In November 2025, fourth-year PhD student, Alison Berube, presented at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s (APPAM) 47th Annual Fall Research Conference in Seattle, Washington. Alison ‘s research, Geographic Variation in Child Support Debt: The Role of Neighborhood Contexts and Mobility, focused on the influence of neighborhoods on child support outcomes. Specifically, she looked at how neighborhood characteristics and mobility affect the accumulation of unpaid child support among noncustodial fathers in Wisconsin. For amazing research and exceptional presentation skills, she won first place for the Saturday Poster Session!

This kind of research that Alison won first place for is the focal point of her scholarly interests. She is fascinated by the delicate balance of “the needs of custodial parents, noncustodial parents, and children” that the child support system requires. She recognizes that child support is much more than the transference of money as it is “embedded within the messy and often difficult dynamics of family life.” Alison told me that the majority of the conversation concerning child support is focused on determining what is fair. She hopes that the research that she does can contribute to “a deeper understanding of how fairness can be defined and achieved for all parties involved.” Ultimately she wants her research to improve the child support system an drive meaningful policy change.

I believe that Alison is capable of driving that change, and I think Alison is believing in herself more and more about what she can do. She told me that every milestone that she has achieved, like passing her preliminary exam, going to her first conference, passing her field paper, has built her confidence, instilled a sense of pride within her, and made her realize that she really can do this (“this” being getting her PhD and succeeding in grad school). This most recent poster presentation win has also been a huge confidence boost for her. “Winning first place was a huge honor. It was a cool experience to represent not only the University, but also the School of Human Ecology and the Institute for Research on Poverty. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to share my work with such a broad audience and to have it recognized.”

It should be known that, as a show of Alison’s character, she has not let this building confidence turn to arrogance. For instance, she specifically made sure to extend a special thank you to her advisor, Judi Bartfeld, and Professor Meg Bea. She said that without their guidance and support she would not have won. As well, she recognizes how the financial support from the School of Human Ecology and the Institute for Research on Poverty has helped to relieve a lot of the financial stress of attending graduate school. She said that she would not be able to continue her scholarly work or attend conferences without it.

Ultimately, Alison has done some seriously commendable work. Winning first place at the Saturday Poster Session at APPAM is no easy feat. Equally, commendable is all of the work that it took Alison to get to this moment, to enjoy this victory. If Alison got sent back to her first day of grad school, and had the opportunity to give her past self some advice, here is what she would say:

“There will be many days you will feel like you’re not equipped for the PhD life and the work will feel overwhelming at times, but you are smart, capable, and able to take on the challenges you will face. You deserve to be here and you deserve to take up space. You are safe. Go gettum queen!”

Time to give our congratulations to second-year SoHE MS student, Kaina Martinez! Kaina recently served as the flag bearer for SoHE at Winter 2025 Commencement and was featured as one of Winter 2025 Commencement’s notable grads.

Being selected as the flag bearer meant a tremendous amount to Kaina. She described the opportunity as symbolizing the “collective spirit of trust and belief that So[HE] has in me to carry the values we stand for.” She felt like she was carrying the pride of the school and representing the human-centeredness that SoHE embodies. Kaina also felt a humbling reminder that she is not stepping into the future alone but with everything she has built at SoHE.

The values and beliefs that Kaina recognizes in SoHE is exactly what brought her here. She describes SoHE as being “a small but mighty department where a sense of belonging can be felt.” That sense of belonging is something that she felt right away. When she first visited UW-Madison, she immediately saw the community in SoHE. She knew that she wanted to be in that community. She was amazed by the people, collaboration, and critical thought about human experiences and how systems shape and influence that experience.

With all of this critical thought about the human experience, Kaina was delighted to know that the Master of Science in Human Ecology program offered her flexibility in choosing her own path. She was able to take the courses she was most interested in and carve a path that made the most sense for her academic and career aspirations. Now, with that degree in hand, Kaina is thinking about her career aspirations more than ever. Kaina’s post-graduation goal is “to contribute to roles where I can develop and deliver programs that can foster healthier lives, sustainable practices, and equitable opportunities. Whether it is in grassroots initiatives, nonprofit organizations, or creating my own career, I look towards honoring the mission of SoHE and making a[n] impactful difference in the lives of individuals as the school has done for me.”

Let’s all tip our cap to second-year DS MFA student, Ian Danner! Recently, Ian went with his co-researcher/presenter, second year DS PhD Student, Erin Dowding, to the Biennial International Conference for the Craft Sciences (BICCS) in Gothenburg, Sweden to present their poster “Queer/Trans Weaving in the USA“.

Ian and Erin’s preliminary research “showcases four queer/trans fiber artists specializing in weaving” and primarily focuses on how these artists express themes of identity, particularly on gender and sexuality, through their work. The themes of identity that Ian and Erin pinpoint include, but not limited to, trauma, history, connection, and relationships of home. Ultimately, Ian and Erin’s work provides examples of “the multiple ways in which queerness is visualized through fiber art.

This most recent presentation speaks to what is at the heart of Ian’s scholarly and artistic interests. Ian is primarily interested in “how textiles perform and engage in conversation with craft mediums to explore my thoughts on queerness.” In his practice, he often spans multiple modes of making and mixes techniques to “visually articulate the tension [he] feel[s] with (non)binary thinking, making, and being”. Ian finds deep meaning in his scholarship and work as he deeply believes in “the power of crafts to support the actualization and preservation of self and community.”

These core interests and beliefs can be seen all through out Ian’s academic journey. Prior to joining SoHE, he studied textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design and earned a dual-title master’s in Art Education and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, with a graduate minor in Education, Development, and Community Development at Penn State University. His masters thesis used arts-based autoethnographic methods to examine how his identity as a queer fiber artist and educator shapes his approach to textile education, drawing on both personal experience and community-based projects that center craft as a tool for supporting marginalized and queer communities.

Now, here in SoHE, Ian has been able to continue his work in the Design Studies MFA program and share his artistic practice and teaching nationally. Last year, at the National Women’s Association conference in Detroit, Michigan, he co-presented “Water and Trash: Arts-Based Ecofeminist Pedagogies” with Carrie Heron, Brandi Lewis, Pin-Hsuan Tseng. This year, he has co-presented “Art as Social Practice: Research into Programs and Curricular Practices” at the National Art Education Association conference in Louisville, Kentucky with Dr. Kimberly Powell, Carly Holzwarth, and Eunkyung Hwang.

All of this amazing work is what inspires his future goals. Ian hopes to someday become a university professor so that he can continue to delve into his scholarly and creative interests while mentoring and supporting the next generation of artists and designers. It should be said that mentorship and education is profoundly meaningful to Ian, as much as his scholarly and artistic interests. In the Spring 2025 semester, Ian offered an independent study course on machine knitting at the same time that he was teaching Introduction to Textile Design.

In this independent study course, which was supported by the Graduate Student Research Mentoring Scholarship, Ian mentored Textiles & Fashion Design undergraduate students, Matthew Lyga, Olive Boté, and Megan Happ. He was able to share his knowledge of machine knitting with them which helped to advance their “personal artistic/design interests”. Each student in the course explored materials, developed knit samples, and produced full-scale final projects. At the end of the course, Ian and his students co-authored a limited edition zine to “showcase the work made through the semester, highlighting the creative process, and final projects.”

What we can see from all of this is that Ian Danner is a thoughtful, intentional, and human-centered individual. Ian focuses on asking critical questions, telling his and others’ stories, giving voices to those that are overlooked or undervalued, and portraying accurately and honestly his and others’ lived experiences. Importantly, Ian is not done doing any of these things yet. Right now, he is preparing for his second-year MFA show with fellow Design Studies MFA student Lars Shimabukuro. Mark your calendars as the opening reception for this show will be on March 20th from 5 to 7pm at the Madison Textile Arts Center.

Let’s all give a huge congratulations to 2nd-year CBFE PhD student, Suparit Suwanik! Recently, Suparit had his paper, “Misunderstood Differences: Perception, Media, and Out-Group Animosity in Thailand”, accepted for publication in the Journal of East Asian Studies. Suparit’s paper bridges insights from political economy and microeconomic theories by examining how perceptions and media influence contribute to social and political divides in Thailand.

Suparit’s interest in how social and economic factors interact began when he was working as an economist for the Bank of Thailand. He had been working at the Bank of Thailand for more than a decade when he realized that “tackling socioeconomic issues requires more than just an economic framework”. Suparit began to understand that real-world problems are multifaceted and involve many things like social structures, people’s behaviors, and policy environments.

This is ultimately what drew him to the Consumer Behavior and Family Economics program. He understood that the CBFE program would allow him to combine insights from a variety of disciplines, such as economics, sociology, and public policy, so that he could better understand “how individuals make economic decisions and how we can design more effective policies to improve financial well-being.” This interest in improving financial wellbeing is what drives his research interest.

Suparit’s primary research interest is household finance with specific consideration for household debt. He is particularly focused on household debt because he is deeply concerned with how serious of an issue household debt is becoming, especially in emerging economies. He hopes that his research “can help inform solutions that improve household’s financial well-being, especially for underserved populations.” He aims to contribute to “evidence-based approaches that promote fair access to financial services and strengthen household financial stability, both in the U.S. and in Thailand.”

This desire to conduct research that will help people improve their financial wellbeing is ultimately what brought Suparit back to school. However, after not being a student for over a decade, Suparit knew that it would be a bit of a challenge. He told me that it took some adjusting to get back into the flow of being a student again after so long. Though, it appears that Suparit has adjusted well. He says that he is proud of everything that he has accomplished in his first year last year and is delighted that he passed his qualifying exam.

This hard work and satisfaction extends outside of his research. Suparit is proud of what he has done to be a strong TA and mentor for both domestic and international students while navigating the difficulties and challenges that come with being an international student himself. Though, he is not just a mentor here at SoHe. He also serves In addition as the Graduate Advisor for the Thai Student Association at UW–Madison. In this role, he “supports cultural and academic events here and help strengthen our Thai student community.”

Through everything Suparit has done, the key things he has learned are that pursuing a PhD is not for the feint of heart and that graduate school is an opportunity for growth. If he could go back in time and relay these realizations to his past self, he would tell himself “that pursuing a PhD is tough. It takes a lot of effort, patience, and resilience, but it’s absolutely worth it. If you truly want to make a meaningful impact, this journey is part of it. I’d also remind myself to embrace uncertainty, focus on progress rather than perfection, and see graduate school as a process of growth and discovery. Keep asking questions, seek mentorship early, and trust that every small step adds up.”

Rachael Shields, fourth year DS PhD Student, was recently featured in the School of Human Ecology’s web story: How human ecologists are propelling environmental well-being through design for the research that she has done with her faculty advisor, Dr. Erin Hamilton.

Together, they looked in to how libraries can help support sustainability literacy and community well-being. Through partnership with five LEED certified public libraries across the United States and Canada, they found that features that cause library goers to slow down and hang around increased the likeliness that library goers would read nearby signage on sustainability. Simple phrasing, endearing cartoon mascots, and colorful signs made sustainability topics engaging and more easy to understand for children and adults alike.

What Rachael has done really gets at her inner curiosity of how the environments we inhabit affect us. She’s fascinated by having the opportunity “to shape those spaces and influence how people think and feel in them.” Yet, it should be known that the research she has conducted with her advisor is related to her broader research interest but is not her primary interest. Rachael is primarily interested in “how different environments influence cognitive outcomes, and how we can design spaces that better support cognitive performance.” She seeks to understand “how environments can help our brains stay flexible, curious, and resilient as we age, and how design can reduce the risk of cognitive decline.”

Rachael hopes that the research she conducts gets people to start thinking about new design possibilities. She would like for others to “question why environments are the way they are and push the discipline to be more creative in imagining what they could be.” I will be the first to say that Racheal’s work is having that effect on me. After reading about her research with Dr. Hamilton, I wondered why we don’t have more signage around SoHE that promotes sustainability practices.

These aspirations that Rachael shares give a glimpse into her character and motivations as a graduate student. To conduct the awesome research that she has and continually build toward her primary research interest, Rachael has worked hard to build a strong, expansive network and find avenues for interdisciplinary connections. Here commitment to build this network required doing something that I squirm at the thought of. She went and cold emailed these researchers! This effort has paid off though as she says that she has been able to collaborate with leading researchers in the fields that she is most passionate about.

Rachael is not only developing her network to build herself up as a researcher, she is working on herself too! Rachael is actively involved in improv, both watching shows and taking classes, with the aim of strengthening her public speaking and teaching. She says that “Improv has pushed me to think on my feet, communicate more clearly, and embrace uncertainty, which are all skills that make me a better researcher and collaborator.”

This commitment to developing herself professionally and personally doesn’t stop at networking and improv. Rachael also pushers herself to seize opportunities and stay in the know about what is out there. This has led her to score amazing fellowships and scholarships that allow her to advance her research. Support that she recently received includes the “UniverCity Alliance fellowship for a community-based workspace redesign project in Sheboygan County and the Kohler Fellows program, which brings artists and scientists together for a year-long collaborative project.” Through the Kohler fellowship, she “co-created a kinetic moss wall designed to support mindfulness and meditation.” Additionally, last Spring, she received the Summer Time Academic (STAR) Award and Design Studies Department scholarship that helped provide funding for her neuroimaging research on nature versus urban environments in collaboration with the University of Chicago.

Yeqing Li, third-year PhD student in HDFS, recently co-authored an article with her advisor, Associate Professor of Human Development & Family Studies and Phyllis Northway Faculty Fellow, Alvin Thomas. Their article, “Helping teens navigate online racism – study shows which parenting strategy works best,” was published in The Conversation.

The article that Yeqing helped work on addresses how parents can help their teens navigate the sad and crushing reality of online racism. They conducted a national survey of 356 Hispanic and Black teens between 12 and 18 years old. They wanted to understand more about these teens’ own online experiences, their mental health, and any strategies their parents used to help them manage their internet use. They found that parents using active guidance (helping with the cultivation of digital literacy and responsible social media behaviors) employed the most helpful strategy, with teens reporting fewer symptoms of depression if their parent employed this strategy.

Yeqing’s interest in parenting and child development began during her undergraduate and master’s studies in early childhood education in China. Through an experience observing community-based learning in preschools in Shanghai, she was inspired to “explore how parenting shapes child development”. This led her to do some preliminary research on Chinese parenting and grandparenting. Now, at SoHE, she works with her advisor in the TRY lab to examine “how familial and extra-familial factors contribute to adolescents’ development with the goal of fostering resilience and mitigating stress and risk in their daily lives.”

She hopes that her research will contribute to not only scientific knowledge but also to the improvement of the lives of children, adolescents, and families. In examining developmental outcomes, parenting practices and family relationships, particularly in underrepresented communities, she aims to “uncover factors that promote resilience and well-being, as well as the mechanisms that contribute to disparities.”

I believe that Yeqing is well on her way to having the kind of impact that she is looking for. As of August 2023, she officially became a PhD candidate, having successfully defended her preliminary exam and completed all required coursework. She has also received multiple fellowships, scholarships, and awards from SoHE and the HDFS department that have enabled her to dedicate time to developing her research, present at multiple conferences, explore large secondary data sets, mentor an undergraduate researcher in the TRY lab, and support her professional development in longitudinal data analysis.

If Yeqing’s past self could see her now, she would be awestruck at all the amazing things she has accomplished. However, I know that Yeqing would tell herself not to compare herself to others. She understands that being a successful graduate student does not mean being perfect. She would want her self to understand that no one is immune to setbacks, challenges, and strife. Her advice is to not view others effortless achievers. Instead, focus on your own path, finding joy in learning, and recognizing your growth along the way.

Josie Lee Has Two Essays Published In Latest Book Publication In the Company of Our Relatives: The Richard Pohrt, Jr. Collection

Lets all give our congratulations to Josie Lee who recently had two essays published in the recent book publication, In the Company of Our Relatives: The Richard Pohrt, Jr. Collection by the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

In the Company of Our Relatives focuses on celebrating a collection of Native art and cultural belongings from tribal nations of the Great Lakes region. The works exhibited date from the late 18th century to the mid-20th century. Instead of a traditional, more institutional narrative, the book prominently features “the personal perspectives of Native essayists who are the descendants of the peoples who created the artworks and cultural belongings”.

The two essays that Josie authored are Waawaje “Ho-Chunk Ribbonwork” which is in the chapter Wawaje, “Ribbonwork”, and Paaxge, “Beaded Hair Ornament” in the chapter Segaadijigan “Decorating the Person”.

Josie has been working in the museum field for 10 years. Initially, she started her journey focusing on tribal leadership. As time went on, she found that her path “continued toward items of cultural patrimony and how they are linked through generations of makers and knowledge generation within the Ho-Chunk Nation.” Her mission is to “better see myself, my community, and my tribe represented in these institutions that thought we were going to be extinct”.

She hopes that her research and the work that she does will help strengthen her tribe’s identity amongst both younger and elder tribe members. She mentions that “other indigenous scholars have promoted the idea of thinking globally, but acting locally.” This idea has left her hoping that her research “makes the biggest impact at home” while also hopefully inspiring other communities to use her research as a model for their own decolonial practices and community-building.

With these phenomenal publications under her belt, I think we can all say that Josie is continuing spectacular progress toward her mission and goals. Congratulations again, Josie!