Dr. Jade Metzger-Riftkin is a Research Associate at the Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Human Development. She is a scholar and educator with experience in qualitative research methods, program evaluation, and facilitating open and collaborative learning environments. Her published research explores overlapping representation and virtual community building, privacy ethics in technology use, and online harassment. Through TAPDINTO-STEM, Metzger-Riftkin mentors’ students who are neurodivergent, disabled, and chronically ill, supporting them to achieve academic and professional success. She also collaborates with STEM faculty to adapt class curricula and research opportunities to be more available to students with disabilities. Metzger-Riftkin has received NAU’s Commission on Disability Access and Design Staff Award, NAU’s Educator of Influence Award, and Wayne State University’s Athletic Department’s Student Awarded Favorite Professor.
Overview
The Northern Arizona University-Institute for Human Development (NAU-IHD) is a University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), one of two in the state of Arizona. IHD is an interdisciplinary center unit working across a range of university departments, research institutes, community agencies, consumer advocacy groups, and state departments on projects that impact the delivery of services and supports to persons with disabilities.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a Research 1, four-year public research university located in Flagstaff, Arizona with more than 20 satellite campuses throughout the state. Flagstaff campus is located just south of the Grand Canyon within the largest continuous Ponderosa pine forest in the world. NAU and Flagstaff have a rich history in astronomical discovery. Flagstaff is the first International Dark Sky Community, making it an ideal location for astronomical research and observation. Astronomer and NAU faculty member Clyde Tombaugh first observed Pluto at The Lowell Observatory. Meteor Crater, just outside of Flagstaff, was a training site for the Apollo mission astronauts in the 1960s and 1970s.
Leadership
- Jade Metzger-Riftkin, PhD, Research Associate, serves as Interim Mountain Hub Lead, Faculty Mentor, and Student Coordinator
- Francisco Villa, PhD, Clinical Professor of Chemistry, serves as NAU Yuma Campus Lead and STEM faculty mentor
- Kelly Roberts, PhD, Executive Director, Institute for Human Development and Professor, Education Specialties, serves as Mountain Hub Co-PI and Co-Lead TAPDINTO-STEM Workforce Development Committee (CB, check on specific committee)
- Sandra Heath, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, serves as Lead for the Mountain Hub research study and STEM faculty mentor
- Michele Lee, PhD, Evaluation Associate, coordinates the collection of institutional data from Mountain Hub partners and serves as the liaison with the evaluation team
- Cynthia Beckmann, Program Manager, coordinates communication and information sharing across the Mountain Hub and with the UMKC backbone and Auburn University.
- Alex Dickman, Financial Oversight Analyst, Intermediate, coordinates contracts, budgets, and invoices/payments with Mountain Hub partners
- Zachary Estell-Ramsey, NAU-Yuma Student Coordinator
- Callahan Franklin, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Overview
The Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities (NCED) operates within the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno and serves as Nevada’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD). The mission of the NCED is to cooperatively work with consumers, agencies, and programs to assist Nevadans with disabilities of all ages to be independent and productive citizens who are included in their communities. This mission is accomplished by providing interdisciplinary training, offering model exemplary services, conducting interdisciplinary evaluations, disseminating information on developmental disabilities and service options, providing technical assistance, and conducting relevant research and evaluation studies.
The College of Education & Human Development is a recognized leader in guiding, shaping, and mentoring high-performing education professionals who will go forth with a lifelong love of learning and with the skills essential for thriving in a global, knowledge-based economy. We are committed to a broad learning community that works to promote education across disciplines for everyone, locally, nationally and around the globe. The University of Nevada, Reno is a Research 1 Institute, four-year, public university.
Leadership
- Dr. Randall Owens, Associate Professor of Special Education and Director of the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities, will serve as CLI.
- Dr. Mehmet Gumus, Teaching Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, will serve as STEM faculty mentor.
- Nicole Wadden, Student Coordinator, Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities
Leadership
- Matt Wappett, PhD, Executive Director, USU Institute for Disability Research, Policy, & Practice (UCEDD), Campus Lead
- Cassandra McCall, PhD, STEM faculty mentor
- Autumn Cuellar, Student Activities Coordinator
Leadership
- Lisa Swenson, AccessABILITY Resource Services Coordinator, Campus Lead
- Laura Alexandre-Sandigo
- Rainier Dischinger
- Bryan Doak
- Dawn Whinnery, PhD, Faculty Mentor
Leadership
- David Jennings, PhD, Campus Lead
- Joshua Frisby, STEM Faculty Mentor
- Emmanuel Ojameruaye, PhD, CGW, GPC, Grants Officer
Leadership
- Eric J Moody, PhD, Campus Lead
- Canyon Hardest
The Mountain Hub research focused on the unique experiences of STEM students with disabilities at their universities and colleges. Additionally, Mountain Hub researchers are capturing students with disabilities perceptions and feelings around shifting from STEM college student to early STEM professional. To fully capture the multi-faceted experiences of people with disabilities, Mountain Hub researchers employ photo elicitation interviewing/photovoice methods, inviting student participants to take photos of their everyday lives and discuss those photos with a researcher.
Join us in our mission to connect
