November 2015 Awards


Barbara Boone

Barbara Boone

Principal Investigator: Barbara Boone, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Co-Investigator: Robert Mahlman, CETE

Project Dates: 07/01/2015 – 06/30/2016
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $67,000

Project Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education

Coordination of regional family-community engagement network

The Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) state-wide system of support is made up of 16 regional State Support Teams (SST). The goal of the state-wide system of support is to build the capacity of local and related education agencies to engage in systemic and sustainable improvement. The regional SSTs are the means of delivering a unified system of support that meaningfully connects research-based processes to the work of early intervening and prevention, early learning and development and special education functions with a focus on improving instructional practice and student performance on an on-going basis.

Since October 2013, The Ohio State University, Center for Education and Training for Employment (CETE) in the College of Education and Human Ecology worked with OEC and the SSTs to build the capacity of SSTs for engaging families of students with disabilities and communities. The 2015-2016 Family and Community Engagement Project with The Ohio State University – CETE will continue and build the capacities of SSTs through supports, products and services from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. This will include collaborating with OEC to integrate family engagement, particularly the families of students with disabilities, into systems such as the Ohio Improvement Process, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Early Literacy, and the State Personnel Development Grant. CETE will work with the SSTs and OEC to develop resources for families and to improve regional networks as identified by the priorities and needs identified by SSTs through the Performance Agreement and the family and community self-reflection tool developed by OSU.


Barbara Boone
Barbara Boone

Principal Investigator: Barbara Boone, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Co-Investigator: Robert Mahlman, CETE

Project Dates: 07/01/2015 – 06/30/2016
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $150,000

Project Sponsor: Ohio Department of Education

SPDG project and parent-educator collaboration project

The purpose of Ohio’s State Professional Development Grant (SPDG) awarded to Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is to reform and improve the state’s system of personnel development to better support all Ohio districts and their schools in significantly improving the quality and consistency of instruction and services provided to students receiving special education services and other struggling learners at risk of being identified as disabled, as part of district-wide continuous improvement.

The Parent-Educator Partnerships component of Ohio’s SPDG aims to successfully engage families in their children’s education at school and at home to support the successful inclusion of students with disabilities. The Parent-Teacher Partner Model of Murray and Mereoiu is being implemented at the LEA level to develop relational practices and participatory practices to improve adult attitudes and dispositions, ultimately supporting improved student outcomes.

This project includes continuing project management and resource development services that began in October 2013 for the Parent-Teacher Partnerships model project of SPDG, for the 12 month period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. In addition, for the same 12 month period, the Center for Education and Training for Employment at The Ohio State University will continue project management and coordination services (started in February 2015).


Earl Harrison

Earl Harrison

Principal Investigator: Earl Harrison, Department of Human Sciences

Co-Investigator: Steven Schwartz, College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science

Project Dates: 09/01/2015 – 08/31/2017
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $79,200
Project Sponsor: USDA Agricultural Research Service

Nutrition research to reduce the risk of cancer

To support research on the role of dietary components and how they impact risk for cancer.  ARS will design nutrition studies, prepare protocols for human studies, and conduct dietary and lifestyle interventions. Results from these interventions will be used by both parties to jointly develop new information on the role of diet and risk for cancer. The Cooperator will provide analytical and scientific support for these studies.


Sanja Ilic

Sanja Ilic

Principal Investigator: Sanja Ilic, Department of Human Sciences

Co-Investigator: Douglas Doohan & Jeffrey Lejeune,  College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Science

Project Dates: 11/19/2015 – 09/30/2017
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $100,000
Project Sponsor: Ohio Department Of Agriculture

Implementing new on-farm produce safety education models

Food safety continues to be a concern to the public and has had an adverse economic impact on growers, packers, processors and shippers of fresh produce. Since its inception in 2007, The Ohio State University Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team (OSU FVST) has aspired to provide produce safety educational outreach services to Ohio’s estimated 3000 produce growers on on-farm produce safety. Educational curriculum closely follows content within the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. To enhance the existing produce safety program and extend educational opportunities to packers, processors and shippers of fresh produce, the OSU FVST plans to 1) develop a virtual good agricultural practices (GAPs) course 2) create educational ‘kits’ tailored to a specific produce growing audience 3) maintain traditional GAPs program for growers seeking the 3-hour, in person class 4) deliver a produce safety symposium covering the FDA FSMA Produce Safety and Preventive Controls standards at the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association (OPGMA) Congress 5) deliver packinghouse Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) training and 6) deliver post-harvest produce handling workshops for small-scale growers. To determine the effectiveness of the project, evaluation tools will be administered for each specific objective and will include pre-tests, post-tests, and evaluation surveys.


David Julian

David Julian

Principal Investigator: David Julian, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Co-Investigator: Robert Mahlman & Melissa Ross, CETE

Project Dates: 09/01/2015 – 07/31/2016
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $40,000
Project Sponsor: Columbus Medical Association Foundation

Physician’s leadership academy evaluation project – Year 2

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the second year of the Physicians Leadership Academy (PLA). The PLA is a leadership development program designed to increase the leadership capacity of physicians through the following core program components:

  • Supporting participants to develop a regular mindfulness meditation practice,
  • Strengthening participants’ social/emotional competencies,
  • Increasing participants’ knowledge and skills through a transformational leadership curriculum, and
  • Creating a supportive environment for participants to build relationships that are conducive to exploring newly acquired knowledge, skills, and behaviors.

The second year evaluation of the PLA will continue to focus on program improvement, which was established through a process evaluation of the program during the first year of its implementation. In addition, the second year evaluation will also explore the extent to which program outcomes have been achieved through an outcomes evaluation component.

The evaluation of program outcomes is the priority of this project; the evaluation of the program’s processes is a secondary objective.


Principal Investigator: Susan Nell, Center on Education and Training for Employment (CETE)

Co-Investigator: Robert Mahlman, CETE

Project Dates: 10/05/2015 – 06/30/2016
Anticipated Total Award Amount: $92,131
Project Sponsor: Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction

Corrections consultant

The Ohio State University will provide one Consultant to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The individual will travel to all ODRC facilities to provide support to resident educators as consulting services. The responsibilities of this individual will include working exclusively for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, the Ohio Department of Youth Services and in-house duties of the Ohio State University.