News & Updates

Awards

REsearch Excellence Award (May 2024)

Dr. Méndez received UNCG’s School of Health and Human Sciences Excellence in Research Award. This is a school wide award for excellence in research. This award recognizes the impact of Dr. Mendez’ research in enhancing language and kindergarten preparedness for a large segment of our nation’s children who could enter STEM careers and help support school readiness. Since joining UNCG in 2019, Dr. Méndez has received more than $2.9 million in federal research grants. 

REsearch Poster Award (January 2024)

Dr. Méndez along with Drs. Gabriela Simon-Cereijido ( Cal State) and Beatriz Barragan (ATSU) received the Meritorious Poster Award in the Bilingualism in The Hispanic and Lusophone World 2024 conference in Puebla, México. The poster was titled: Exploring the Influence of Language Proficiency on Inhibition and Shifting Abilities in Monolingual and Bilingual Adults.

Dr. Méndez receiving the award on behalf of the research team.

GRANTS

Four-year NSF Grant Awarded (2021-2025)

Dr. Méndez (PI) was awarded a research grant, from the National Science Foundation to support a 4-year research project: Bilingualtek: An Integrated Science-Language Instructional Approach for Latino Preschoolers. This interdisciplinary  research grant, includes collaboration with Drs. Karen La Paro (Human Development and Family Studies, UNCG), Tammy Lee (Mathematics, Science and Instructional Technology Education, ECU) and Virginia Stage (Nutrition Science, ECU).

Five-year NIH Grant Awarded (2019-2024)

Dr. Méndez (CoPI) in collaboration with researchers from East Carolina University, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina A & T State University was awarded a five-year  SEPA NIH research grant for an interdisciplinary project titled More PEAS Please! Bridging the Gap Between Preschool and K-12 Learning Environments.  This five-year grant will support the investigation of effective science education approaches for underrepresented minority preschool children (2019-2024)

ASHA Grant Awarded August 2017

Dr. Méndez (PI) received a grant from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to develop and implement a bilingual academic vocabulary intervention supported by technology for Latino preschoolers called BiTech: A Technology-Based Bilingual Vocabulary Instruction for Latino Children (2017-2018).