Project SEMILLAS

Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso

Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)
Linguistics, Literacy, TESOL, and Teacher Education
Mississippi State University

Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Linguistics in the Department of English at Mississippi State University and a Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Center, where she leads the Science Literacy for Excellence Research Collaboratory. A systemic functional linguist, her scholarship focuses on advancing science literacy for multilingual learners through research on teaching and learning, science teacher education and professional development, and the design and interpretation of assessments for multilingual students in science contexts. Dr. Cardozo-Gaibisso is a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program Early Career Research Fellow. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and has prior academic and research experience in Uruguay, bringing an international and multilingual perspective to her work in language, literacy, and science education.

Dr. Ayça Fackler

Principal Investigator (PI)
Science Education and Teacher Education
University of Missouri

Ayça Fackler is an Assistant Professor of Science Education in the Department of Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on supporting multilingual learners in science classrooms, with particular attention to how language is used within science practices. She specializes in elementary science education and pre-service science teacher education and employs qualitative research methods to examine teaching and learning. Across her work, Dr. Fackler advances linguistic justice in science education and investigates how multimodality in scientific modeling supports the construction of scientific knowledge.

Matthew Lentz

Graduate Research Assistant
Meteorology and Climate Communication
Mississippi State University

Matthew Lentz is a graduate research assistant whose interests span weather risk communication, climate modeling, and how international communities perceive and respond to severe weather warnings. His previous research includes a published undergraduate honors thesis evaluating severe weather risk perceptions among international students. For his graduate work, Matthew is bridging behavioral work with his love for the technical-quantitative side of developing and researching winter storm modeling using artificial intelligence to improve public safety. Additionally, he also serves as the sole creator and developer of this website.

To view more about me and my personal research, click here.

Jacob Matkin

Research Consultant
Anthropology and Geospatial Technologies
Mississippi State University

Jacob Matkin holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Mississippi State University with a minor in Geospatial Technologies. His academic and professional background gives him a strong foundation in social theory, qualitative data analysis, and spatial analysis. He was a SEMILLAS undergraduate research assistant in the spring of 2026 and is currently a SEMILLAS research consultant.

Natalia Franca

Graduate Research Assistant
Science Education
University of Missouri

Natalia Franca is a Ph.D. candidate in Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum with an emphasis in Science Education. She holds a master’s degree in Science Education and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Originally from Brazil, her work examines equity, inclusion, and belonging in STEM, particularly how educators can create more inclusive learning environments that support diverse student populations. Her research explores inclusive teaching practices, culturally responsive pedagogy, and faculty experiences in STEM, with particular attention to historically underrepresented communities. Natalia has experience teaching science at both the secondary and higher education levels and is actively involved in research projects focused on inclusive teaching practices, assessment, and faculty professional development. She is committed to advancing equitable STEM education and supporting diverse pathways into science.

Gertrude Arthur

Graduate Research Assistant
Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis
University of Missouri

Gertrude Arthur is a doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri. Her research examines the intersections of education policy, equity, and social justice, with a particular focus on language policy and the enduring legacies of colonialism in shaping educational systems and language hierarchies. She brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her work as a former law lecturer and trained legal scholar, seeking to shape more responsive education policies and practices.

Natalia Zambon-Ferronato, M.Ed.

Research Collaborator
Linguistics and Teacher Education
Universidad ORT Uruguay

Natalia Zambon-Ferronato, M.Ed., is a Ph.D. candidate in Education at Universidad ORT Uruguay. She serves as Deputy Coordinator of the Language Center and as a lecturer at the university. Her research focuses on sociocultural approaches to language development, teacher education, and multilingual learning contexts, with a particular interest in language learning in higher education.

Carter Simonsen

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Language Arts
University of Missouri

My name is Carter Simonsen, and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Missouri studying secondary education with an emphasis in language arts. I am passionate about literary scholarship and reading, which drives my pursuit of becoming an impactful teacher who helps bring the unique joy of reading to the next generation. During the 2025-2026 academic year, I worked alongside a professor and a small team of undergraduate researchers to analyze data and contribute to a research paper about how teachers conceptualize language use and modeling in middle school science classrooms. In the future, I hope to continue expanding my knowledge of educational research, language arts, and which local restaurants serve the best food.

Madeline Brock

Graduate Research Assistant
Sociology
Mississippi State University

Madeline Brock is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University, where her research focuses on critical criminology, gendered victimization, and fear of crime, with a particular emphasis on college campus victimization and safety. She is an instructor at Mississippi State, where she teaches courses in criminology, social inequality, and research methods. She serves as a Research Consultant on the SEMILLAS project, contributing qualitative data analysis and bringing a critical sociological perspective to the study. She holds an M.S. in Sociology and a B.A. in Criminology from Mississippi State University, and her scholarly work has appeared in the Journal of Crime and Justice and the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Sabina Aghayeva

Graduate Research Assistant
Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis
University of Missouri

Sabina Aghayeva is a Chevening Scholar, an award from the British Government given to individuals who demonstrate strong leadership potential, through which she earned her MA in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Warwick, UK. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri, US, where she also co-teaches several undergraduate and graduate courses.

Sabina is the founder of Innovative School Leaders, a professional development program for novice school principals in Azerbaijan. Through this program, she has contributed to the professional learning of 100 school leaders across the country who otherwise have limited access to leadership training. Her research focuses on school leadership development, examining how strong leadership preparation and sustained, continuous learning opportunities equip principals to build more equitable schools, ensuring all students, regardless of background, have access to the high-quality education.

Gülçin Kaplan

Graduate Research Assistant
Science Education
University of Missouri

Gülçin is a Ph.D. student in the Science Education Program at the University of Missouri. She graduated from Ege University and holds BSc.Ed. and MSc.Ed. degrees in Science Education. Gülçin taught different subjects and has six years of teaching experience as a science, chemistry, and English teacher. Her research interest primarily focuses on informal science education. Aside from informal science education, she previously worked on STEM education, argumentation, augmented reality-supported education, and climate change education.