March 17, 2026

Leadership in family science

For Sarah Mitchell, the study of families has always been about understanding people and the relationships that shape their lives. Mitchell, a three-time graduate of the University of Missouri, is the recipient of the College of Education & Human Development’s Early Career Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes alumni who are making a significant impact early in their professional careers.

March 12, 2026

HDFS students honored at 2026 Mizzou 18 and Mizzou ’39 awards

The Mizzou Alumni Association and the Alumni Association Student Board recently named recipients of the 2026 Mizzou 18 and Mizzou '39 awards, which recognize outstanding University of Missouri students. Two Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) students, Jarri Brooks and Jasmine M. Godwin, were honored at this year's awards ceremony.

Feb. 11, 2026

10 tips to keep the romance in relationships

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Kale Monk offers 10 tips on strengthening relationships. He notes that relationships have a big impact on our mental and physical health. A strong relationship means more than a harmonious household: Social connections can affect how long we live. Researchers found that the impact of social isolation is equal to or stronger than factors like smoking, lack of exercise, and pollution.

Jan. 13, 2026

HDFS Graduate Student Selected for SRCD Scholars Program

Aida Ismailova, a doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, was selected to be 2025 cohort scholar for the Towards 2044: Horowitz Early Career Scholars Program through the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). This program ran from June to December 2025 and was designed to support scholars from underrepresented backgrounds in developmental science. Graduate students in the program are mentored by more advanced scholars in the field, providing early career scholars with guidance and support in their pursuit of educational and professional goals.  The program began with an in-person kickoff meeting in…

Dec. 16, 2025

HDFS Students Earn National Awards at NCFR 2025

The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is the premier organization for family science, and this year’s annual meeting was held in Baltimore, Maryland in November. Several Mizzou HDFS students were honored with awards this year. I Dewa Ayu Dwika Puspita Dewi, a Fulbright Scholar and PhD student working with Dr. Brenda Lohman, received the Family Policy Section Feldman Best Conference Proposal Award for a student. Honoring Harold Feldman and Margaret Feldman, pioneers in the field of family policy, this award is offered to the highest-ranked applications, and it serves as encouragement for advancing family policy research. Dwika Dewi’s…

Oct. 30, 2025

MU Child Development Lab First in State To Earn State Quality Designation, Celebrates Renovation 

Child Development Lab (CDL) celebrated its newly renovated facility and is the first in the state to receive a Quality Assurance Recognition from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Childhood.

Oct. 30, 2025

RISE-MO Expands Expert Support for Missouri’s Early Childhood Workforce 

RISE-MO—Recruit, Inspire, Support the Early Childhood Profession in Missouri—is a new initiative designed to expand and strengthen Missouri’s early childhood education workforce.

Sep. 15, 2025

Playing it forward with play-based community research

HDFS researcher Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen has secured a prestigious national Advancing Research Impact In Society (ARIS) Fellowship with her innovative play-based studies that engage the community and focus on foundational skills like problem-solving and collaboration.

June 8, 2025

HDFS Student and Faculty Member Tapped

Each spring, select students are honored for their leadership, service, and dedication to academics, campus, and community during Tap Day festivities. In a tradition dating back to the early 1900s, a small group of students are “tapped” into one of MU’s six secret societies in the days leading up to a formal ceremony, when new members are unveiled to the community. Each society also honor taps MU staff and faculty members who have contributed significantly to the university. The six societies – QEBH, Mystical Seven, LSV, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Rollins Society. This year, HDFS was…

May 13, 2025

HDFS Graduate and Postdoctoral Scholars Honored

The Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) was well represented at this year’s Research and Creative Activities Forum and MU Graduate School’s 12th annual Graduate and Postdoctoral awards ceremony, with four HDFS scholars earning accolades. Jessica Marmolejos, an HDFS doctoral student, was awarded the John D. Bies International Discovery Fellowship to support her dissertation research abroad. This fellowship is designed to promote international cultural exchange and to encourage doctoral students to adopt a global perspective in their scholarly work. As part of her research, Jessica will spend five months in Barranquilla, Colombia, where she will examine identity…