College Hosts 2nd Annual Research Symposium
Friday, Jul 25, 2025
Showcasing Community-Engaged Research Initiatives
The 2025 Research Symposium for the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice featured community-engaged projects, honored university award recipients, and celebrated college nominees. The keynote presentation, titled "Digital Self-Harm and Suicidality Among Adolescents" was delivered by Sameer Hinduja, PhD, professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (SCCJ) and co-founder of the Cyberbullying Research Center; and Ryan Meldrum, PhD, professor and director of SCCJ.
The panelists included Cassandra Atkin-Plunk, PhD, associate professor and associate director of SCCJ; David Simpson, PhD, assistant professor in the Sandler School of Social Work (SSW); Wendy Guastaferro, PhD, professor in SCCJ; Dani Groton, PhD, associate professor and DSW coordinator in SSW; and Morgan Cooley, PhD, associate professor in SSW and co-director of the Child Welfare Institute.
Award recipients included:
- Precious Skinner-Osei, PhD, MSW, assistant professor in SSW - CoSWCJ Distinguished Mentor of the Year
- Donna Drucker, LCSW-QS, senior clinical instructor in SSW - CoSWCJ Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching
- Manny Gonzalez, PhD, LCSW-R, associate professor in SSW - CoSWCJ Distinguished Teacher of the Year
L-R: Morgan Cooley, David Simpson, Wendy Guastaferro, Ryan Meldrum, Dean Naelys Luna, Dani Groton, Donna Drucker, Manny Gonzalez, Sameer Hinduja, and Cassandra Atkin-Plunk
Immediately following the symposium, attendees enjoyed a light reception and the inaugural Student Research Showcase, featuring Alice Assi, MSCCJ student, Elizabeth Cupp, MSW student, Shania Grant, MSCCJ student, Lacey Kane, MSW student, Tiffany Daniels, MSW Student, Alexandru Pasararui, student researcher in the Child Welfare Institute, Alejandro Rodriguez, research assistant and Criminal Justice alumnus, and Samantha White, MSCCJ student.
Special thanks to Marianna Colvin, PhD, associate dean of research and academic effectiveness for the College of Social Work and Criminal Justice (CoSWCJ), and director of the Child Welfare Institute; and Tony Andenoro, PhD, CoSWCJ director of community engagement and programming, who oversaw the award ceremony.
We hope you enjoy these additional snapshots from the 2025 College Research Symposium!
PHOTO GALLERY
