Much of my research is conducted in partnership with community-based organizations. The aim of these partnerships is to identify issues or questions of importance to the community partner and address them in mutually beneficial ways. As such, these partnerships predominantly follow best practices in community-based participatory research and culture-specific participatory consultation.
Examples of current partners include:
- Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit, MI
- YMCA Camp Tecumseh in Brookston, IN & YMCA Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI
- Aspire Program in Cleveland, MI
As a reflection of my engagement efforts, I have been the recipient of the following honors:
- Member of faculty team who created and piloted the Advancing Graduate Research Impact in Society Certificate program at Purdue University
- 2023 Department of Educational Studies Faculty Award for Engagement from Purdue University
- 2022 Purdue University Societal Impact Fellow Program Member
- 2022 College of Education Outstanding Faculty Engagement Award from Purdue University
- 2021 Purdue University Scholarship of Engagement Fellow Program Member
- 2021 Department of Educational Studies Faculty Award for Engagement from Purdue University
- 2021 Purdue University Corps of Engagement Award, Families Tackling Tough Time Together—Faculty Contributor
- 2020 Purdue University Service-Learning Fellow
Amanda Sommerfeld Case 