LSI In Faculty & Staff Briefs - October 2026

November 4, 2026

The Prime Minister of Belieze stands indoors holding a microphone while addressing an audience in front of a Belize national flag. On-screen captions read, “In education, we will strengthen teaching and school leadership,” and a lower-third graphic identifies the speaker as “John Briceno, Prime Minister of Belize.” The speaker is wearing a white button-down shirt and glasses, and the image appears to be captured from a video recording or broadcast.

GRANTS
Ana Marty, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) will serve as PI on a $1.6M grant to strengthen secondary education in Belize. LSI is partnering with School-to-School International on the Equipping Secondary Educators Program Partnership, a five-year $21.7M project. Melba Marin-Velasquez, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) will serve as the project’s co-PI with support from Stephane Simmons Zuilkowski, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute)..

PRESENTATIONS
Robert Hanna (Learning Systems Institute) presented “Using AI to Be Transformative in a Science Classroom” at the Florida Association of Science Teachers (FAST) 2026 Conference in Orlando, FL.

Rabieh Razzouk, MBA (Learning Systems Institute) delivered the keynote address, "Lessons from leading complex projects and multidisciplinary teams across the United States and around the world," at the October Project Management Institute Tallahassee Chapter meeting.

Rabieh Razzouk, MBA (Learning Systems Institute) and Dina Vyortkina, Ph.D. (Anne’s College) presented virtually at the "AI and Cybersecurity GCC Forum" hosted by the American International University, Kuwait.

Vilma Fuentes speaks at a podium on a stage during the Local Colleges (LC) Visioning Summit at the University of the Philippines Open University headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. A large projection screen displays the event title, date (20 October 2026), and location. The stage is decorated with plants and flowers, and a Philippine flag stands beside the podium. The venue features exposed ceiling beams and overhead lighting.

Vilma Fuentes, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) was a featured speaker at the Local Colleges Visioning Summit hosted by the University of Philippines Open University and sponsored by the Commission on Higher Education.

Stephane Simmons Zuilkowski, Ph.D. and Kate Schell, Ph.D. (Learning Systems Institute) presented “Measure What Matters: Choosing the Best-Fit Evaluation Approach” at the 2026 Florida After School Conference in Kissimmee, FL.

Carrie Meyers and Jim Reynolds (Learning Systems Institute) presented at “Teaching and Learning with AI in Europe” at Breda University for Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. The pair also served as keynote speakers at the Southwest Florida AI in Education Symposium.

SERVICE
Rob Schoen, Ph.D. and Shelby McCrakin (Learning Systems Institute) traveled to Minnesota to lead professional development workshops as part of the STEPPS project funded by the American Statistical Association.