About Us

The Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI) is an institute-level research center within the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT).

Vision

CENI will be a national leader in research on the scholarship and practice of inter-organizational partnerships and collaborative problem-solving that attend to the complexities and persistent issues of educational systems. This includes being renowned as facilitators of community-engaged educational networks that are characterized by their sustained commitment to mutual learning and positive change.

Consistent with CENI’s positioning within a university investment institute, CENI will also be known for its leadership in building sustainable, human-centered, research infrastructure that enables interdisciplinary scholars to amplify their research impact and meaningfully engage with the broader public.

Mission

CENI advances applied research and community engagement to address the complexities and persistent issues of educational ecosystems. We build and commit to long-term relationships with regional schools, museums, and programs for reciprocal learning and positive collaborative change. We operate with place-based research infrastructure to foster interdisciplinary engagement with Virginia Tech faculty and students.

Our nationally recognized, impact-focused agenda leverages external funding to advance this mission in support of the following core research priorities:

Dynamics of Educational Partnerships and Collaborative Networks
Systemic Change in Youth and Community Education, and
Applied Education Research in Formal and Informal Learning Environments.

People

Phyllis Newbill — Gary Kirk | Associate Director for Research-Practice Partnerships

Craig Arthur | Academy of Transdisciplinary Studies

Isabel Bradburn | Human Development & Family Science

Eric Kaufman | Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

Gary Kirk | Center for Educational Networks and Impacts

Michelle Klopfer | Engineering Education

Carrie Kroehler | Center for Communicating Science

Kimberly Loeffert | School of Performing Arts

Joan Monahan Watson | Department of Computer Science

Phyllis Newbill | Center for Educational Networks and Impacts

Sarah L. Rodriguez | Engineering Education

Hannah Scherer | Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

Hannah Sunderman | Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education

Tremayne "Trey" Waller | College of Engineering

Clint Whitten | College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Ihudiya Finda Williams | Computer Science

Megan Atkinson | Montgomery County Public Schools

Matt Dunleavy | Montgomery County Public Schools

Jamie Little | Radford City Public Schools

Caitlin Thorn | Giles County Public Schools

Current Students

Allie Phillips
Isabella Alvaredo
Nick Spring
Yariane Soto

Student Alumni

Haseb Alim
Sarah Howell
Calvin Jeter
Cody Klein
Arul Kumar
Jerin Manalel
Phoebe McLaughlin

Core Research Priorities

Our nationally recognized, impact-focused agenda leverages external funding to advance this mission in support of the following core research priorities:

Dynamics of Educational Partnerships and Collaborative Networks

Projects that advance the scholarship and practice of inter-organizational collaboration in pursuit of positive educational outcomes. This work strengthens collective, multisector responses to evolving educational, economic, political, and social contexts.

Systemic Change in Youth and Community Education

Projects that inform transformative change initiatives by attending to the complexity and ambiguity inherent in educational systems. This work enables policy reform, shifts paradigms, and stimulates innovative educational practices while emphasizing the role education plays in creating a just and equitable future.

Applied Education Research in Formal and Informal Learning Environments

Projects that create or enhance educational environments that support student creativity, capacity for collaboration, and preparation for lifelong learning. This work encourages interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and community-engaged collaborative problem-solving.

History

In 2015, two previously existing offices on campus, VT-STEM and the Integrated Design + Education + Arts Studio, combined forces to form the Center for Research in Science, Engineering, Arts, and Design (SEAD) Education within the newly formed Virginia Tech Institute for the Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT). The Center updated its name in 2019 to the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI).