2011 DR AWARD RECIPIENTS NAMED

DR is proud to be able to recognize with an annual award researchers who have made significant contributions to the field of special education and early childhood development for children and youth with disabilities through their research and publications.  In addition, DR also sponsors an award that recognizes high-quality research conducted by students in the course of their undergraduate or graduate special education training program.  The DR awards are:

• Distinguished Early Career Research Award
• Early Career Publication Award
• Student Research Awards

Distinguished Early Career Research Award

DR is pleased to name two recipients this year for its 2011 Distinguished Early Career Research Award to Dr. Kristin McMaster (University of Minnesota) and Dr. Linda Mason (University of Pennsylvania). This award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions in basic and/or applied research in special education within the first 10 years after receiving the doctoral degree. The award, co sponsored by the Donald D. Hammill Foundation, includes $1,000 to be presented at the DR reception at the 2011 CEC Annual Convention and an invited presentation at the CEC convention the following year.
See more about these distinguished award winners:

Dr. Kristin McMaster

Dr. Linda Mason

Early Career Publication Award

Through its 2011 Early Career Publication Award, the Division for Research recognizes an outstanding research publication by an individual within five years after completing the doctorate.  Nominations are sought across all areas of Special Education as well as all forms of research methodology. The nominator provides an assessment of the scholar's article identifying the research method, the quality of the research, how the study extends the knowledge base, and the impact of the publication. The Early Career Publication Award is presented at the DR Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Annual CEC Convention.

DR is pleased to announce that this year's recipient of the early career publication award is Dr. Sarah Powell, currently a research associate in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University, Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Dr. Powell completed her doctorate in March, 2009 at Vanderbilt University and received the award for the following article: Powell, S.R., & Fuchs, L.S. (2010). Contribution of equal-sign instruction beyond word-problem tutoring for third-grade students with mathematics difficulty. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 381-394.

Student Research Awards

DR is pleased to announce three Student Research Awards this year. This award recognizes high-quality research across multiple research methodologies conducted by students in the course of their undergraduate or graduate special education training program. For 2011, the Division is making an award to a student in each of the three areas of research design or methodology areas targeted by this recognition program:  qualitative, single-subject, and quantitative. The recipients of this years awards (with their university preparation programs identified) are Ms. Amber Friesen (Indiana University) in the qualitative category; Dr. Kathleen Artman Meeker (Vanderbilt University) in the quantitative category; and Dr. April L. Mustian (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) in the single subject category.

See more about these promising researchers and their work.