Dr. Kelly Clark, an assistant professor in the Department of Reading Education and Special Education, has been selected to be the 2022-2024 Graduate Research Assistant Mentoring Program (GRAM) Awardee.
GRAM is designed to provide research-active faculty with the opportunity to mentor talented graduate students through collaborative work on the faculty members' research projects. The award provides $14,000 in funding per year for two years, to be used as a stipend to support one full-time graduate assistant per year.
“I am honored to have won this award as a first-year faculty member,” said Clark. “I am excited to have the opportunity to mentor a graduate student and have them work alongside me with my research.”
Clark’s research areas include the development of a curriculum to teach soft skills for employment, interventions that include components of self-determination and academic skills, and evidence-based practices for secondary students with disabilities.
“My work has primarily focused on transition skills aimed at improving post-school outcomes for secondary students with disabilities,” she added.
As part of this award, Clark’s graduate assistant will be helping her extend the work on the soft skills curriculum, specifically in developing a new area within her current work and conducting research studies on this area to determine its effectiveness.
“They will learn about all aspects of conducting a research study and get to take an active role in the process,” she noted.
Bailey Claypool, from Burlington, North Carolina, will be Clark’s graduate assistant. She is graduating this May with her Bachelor of Science in special education, and through the accelerated admissions program, she has already begun work on her Master of Arts in special education.
For Claypool, the assistantship is a great opportunity for her as she continues her academic career as well as providing professional experience, honing her skills in the classroom.
“It also provides me with the opportunity to stay connected with the students I have had in my student teaching,” Claypool added. “They will be a part of the study, and I will be able to continue working with them which brings me so much joy!”
Kelly Clark
