The Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership had 14 faculty, staff and graduate students attend the annual conference of the American Association for Agricultural Education in Lubbock, Texas in late May.
Faculty attending included:
- Dr. Shannon Washburn, professor and chair of ACEL
- Dr. Tracy Kitchel, professor and senior associate dean of CFAES
- Dr. Emily Buck, professor
- Dr. Susie Whittington, professor
- Dr. Amanda Bowling, associate professor
- Dr. Kellie Claflin, assistant professor
- Dr. Cara Lawson, assistant professor
Staff attending included:
- Trina Beebe, retiring office manager
Graduate students attending included:
- Sudarshan Adhikari, PhD student
- Kenny Saephan, PhD student
- Alexandra Salinas, PhD student
- Ashley Thompson, PhD student
- Nicole Volk, PhD student
- Alexis Zickafoose, PhD student
During the conference, Dr. Susie Whittington was recognized as a 2025 retiree and was bestowed with emeritus membership to the association.
Faculty and graduate students who presented manuscripts included:
- An Exploration of Personal Values and Political Orientation as Factors in Climate Change Beliefs and Support for Climate Change Policy
- Nicole Volk, Cara Lawson
- Exploration of Social Media Skills as a Job Requirement in Agricultural Communication Organizations
- Sudarshan Adhikari, Emily Buck
- Focus on the Unique Professional Development Motivations, Preferences, and Challenges of Alternatively Certified Agriculture Teachers
- Stephanie Jolliff, Tracy Kitchel, Amanda Bowling, Kellie Claflin
- Student Perceptions of Agricultural Safety
- Erica Summerfield, Annie Specht, Dee Jepsen, Cara Lawson, Caryn Filson
- A Review of Virtual Reality Applications in Agriculture Education and Recommendations for Future Research
- Justin Pulley, Kellie Claflin, Ashley Thompson
- Beliefs and Approaches of Teacher Educators: A Grounded Theory Approach Exploring Student Agency
- Hannah C. Parker, Amanda M. Bowling, Kellie Claflin
- SBAE Teacher Educators’ Approaches to Foster Student Agency: A Grounded Theory Perspective
- Hannah Parker, Amanda M. Bowling, Kellie Claflin
- Framing Agriculture from Past to Present: A Historical Analysis of FFA Magazine Covers from 1952 to 2024
- Matthew Gold, Nicole Volk, Emily Buck, Annie R. Specht
Faculty and graduate students who presented posters include:
Top 10 Innovative Idea Poster
- Collaborative Learning in the Digital Age: Using Hypothesis for Social Annotation
- Ashley Thompson, Alexa Salinas, Jamie Gothard, Kendall Moore, Matthew Gold, and Kellie Claflin
Innovative Posters
- Systems Are “Not Escapable”: Harnessing Individual Power to Navigate Complex Systems
- Alexandra N. Salinas, Kenny Saephan, Dr. Jera Niewoehner-Green, and Dr. Amanda Bowling
- The Write Tool? Exploring the Use of ChatGPT to Improve Student Writing Skills
- Cara Lawson andNicole Volk
- Revealing Cognitive Structures Through a Hard Laddering Technique
- Jessica Dammers-Hemphill, Laura Fischer, Courtney Meyers, and Cara Lawson
Research Posters
- Meat the Message: Analyzing Consumer Engagement with “Climate-Friendly” Beef Posts
- Jana Owen, Laura Fischer, Breely Huguley, Cara Lawson, and Courtney Gibson
- An Exploration of Rural U.S. Residents’ Climate Change Beliefs
- Nicole Volk and Cara Lawson
- Artificial Intelligence Use in Education: A Technology Acceptance Model Perspective
- Sudarshan Adhikari, Emily Buck, and Suraksha Baral
- Bridging the Gap: Faculty Versus Graduate Student Perceptions of Graduate Admissions
- Ashley Thompson, Matthew Gold, Kenny Saephan, Alexandra N. Salinas, Amanda M. Bowling
- Bridging the Gap: Knowledge of Nepalese Farmers About Agricultural Commercialization
- Sudarshan Adhikari, Emily Buck, and Suraksha Baral
- Climate Closeness: An Exploration of Psychological Distance and the Perceived Severity of Climate Change
- Sudarshan Adhikari, Dr. Cara Lawson, and Dr. Laura Fischer
- Determining the Self: An Exploration of Student Motivation Toward Using Generative Artificial Intelligence
- Sudarshan Adhikari, Emily Buck, Suraksha Baral
- Exploring the Coping Methods Used by Agricultural Educators to Battle Occupational Burnout
- Hayley F. Milliron and Kellie Claflin
- Exploring the Influences on Secondary Students' Interest in Agricultural Careers
- Hayley F. Milliron and Kellie Claflin
- Feeding America: Prioritizing Inclusion in A 21st Century Agriculture Industry
- Alexandra N. Salinas and Dr. Jason Headrick
- Visual and Popular Culture Media at AAAE: A 25-Year Historical Review in the National AAAE Conference Proceedings
- Matthew Gold, Kellie Claflin, and Annie R. Specht
Faculty and graduate students who provided leadership to AAAE during the 2025-2026 year:
- Shannon Washburn, North-Central AAAE vice president
- Kellie Claflin, AAAE Member Services committee chair
- Cara Lawson and Shannon Washburn, 2025 AAAE Research Conference co-chairs
- Emily Buck, AAAE president-elect
