The College of Education presented awards to faculty and staff who have made extraordinary contributions to the college community in May 2025.
The awardees of the second annual CED Awards are:
- Early Career Research Award: Katharine Currie
- Mid-Career Research Award: Adrea Truckenmiller
- Senior Career Research Award: Karin Pfeiffer
- Outstanding Teaching Award: Kristy Cooper-Stein
- Fixed-Term Faculty and Academic Staff Leadership Award: Andrew Driska
- Support Staff Leadership Award: Lauren Knapp
The annual accolades were created and disseminated by Associate Deans Emily Bouck and Matthew Koehler, with support from Dean Jerlando F. L. Jackson. A committee of faculty representatives from each department selected the winners: Dongbin Kim, Allison Cascarilla, Jennifer Roth and Vaughn W. M. Watson.
Early Career Research Award: Katharine Currie
Katharine Currie received the accolade that celebrates tenure-track assistant professors for their research contributions. Currie was promoted to associate professor by the MSU Board of Trustees shortly after receiving this honor from the college. Currie’s nomination was supported by several faculty in the Department of Kinesiology: Karin Pfeiffer, David Ferguson and Chad Wiggins.
At the time of her nomination, Currie had produced 61 peer-reviewed publications, of which she is the first author of 23. Among her ongoing projects, Currie is the principal investigator (PI) on a National Institutes of Health grant that aims to determine if exercising at different times of the day affects blood pressure.
Currie’s nomination letter included the following statements: “[Currie] is a thoughtful, analytical and ethical researcher who employs a rigorous testing battery in her laboratory that is time-intensive and thorough. Her work is methodologically sound and has high generalizability and application to clinical populations ... Dr. Currie’s body of research to date is exemplary for a young scholar.”
Mid-Career Research Award: Adrea Truckenmiller
Adrea Truckenmiller, part of the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, received the annual honor for tenured associate professors who have produced outstanding research. Truckenmiller’s nomination was supported by Kui Xie, who was CEPSE chair during the period of nomination and awarding.
Truckenmiller has published 43 peer-reviewed articles, including 17 since her promotion to associate professor in 2022. Among other projects, she is currently the PI on an Institute of Education Sciences grant that supports students who struggle with writing through a web-based assessment and instructional repository. She is also an associate editor for the Journal of School Psychology and the Elementary School Journal. (Read from 2021: "MSU researchers are creating a tool to improve student's writing.")
“Adrea is a committed researcher to literacy, and particularly writing,” said Associate Dean Emily Bouck. “She has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to high-quality, rigorous research and the pursuit of external funding to support her passion.”
Senior Career Research Award: Karin Pfeiffer
Karin Pfeiffer, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, earned the award that celebrates a full professor for their research impact and general contributions to the field. Pfeiffer, who was elected president of the American College of Sports Medicine in 2025, is globally recognized for her contributions to physical activity measurement and promoting physical activity for youth.
The two-time MSU graduate has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and has garnered more than $18 million in funded research grants. Pfeiffer is one of five current MSU faculty who hold the distinguished title of National Academy of Kinesiology Fellow. In 2025, she received an MSU William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty Award.
“Pfeiffer is widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities in the world on measurement and promotion of children’s physical activity,” wrote Department of Kinesiology Chair Paddy Ekkekakis.
He co-nominated Pfeiffer with Assistant Professor Matthew Harkey. “The influence of [her] research extends far beyond academic journals,” Harkey wrote. “Her expertise has directly informed national policy through her service on high-profile committees, such as the writing committee for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines Midcourse Report and the Science Board of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.”
Outstanding Teacher Award: Kristy Cooper Stein
Department of Educational Administration Associate Professor Kristy Cooper Stein received an honor that celebrates outstanding teaching. Awardees are selected based on student nominations and recommendations from college faculty and staff.
In addition to her teaching and research contributions, Cooper Stein is noted for her supportive efforts of pre-tenure colleagues, particularly regarding their syllabi and teaching efforts. Cooper Stein is the program director for the K-12 Educational Administration Ph.D. program.
Several nominated Cooper Stein for the award, including Educational Administration Chair Sheneka Williams, Assistant Professor Julie Helber and alums Mark Dobson and Rebecca Moore Roy.
“Dr. Cooper Stein is not only one of the most influential people that I have encountered in my educational journey, but also a role model whose impact has profoundly shaped my work as a scholar and practitioner,” wrote Dobson in a nomination letter. Dobson is the principal of St. Johns High School in Michigan. He holds multiple MSU degrees and certificates, including an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and an M.A. in K-12 Educational Administration. “[Her] excellence as an educator extends across her roles as a teacher, researcher and advisor—a trifecta that she approaches with tenacity.”
Fixed-Term Faculty and Academic Staff Leadership Award: Andrew Driska
Andrew Driska, a fixed-term associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, received the award denoting leadership excellence and substantive impact that enhances a unit’s programmatic outputs. He is also the director of the M.S. in Applied Sport Science program, previously known as Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration (SCLA).
Driska is noted for his contributions to promoting fixed-term faculty and academic staff positions and assisting in refining the promotion process for these roles throughout the college. Beyond Driska’s teaching and leadership, he has published 13 peer-reviewed journal articles. Several Department of Kinesiology faculty supported Driska’s nomination, including Chair Paddy Ekkekakis.
“The SCLA recently completed its first Strategic Program Assessment and is, by all accounts, a successful program and a model for self-sustaining, market-responsive and academically robust online graduate programs,” Ekkekakis wrote. “This success can be attributed to the wonderful colleagues who teach in the program but, above all else, to the vision and leadership provided by Dr. Driska.”
Support Staff Leadership Award: Lauren Knapp
Lauren Knapp, senior director of the Communications team, received the Support Staff Leadership Award. The accolade recognizes leadership excellence that enhances a unit, and by extension, the college, through transformative and substantive impact. Knapp was nominated by Jennifer Brown, executive staff assistant to the dean for community wellness, and the Communications team.
Knapp was recognized for her dedicated contributions to the college and her collaborative and innovative nature. In recent years, Knapp has restructured the team and overseen significant changes, including a transition to a new website content management system.
“As our team leader, she consistently goes above and beyond to build a positive work environment, ensuring that every team member feels valued and empowered,” wrote college videographer Karisa Calvitti in a nomination letter. “She leads by example with an unwavering commitment to encouraging our professional growth in and outside our specialized areas.”