The Adolescent Development and Evaluation Lab:

• evaluates programs quantitatively and qualitatively to understand changes in knowledge, attitude, beliefs, and behaviors.
• designs and facilitates programs that promote positive youth development during adolescence.
• disseminate knowledge that supports adolescent health and well-being as well as parent-child relationships.

I would describe my mentoring style as holistic, empowerment-oriented, and supportive. The goal for all students working with me is to help them develop skills that will be applicable in the career of their choosing. I am open and supportive of students who want to be on the academic/tenured professor track and those who are interested in an alternative career path that requires a PhD. I believe in promoting professional development so opportunities will be tailored to best suit the students’ needs and career goals. Therefore, my mentorship approach is similar to that of a coach and advocate.

Working in the lab, does not automatically mean that you are my mentee; however, if you are my mentee, it is my preference that you work in my lab.

Students who join the lab are expected to read our lab procedural guide and follow it.

Although we have procedures, innovation and efficiency are important to me. Therefore, I welcome ideas from students when they find a more efficient way of doing something in our lab.

Students are expected to attend lab meetings. Meetings are for updates, problem-solving, and updates on policies, procedures and best practices. I also recommend that students in the lab contact me for one-on-one meetings to problem-solve or discuss issues within the team.

Students who thrive in the Adolescent Development and Evaluation Lab have these qualities:

1. Self-motivated
2. Organized
3. Detail-Oriented
4. Problem-solver
5. Ability to adapt when things don’t go as planned
6. Can collaboration with others

In my lab we work on traditional empirical academic papers, as well as publications for the public. Students can opt into writing projects that utilize the data collected or serve an outreach purpose to the public. There are several projects that are ongoing, quantitative and qualitative.

I believe people should receive authorship if they work on the paper and have a significant intellectual contribution to the work. Authorship is mainly given to those who have written pieces of the manuscript or those who have done analysis and provided written support around their analysis. Everyone who is an author is expected to do edits and a final review before it is submitted. It is important that each author be committed to the integrity of the work; not committing plagiarism and ensuring proper citation is important.

Generally, the PI of the lab is listed first, unless the student is at the intellectual core of the work, then they will be the first author. Thesis, Qualifying Exam Papers, and Dissertations will be published with the student as the first author. The exception is if the student does not want to publish their work and gives permission for me to publish the work as first author and them as second.

In the Lab

As the principal investigator, it is important for me to foster an environment that is respectful of all students. It is important for lab members to join me in creating a respectful and supportive lab environment for everyone. With that in mind, if there are issues related to prejudice or discrimination that occur in the lab, it is important to talk to me about it. Staying silent will only exacerbate the problem. My goal is to manage these issues in a way that is restorative, not punitive or avoidant.

How we work

As program evaluators, the way we interpret and present evaluation results can greatly impact various systems, funding for organizations, and people, especially youth. Therefore, it is important to see the people in the data as we analyze and disseminate our findings to others.

As an evaluator, program developer, and researcher, there are a few things I believe should ground how we do our work in the lab and how we treat others in the community.

At the Adolescent Development and Evaluation Lab we,

• value quality and context-aware evaluation processes that lead to the enhancement of decision-making processes, program implementation, their employees/volunteers, and the youth they serve, especially those who are most vulnerable.
• respect others.
• value the range of thought and approaches to youth program and evaluation work.
• communicate and try to work through miscommunications directly.

1. I will provide timely feedback on emails, writing, projects, etc. I will respond to your email in 24 hours. If you do not hear back from me in two days, please send me a reminder. It will not annoy me. I appreciate reminders.


2. I will have you write for multiple venues, not just academic journals. Writing for blogs, newsletters, magazines, Cooperative Extension, and academic journal require different writing styles. We will co-write for these different audiences first, and I expect that you do some reading on your own to understand how to communicated with your audience.


3. 3Your writing projects will have a timeline and a due date. We will try to stick to it, but adjust as needed.


4. I will not send you several reminders about something that is due. After we have agreed to the due date it is your responsibility to add it to your calendar, sticky notes, or however you organize yourself.


5. I will not keep up with your hours, so trust is highly valued. Working 50% means_ hours per week and 33% means _ hours per week.


6. Most projects have an externally set planning and reporting period. Planning activities with the deadline in mind is important so that you are not rushing to complete projects at the end.


7. As an Extension Specialist, I have multiple responsibilities/tasks that are not always connected to lab work or current projects. There is a lot of invisible labor that is not apparent on the surface. Give me amnesty if I am late or forget something. Oftentimes, someone needed something important that pushed other things back and upended my beautifully color-coded calendar.


8. As your MP, we will meet every week. I am flexible about meeting locations. I can meet in person or on Zoom. I also like to meet off campus at a coffee shop because I love them, and they put me in a good mood.


9. Regardless of academic or non-academic track, I believe conference attendance is important. There are many skills that are developed and used when doing a poster, paper, or roundtable presentation. Therefore, students working with me will be expected to attend and present at national or regional conferences.

Type of Student Committee Work		Availability
Currently taking graduate students as a major professor for the academic year?		No
Available to serve on graduate student committees?		Yes
Available to serve as a university reader for doctoral students?		Yes