Alum Receives Presidential Early Career Award

President Barack Obama announced recently that Young-Suk Kim, Ed.M.’03, Ed.D.’07, is a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the United States government to young professionals beginning their independent research careers. The winners will receive their awards at a Washington, D.C., ceremony later this year.

“The impressive achievements of these early-stage scientists and engineers are promising indicators of even greater successes ahead,” President Obama said. “We are grateful for their commitment to generating the scientific and technical advancements that will ensure America’s global leadership for many years to come.”

Kim is currently an associate professor of reading and language arts in the College of Education’s School of Teacher Education at Florida State University, and also a faculty member at the Florida Center for Reading Research. She is working on a project funded by the Institute of Education Science, U.S. Department of Education, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, using multiple approaches such as using eye-tracking technology to investigate growth of silent reading, video-taping and coding classroom instruction, and coding thousands of children’s oral language and writing samples. Her research aims to understand how cognitive and linguistic factors contribute to reading comprehension and writing development.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award,” Kim said. “This award underscores the importance of research to generate scientific knowledge in the field of education.”

The Presidential Early Career Awards, established by President Bill Clinton in February 1996, embody the high priority the administration places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation’s goals and contribute to all sectors of the economy. The nine federal departments and agencies annually nominate the most meritorious young researchers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for strengthening America’s leadership in science and technology, and contributing to the awarding agencies’ missions. Pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and a commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach are the two criteria for selecting award recipients.