Featured Post from University of Delaware

Back to School: Experts Available to talk ChatGPT, Food Insecurity and Education Leadership

Aug 23, 2023

2 min

With the school year starting very soon, the University of Delaware media team have rounded up some education stories, experts and research to consider for feature/publication.

Experts:

Gary Henry is dean of the University of Delaware’s College of Education and Human Development and professor in the School of Education and the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration. He specializes in education policy, educational evaluation, educator labor markets, and quantitative research methods. Gary can lend context and steps to take to reverse/adapt to this new educational landscape.

Allison Karpyn is an associate professor who can speak to topics related to hunger, obesity, school food, supermarket access, food insecurity, healthy corner stores and strategies to develop and maintain farmer’s markets in low-income areas. She has spoken extensively about food in schools and can offer context to those subjects.

Joshua Wilson is an associate professor and has been featured in WaPo for his AI/ChatGPT knowledge in the past. His research broadly focuses on ways to improve the teaching and learning of writing and specifically focuses on ways that automated writing evaluation systems can facilitate those improvements.

Stories:

UD professor partners with Sesame Workshop to create Stories with Clever Hedgehog

Among the casualties of the Ukraine war are 2 million-plus children. In an effort to restore some sense of normalcy to their education years, University of Delaware professor Roberta Golinkoff—a nationally recognized expert in childhood literacy—has partnered with Sesame Workshop and others to develop Stories with Clever Hedgehog, a website with free interactive e-books, games and other resources. Books are available in both Ukrainian and English, prompting a global experience for readers of any background. There are photos and video ready for this coverage. Golinkoff and Sesame Workshop leadership are open for interviews.

Research:

Study finds teachers’ anxiety in mathematics and science was associated with the mathematics and science anxiety of their low-SES students

To reach out to specific experts, please click on their "View Profile" button.

Connect with:

Joshua Wilson

Associate Professor, Education

Prof. Wilson's research focuses on ways that technology and artificial intelligence can improve the teaching and learning of writing.

Writing InstructionWriting AssessmentAutomated ScoringAutomated FeedbackArtificial Intelligence in Education

Gary T. Henry

Professor, Education

Prof. Henry specializes in education policy, educational evaluation, educator labor markets, and quantitative research methods.

Education PolicyEducational EvaluationEducator Labor MarketsQuantitative Research Methods

Allison Karpyn

Professor, Education; Senior Associate Director, Center for Research in Education and Social Policy

Prof. Karpyn can speak to topics such as obesity, food policy and community nutrition.

Farmer’s MarketsSupermarket AccessObesityFood InsecurityPublic Health

Roberta Golinkoff

Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor

Prof. Golinkoff studies language development, playful learning, effects of media on children, spatial development, and applying her science.

Early Childhood Education Early Spatial DevelopmentPlayful LearningBenefits of PlayEffects of Media on Children

Leigh McLean

Associate Research Professor, Education

Prof. McLean investigates how teachers’ emotions and emotion-related experiences including well-being impact their effectiveness.

Developmental PsychologyInstructional PracticesTeachers and TeachingWell-BeingClassroom Behavior

Find Experts

Nov 5, 2026

1 min

How Electric Vehicles Could Power Homes and Support the Electric Grid

University of Delaware researchers Willett Kempton and Rodney McGee are advancing technologies and standards that allow electric vehicles to send electricity back to homes and the power grid. Known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, this approach could help consumers manage electricity costs, provide backup power and improve grid reliability. Kempton pioneered vehicle-to-grid research at the University of Delaware nearly three decades ago, helping establish the foundation for using electric vehicles as mobile energy storage systems. McGee chaired the development of SAE J3068, an automotive communications standard that supports more affordable bidirectional charging. As automakers, including Ford, move toward bringing bidirectional power technology to more affordable electric vehicles, Kempton and McGee can explain how it works, what it means for consumers and utilities, and how it could shape the future of transportation and energy. Areas of Expertise • Electric vehicles • Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology • Bidirectional charging • Energy storage • Electric power grids • Automotive engineering • Renewable energy • EV charging standards To connect with Kempton directly and arrange an interview, visit his ExpertFile profile and click on the "contact" button. Interested journalists can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu to email Kempton or McGee.

Oct 26, 2026

1 min

Two years after the 2024 election, where does civil discourse stand?

Election season has brought the expected vicious political campaign ads, heated online disagreements and difficult dinner table conversations with family and friends. But the University of Delaware’s Timothy Shaffer says there’s still room for civil discourse. Shaffer, UD’s inaugural Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse, studies how people can engage across significant differences while maintaining the relationships and democratic institutions that make disagreement possible. As chair of UD's SNF Ithaca Initiative, Shaffer works with students, educators and civic leaders to develop and practice constructive engagement across differences. He can comment on the following through the lens of the first midterm election since the vitriolic 2024 general elections. • What has changed since 2024: How have the past two years affected the way Americans talk about politics, disagreement and democracy? • Polarization and dialogue: Is political disagreement itself the problem, or is the greater challenge engaging constructively across differences? • The role of disagreement: Why civil discourse doesn't require consensus and how listening to competing perspectives can strengthen democratic engagement. • Politics and personal relationships: How to navigate political differences with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues without letting disagreements become personal. • Social media and the 2026 election: How online environments shape political conversations, what Shaffer expects as Election Day approaches, and how people can engage more constructively across differences. To reach Shaffer and arrange an interview, visit his profile page and click on the "contact" button. Interested reporters can also send an email to MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Oct 21, 2026

1 min

Blood Clots Can Sideline Elite Athletes. Could Microrobots Offer a New Approach?

Blood clots have sidelined or ended the careers of several elite athletes, drawing attention to a potentially life-threatening condition. The University of Delaware's Sambeeta Das is part of a team that has developed tiny, magnetically guided robots that could offer a new approach to removing such blockages. The list of athletes affected by blood clots includes NBA champion Chris Bosh, whose career ended after recurring clots; tennis great Serena Williams, who survived two life-threatening pulmonary embolisms; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who was shut down in February 2025 when deep vein thrombosis was discovered in his right shoulder; and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, whose recent diagnosis of blood clots in his lungs has drawn national attention. In a published study, Das and her colleagues demonstrated that magnetic microrobots could mechanically break apart clusters of human liver cancer cells and clear them from narrow channels designed to model blood vessels. The robots used mechanical forces rather than drugs or chemicals to disperse the clusters. The research offers an early proof of concept for using microrobots to remove unwanted cellular material in confined spaces. Das can discuss how the technology works, its potential application to blood-clot removal, the challenges of targeting blockages inside the body, and what further research is needed to explore its use in patients. To contact Das and arrange an interview, visit her profile and click the “Contact” button. Reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu.

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