Adrienne Skelton is the third College of Education undergrad in five years to present research to Congress

For the third time in five years, a University of Missouri College of Education student has been chosen as one of only 60 research poster presentations to be given a congressional spotlight.

Adrienne Skelton, a junior Special Education major from Jefferson City, MO, will present her research, “The Impact of Social and Communication Skill Intervention on Reducing Bullying Involvement,” during the Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) 24th annual Posters on the Hill event in Washington, D.C. event in April.

CUR selects posters from undergraduate research submissions from across the United States. College of Education alumni Kara Schulte earned the honor in 2017 and Lindsey Mirielli earned the honor in 2016.

“Undergraduate research experiences enhance the preparation of future teachers, and we are proud that faculty in the College of Education mentor our undergraduates as they learn how to conduct research,” said Dean Kathryn Chval.

Skelton and Mirielli have been mentored by Chad Rose, an associate professor and director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab. The lab supports the school-wide training and implementation of universal bully prevention interventions for K-12 schools, while providing targeted and individualized interventions for students who are at-risk for escalated rates of bullying involvement.

Skelton’s research poster focuses on Kindergarten through 5^th grade students, and shows how a 10-week social and communication skill intervention can positively increase academic achievement, behavior and social functioning.

“Bullying is a pervasive problem facing our nation’s youth,” said Skelton. “Once we identify the students with trouble with social skills and communication, we educate them on the ways that they can reduce the bullying involvement.”

“Adrienne represents the caliber of students that we have at the University of Missouri,” said Rose. “She has been actively involved in the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab since she was a freshman, and has developed a true passion for bully prevention. I’m confident that her work ethic, persistence, and positive disposition will result in her becoming a leader in the field of special education. It is students like Adrienne that allow the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab to positively impact the lives of youth in our community.”

“I am very excited to see Washington, D.C. for the first time,” said Skelton. “However, the most exciting thing for me to see will be all of the undergraduate researchers passionately sharing their research with congress members. It will be an experience I won’t take for granted!”

“I am so grateful that Adrienne’s research was selected, because of the quality of the work, as well as the significance of topic,” said Dean Chval. “It is important for national leaders to learn from researchers like Adrienne Skelton and Professor Rose about bully prevention. Imagine a world where children do not encounter bullying in schools. The influence on academic success, well-being, and mental health would be incredible and significantly impact our communities.”