Graduate and Professional Studies at Southern

Let's congratulate Kristin Bengston Mendoza on her defense thesis today 🎉🎉 "Developing Secondary Teachers' Critical Language Awareness and Translanguaging Stance in an Adolescent Newcomer Program: A Critical Participatory Action Research Study"

Defense Announcement: Mercedes Mckelvie. Doctoral in Educational Leadership and Policy. Chair: Dr. Norris Haynes. Thesis/ Defense Title: TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS: GENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Defense Format: REMOTE April 16 at 7:40pm (please check our website for remote details). Let's support our fellow graduate student!

Scan the QR code for more information on our upcoming workshops.

It's that time of year again - DAY OF CARING is just around the corner on April 8th. Join us on the patio for ice cream or consider a shoe size donation. Scan the QR code to contribute.

Defense Announcement: Xinyi (Cindy) Gao. Masters in Communication Disorders- Speech Language Pathology. Chair: Dr.Julian Smith. Thesis/ Defense Title: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TONGUE STRENGTH MEASUREMENT IN YOUNG ADULTS: WITH AND WITHOUT BIT BLOCK COVERS. Defense Format: IN PERSON April 15 at 2:00pm - 3:00pm HHS 270. Let's come out to support our fellow graduate student!

Student Spotlight: Lee Bowbeer, LCSW
 
Congratulations to doctoral student Lee Bowbeer on his recent publication in the School Social Work Journal (Vol. 50, No. 1, Fall 2025)!
 
Lee’s book review of What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey began as an assignment in the Neuroscience in Social Work course and evolved into a published scholarly piece. His work explores trauma-informed practices and the application of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics in school social work settings.
 
As a practicing social worker at Greenwich High School, Lee brings real-world experience to his research, demonstrating how academic work at Southern can make a meaningful impact in professional practice.
 
Join us in celebrating Lee’s achievement and contribution to the field of social work!

Save the date! Register for our Spring Open House today at grad.southernct.edu/open-house.

Feeling overwhelmed by scholarly articles?
You’re not alone—and it doesn’t have to be that way.
Join our Graduate Writing & Research Workshop: Reading Scholarly Articles and learn practical strategies to read more efficiently, spot what really matters, and save time on your research.
🗓 Tuesday, Jan 27
🕔 5:00–6:00 PM
💻 WebEx
👩‍🏫 Facilitated by Dr. Tess Marchant‑Shapiro
Build confidence, reduce stress, and strengthen your research skills early this semester.
👉 Open to all graduate students!

✨ New Semester, Stronger Reading Skills
Dense articles slowing you down? This workshop will show you how to read scholarly articles strategically—not painfully.
📖 Reading a Scholarly Article
🗓 Jan 27 | 🕔 5–6 PM | 💻 WebEx
Perfect for graduate students who want to read smarter, faster, and with purpose.

Let's make sure to support our fellow Graduate Student during their thesis defense.

Attention Graduate Students! Can you present your research in just three minutes with one slide?🧐

The Three Minute Thesis® Competition challenges graduate students to explain their thesis or dissertation in 3 minutes or less to a non-specialist audience. The competition supports your capacity to effectively explain your research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

The School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Southern is proud to host a 3MT® competition for the 2025-26 academic year! Special thanks to the University of Queensland for founding this competition.💜

Important Dates:

November 28th: Deadline for applications/proposals/ video submission.

February 19th: Final round competition will take place, 4-6 PM in Business Building 102.

Finalists will be recommended for the regional/national/international competition in March 2026.

🔗Please visit https://grad.southernct.edu/3-minute-thesis or visit the link in our bio to learn more and enter the competition.

We can't wait to hear you share your research!🦉💙