Research Groups and Training Centers
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The Department's success in research, scholarship, and grant funding is supported through the efforts of student and faculty collaboration in informal research groups (e.g., in early childhood, in autism), and of named centers that faculty members have established or joined.
Center for Applied Behavioral Economics
The Center applies principles of behavioral economics to choice and decision making associated with issues of social importance. Undergraduate and graduate students are involved in projects to promote, for instance, early melanoma detection, the advancement of sustainable environmental practices, and obesity. Affiliated faculty: Professor D. Reed.
Edna A. Hill Child Development Center (CDC)
The CDC is home to the Sunnyside Toddler Program, the Educare I and II programs, the Kansas Early Autism Program (KEAP), and the Little Steps ABA Early Intervention Program. They contribute significantly to undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research. Affiliated faculty: Professors Dozier, Neidert, Sheldon, and Sherman.
Juniper Gardens Children's Project (JGCP)
Located in Northeast Kansas City, Kansas, the JGCP seeks to improve the community's developmental and educational experiences for children, and thus, the children's academic and social achievements. In particular, the Project seeks to develop meaningful solutions to what community members, themselves, view as problems. Affiliated faculty: Professor Greenwood; affiliated courtesy faculty: Professors Baggett, Carta, Heitzman-Powell, Kamps, Walker, and Wills.
Performance Management Laboratory
The Laboratory seeks to improve service quality, staff training, and employee performance in organizations. Its research seeks to identify effective and resource efficient practices to promote behavior change of employees, educators, and volunteers. Undergraduate and graduate students receive instruction, service learning opportunities, and supervised research and clinical experiences in order to provide consultation and support to organizations. Affiliated faculty: Professor DiGennaro Reed.
Research and Training Center on Independent Living (RTC/IL)
The RTC/IL's mission is to further independent living for people with disabilities in their communities by collaborating with consumers on productive research and by using innovative methods to disseminate useful knowledge. It is interested in how consumers can participate more fully in their communities and how to measure their participation. Affiliated faculty: Professor White; affiliated courtesy faculty: Professor Nary.
Work Group for Community Health and Development (KU Work Group)
The Work Group's mission is to promote community health and development through collaborative research, teaching, and public service. Designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in 1994, one of its projects, the Community Tool Box, is the world's largest source of tools for promoting community health and development. Affiliated faculty: Professors Fawcett and Watson-Thompson; affiliated courtesy faculty: Professors Collie-Akers and Schultz.
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