Public Engagement Efforts

“There is nothing so practical as a good theory”

“Research that produces nothing but books will not suffice”

– Kurt Lewin

As a behavioral scientist trained in the Lewinian tradition of conducting action research with a public purpose, it is important to me that our research findings do not remain locked away behind expensive paywalls in inaccessible academic journals. I want our work to be accessible and useful to society. Putting research into action is not always about speaking or writing after the studies are done. Often it requires working alongside stakeholders from the very beginning to ensure that the knowledge that gets produced is ultimately useful. That is the goal of much of my public engagement efforts. I find ways to work alongside a variety of stakeholders to use the scientific approach to study and find solutions to pressing social issues. Some of the initiatives I have worked on in partnership with communities and policymakers are below. 

Equity in Pandemic Response (2020-Present)

Throughout the pandemic, I have been involved in task forces and working groups that work with local, state, and federal governments to improve equity in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Preparation Initiative, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

(2015-2017)

The Preparation Initiative (PI) is a learning community designed to assist students from underprivileged backgrounds who, as a result of the limited resources of their high schools, enter the University of Michigan without many of the tools necessary to thrive in their courses, and on campus more generally. Our objective is to help these students gain admittance to the Ross School’s Bachelor of Business Administration program at the end of their freshman or sophomore year, and to help them excel while in the BBA program. We do this by providing students with coaches who work with them on improving their quantitative, writing, studying, and time management skills. In addition, we provide students with academic advisers and peer mentors who provide them with guidance throughout their academic journey.

I initially got involved with the PI as a consultant, providing insights from social psychological research on how to improve students’ motivation. After that, I developed the writing coaching component of the PI to work on improving students’ writing skills. I then served as the program’s interim director for a year while faculty director Dr. J. Frank Yates was away on sabbatical leave. Currently I am an external advisor for the program.

Lansing SAVE, Lansing School District & City of Lansing, Lansing, MI

(2013-2015)

The Lansing SAVE initiative is a multi-level collaborative project led by practitioners, advocates, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, local government, and school district officials. The goal of the initiative was to create a universal, automatic savings structure targeting youth residing in the city of Lansing in order to improve academic outcomes (for theoretical rationale, see Oyserman, 2013, Econ Educ Rev), increase access to the financial mainstream, and asset building for Lansing’s future generations. In addition, the Lansing SAVE initiative aimed to create a common model for Child Savings Accounts initiatives that has the potential to be implemented in any Michigan community, with the goal of creating a foundation for eventual statewide policy, disseminating the model to all Michigan youth.

I was heavily involved in the development and launch of the program, and chaired the classroom intervention and curriculum working group from 2013 to 2015. I still periodically consult with the program administrators, but day-to-day operations are now managed by the Lansing School District and City of Lansing.