civic Education within IPA, plays a pivotal role in coordinating and leading year-round efforts to expand civic education in Delaware. NAGB is an independent, nonpartisan board that sets policy for the Nation’s Report Card, serving as the gold standard for measuring what U.S. students know and can do in math, reading, science, U.S. history and civics. The NAEP Content Advisory Group is tasked with supporting updates to the NAEP Civics Framework. 

Emma Odren, who earned a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 2018 from the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, was recently appointed as the director of economic development for New Castle County (NCC). In this new role, Odren will support the county's largest companies and small businesses, helping entrepreneurs, startups and other small businesses flourish in the county and, in turn, create jobs. She previously worked as the director of economic development and strategic partnerships for the NCC Chamber, shaping and designing initiatives to support business growth, workforce development and regional competitiveness across the state. 

Exhibitions

The exhibition, “Eco-Social Realism,” at Street Road Artists Space in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, features work from 2022 UD MFA alum Sébastien Derenoncourt (SDR). Curated by Daniel Tucker, the exhibition opened Sept, 19, 2026, and runs through Dec. 19, 2026.

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