Dr. Rodrigues is an assistant professor in the College of Education & Human Development at the University of Missouri. She is the Director of the Mathematics Potential Lab. She is the Principal Investigator on two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants—one of which is an NSF CAREER award. 

Emily is originally from Indiana and received her Bachelor of Science and minor in Biology at Indiana University. She received her Master of Education in School Psychology from the University of Missouri in May 2022. Currently, she is a doctoral student within Special Education in the College of Education & Human Development. She is interested in exploring and developing evidence-based mathematics interventions for students with or who are at risk for mathematics difficulties.

Shannon is a Special Education doctoral candidate at Mizzou with over 25 years of experience in Speech Language Pathology (SLP) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She established Autism Outfitters, LLC in 2017 to provide consultation, training, and advocacy for ASD. She is also currently teaching two courses in Special Education at Mizzou. She is interested in researching ways to build communities of support for autistic individuals and Universal Design for Learning.

Lindsey is a doctoral candidate studying Special Education – Behavior Disorders. She is originally from Columbia and received her undergraduate degree from Mizzou. Before returning to continue her education, she worked as a high school special education teacher. Her research focuses on social skills instruction in the secondary setting. 

Wendy is a doctoral student in Special Education. She recently received her Master of Education in Special Education with an Autism Emphasis from the University of Missouri in June 2023. She has over 20 years of experience working with children with disabilities, their families, and educators in various capacities as an educator, Behavior Specialist, and Inclusion Specialist. Her research interests are in autism, executive function interventions, and the transition to adulthood for this population.

Taylor is a second-year Mizzou undergraduate student and a Columbia native. She is studying Environmental Science and Sustainability in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. She is interested in all fields of research along with helping and empowering the community in any way she can.

Emma is a second-year undergraduate student at Mizzou studying Sociology and earning certificates in Multicultural Studies and Human Resource Management. She is passionate about understanding how social inequalities manifest and about the necessity of promoting change through intentional inclusive practices. She is especially interested in researching how to aid our schools and communities in supporting students with disabilities throughout their academic careers. After graduation, she plans to continue to care for her community by working as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion employee.

Szymon is a first-year undergraduate student studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is interested in research benefiting minorities, which has long been underexplored. He plans to continue to advocate for disabled, neurodivergent, and other minority students, and hopes to inspire others to pursue STEM fields.

Rhiannon is a third-year undergraduate student at Mizzou and was born and raised in Columbia. She is a student in Mizzou’s College of Health Science studying health science with an emphasis in leadership and policy. She is interested in researching alternative methods of educating students that have difficulty understanding traditional methods of instruction. After graduation she plans on taking a gap year from school to volunteer for a humanitarian or volunteer service organization.