Faculty Mentors

Out of state student & Students interested in Meteorology

Known as Professor Emeritus within the School of Meteorology here at the  University of Oklahoma. Dr. Carr has won numerous awards for his work in Meteorology, and his research interests are in synoptic, tropical and mesoscale meteorology, numerical weather prediction, data assimilation, and the use of new observing systems in diagnostic and numerical weather prediction. Dr. Carr has been a very committed professor to the mentoring program for many years. Highlights of his time with the program include many trips to the National Weather Center and the Wichita Mountain with her mentoring students. 

First generation students, Small town students & Students interested in Psychology

Dr. Jenel Cavazos is an Associate Professor and Master Teacher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma. As the Introductory Psychology Program Coordinator, she teaches an average of 1500 students per year, supervises sections of PSY1113 taught by graduate students, and conducts a graduate mentor program for teaching. Her emphasis areas include curriculum development, the implementation of technology in the classroom, and program assessment. Her research focuses on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Introductory Psychology. She has received several university teaching awards and was named a College of Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow for 2017-18. 

Dr. Jenel Cavazos is an Associate Professor and Master Teacher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma. As the Introductory Psychology Program Coordinator, she teaches an average of 1500 students per year, supervises sections of PSY1113 taught by graduate students, and conducts a graduate mentor program for teaching.

Latino students, Chicano students & All students

Robert Con Davis-Undiano is Executive Director of World Literature Today organization and is also the director of the Latinx Studies Program at OU. He is dedicated to innovative, interdisciplinary teaching and is a mentor and role model to Chicano and other minority students and faculty. Students credit him with changing their thinking, their attitudes, and their lives. Publishing in Chicano and American studies and literary criticism and theory, he is author, co-author, or editor of 12 books, including a textbook now in its fourth edition, and over 60 articles. He received the Rufus G. Hall Faculty Achievement Award in 1993 and the Kenneth E. Crook Annual Faculty Award in 1994, and The Sullivant Award for perceptivity in 2004. He has been faculty of the year several times for his work with the Latino fraternity and sorority on campus. He served as Dean of the OU Honor’s College from 2005-2009, and his most recent book Mestizos Come Home! Making and Claiming Mexican American Identity won the International Latino Book Award in 2018. In 2018, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. Robert Con Davis-Undiano is Executive Director of World Literature Today organization and is also the director of the Latinx Studies Program at OU. He is dedicated to innovative, interdisciplinary teaching and is a mentor and role model to Chicano and other minority students and faculty. Students credit him with changing their thinking, their attitudes, and their lives. Publishing in Chicano and American studies and literary criticism and theory, he is author, co-author, or editor of 12 books, including a textbook now in its fourth edition, and over 60 articles.

Student Focus: Passion for Music

Michael Detamore is the Founding Director, Professor, and Stephenson Chair #1 of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.  He earned his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and his Ph.D. in bioengineering from Rice University with Kyriacos Athanasiou.  He spent 12 years at the University of Kansas as a professor in the Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering before moving to the University of Oklahoma.

He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and the Coulter Foundation Translational Research Award, and was a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor at NUI Galway in Ireland in 2011.  He is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Society.  His primary research interest is regenerative medicine, including biomaterials and stem cells.  Regenerative medicine efforts include spinal cord injury, but focus primarily on bone and cartilage regeneration, including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), knee, cranium, and trachea, with a particular focus on translational regenerative medicine.  He has published over 130 papers, and has 12+ issued U.S. patents.  He has also given 85+ invited lectures around the world, including in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan.  In addition to his research, he enjoys teaching and has won numerous teaching awards.

Small town or rural student

Royce focuses his educational and research efforts on concrete materials and structural engineering, with an emphasis on reinforced and prestressed concrete.  His research includes topics in lightweight concrete, self-consolidating concrete (SCC), prestressed concrete, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), and application of concrete materials.  The ultimate aim of his research is to develop materials and methods that will produce longer lasting structures.

He teaches basic mechanics, analysis, and structural design courses at the undergraduate level and prestressed concrete and concrete materials courses at the graduate level.

Autism and ASD Support

Dr. Kim Gaddie is a Lecturer for the Marketing & Supply Chain Division in the Price College of Business.  Her teaching focus is in Digital Marketing & Social Media Marketing. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Gaddie has been a member of the OU community as both a professor and parent with all 4 of her children attending OU.  “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” is a quote by Oscar Wilde that Dr. Gaddie uses in her approach with every student. Dr. Gaddie has been as long-time advocate for students with autism and autism spectrum disorders (i.e., Aspergers Syndrome) not only in her classroom but also in her role as an executive board member of the Oklahoma Autism Foundation.  She brings her personal experience from the last 25 years of navigating the educational system for one of her own children with her professional educational experience in the classroom to support and help students become their own advocates and successfully navigate the transition to college. 

Prior to joining the faculty at Price, Kim has served as co-editor for Social Science Quarterly for the last 10 years. Kim received her Ph.D. from the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma and Masters’ degree in Advertising from the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has served on the faculty for Oklahoma City University, teaching for the Meinders School of Business and the Department of Mass Communication. Her teaching background includes courses in advertising and sales promotion, integrated business communication, advertising strategy and campaigns, new media and political advertising. She has also a taught a range of courses for the University of Oklahoma including study abroad in Ireland and Scotland. 

Student Focus: Students for Social Change

Dr. Karlos K. Hill is Regents’ Professor of the Clara Luper Department of African and African American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Hill is the author of three books: Beyond The Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory, The Murder of Emmett Till: A Graphic History, and The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre: A Photographic History. Dr. Hill founded the Tulsa Race Massacre Oklahoma Teacher’s Institute to support teaching the history of the race massacre to thousands of middle school and high school students. He also serves on the boards of the Freedom Center Planning Committee, the Clara Luper Legacy Committee, and the Board of Scholars for Facing History and Ourselves, and is actively engaged on other community initiatives working toward racial justice.

Student Focus: Accounting or Business Majors

Jonathan earned a dual bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from the University of Oklahoma. He is a CPA and brings seven years of full-service accounting experience, five years of experience in tax preparation and two years of experience in audit and review.  During his time at OU, he worked as a tutor for algebra, business calculus, foundations of financial accounting, and foundations of managerial accounting. Prior to returning to OU, he worked in public accounting at Gray, Blodgett & Company, an alliance firm of BDO. He has a passion for theatre and contributes by teaching and directing local productions.

Female students in STEM & All students

Dr. Moore-Russo works for the Department of Mathematics and teaches a variety of mathematics courses. Her interests include Wrestling, ice hockey, any sport her kids are playing, any Buffalo professional team – no matter how bad their record and all OU Sooner sports.

Computer Science or Engineering

Dr. Park graduated from Stony Brook University in 2017, where he was a member of the visualization laboratory. He was advised by Prof. Arie Kaufman. Prior to joining OU, he spent three years as a Research Associate and an Assistant Computational Scientist at the Computational Science Initiative in Brookhaven National Laboratory.

His research interests are visual analytics, data visualization, VR/AR, machine learning/deep learning, and human computer interaction. Dr. Park has served as a reviewer for journals and conferences such as IEEE VIS, IEEE VR, EuroVis, PacificVIS, IEEE CG&A, ACM CHI, and ACM CSCW.

Construction Science students, Latinx students, & Any students

Student Veterans

My wife Valerie and I are the proud parents of three children, an awesome son-in-law and daughter-in-law, and a wonderful 2-year old grandson!  I teach courses in political science and in national security for the College of Professional and Continuing Studies where I also serve as associate dean.  I’ve been in the military for 31 years as a reservist and am currently assigned to the U.S. Army War College.

Student Focus: Engineering

Dr. Scott’s doctoral training focused the development and characterization of proteoglycan mimics for therapeutic use in cardiovascular disease. During her post-doctoral research, Dr. Scott focused on developing cell-instructive biomaterial platforms to direct vascular and inflammatory cell phenotypes and behaviors.

Student Focus: LGBTQ+@OU

Jenny Sperling (she/her) is an assistant professor of Critical Studies in Education in the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Some of her research interests include critical youth studies and LGBTQIA+ experiences, with specific attention to sexual(ity) and reproductive education. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, Jenny completed her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her M.A. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley.

Students interested in Math

Dr. Sepideh Stewart is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Oklahoma. She is the editor of And the Rest is Just Algebra (2017), and co-editor of Challenges and Strategies in Teaching Linear Algebra (2018). She is one of the guest editors of a special edition of ZDM special issue on “Research on Teaching and Learning in Linear Algebra” She completed her doctoral dissertation on research on pedagogy of Linear Algebra under supervision of Professor Mike Thomas and Professor Ivan Reilly at The University of Auckland, New Zealand in 2008. Her current research interests are on Linear Algebra. Since 2009 she has also been working on several projects on mathematics education at the university level collaborating with mathematicians. In addition, her latest research project on Algebra is examining undergraduate students’ difficulties with school Algebra, which are causing major interruptions in their success in Calculus courses.