Principal Investigator

Nicole Sparapani, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor within the School of Education and the MIND Institute. Her research interests center on the development and evaluation of effective educational practices for students on the autism spectrum, emphasizing the dynamic interplay between children and their classroom environment. Dr. Sparapani practiced as a certified speech-language pathologist on an interdisciplinary team serving preschool children on the spectrum for several years before pursuing her Ph.D. in Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University and postdoctoral training with Dr. Carol McDonald Connor at Arizona State University. See her complete faculty profile here.

Collaborative Partners

Nancy Tseng, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the School of Education. She began her career in education as a public elementary school teacher. Her research interests focus on the development of productive student-teacher relationships in mathematics classrooms, identifying instructional practices that support mathematics learning and teaching, supporting student participation in math classrooms, and pre-and in-service teacher education. Dr. Tseng received a BA in psychology, elementary teaching credential, and MA from the University of California, Davis. She has a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Maryland, College Park.       

Peter Mundy, Ph.D. is a Lisa Capps Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the MIND Institute, and a Distinguished Professor in the School of Education. He is an expert in the education and development of children on the autism spectrum. As a developmental and clinical psychologist, Dr. Mundy has been working on defining the major dimensions of autism for several decades. Dr. Mundy’s research focuses on understanding the role that attention, and especially joint attention plays in learning, language and social-cognition of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Postdoctoral Research Scholars

Sandy Birkeneder is a Postdoctoral Scholar within the School of Education. Dr. Birkeneder’s research focuses on diagnostics and communication within autistic children. Her dissertation examined joint attention and reading development within school aged autistic and non-autistic children. Dr. Birkeneder has a background in policy and education and received her BA from UC San Diego in Political Science and her MA from San Francisco State. Prior to returning to academia, Dr. Birkeneder worked in the private sector at NBC’s political headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Graduate Students

Cindy Parks is a doctoral student in the School of Education. As a neurodivergent person, Cindy is passionate in her belief that educating parents, teachers, mentors and community members about their children’s and students’ neurodevelopmental needs can result in the implementation of parenting and learning strategies that will help children and families to live more harmonious, productive and loving lives. She believes that when a disability is truly understood, families and educators can begin to interact, parent and/or instruct through a lens that takes into account the learning differences that come with the diagnosis. By dedicating herself to research into the impact of that education, she hopes to foster equity and inclusion for children and people with learning differences.   

Stefano Cantos is a doctoral student in the School of Education under the advisement of Dr. Sparapani. He leads the classroom video observation team and co-leads the assessment team within the lab. Stefano also video codes Emotion Regulation in autistic and non-autistic children within general education classrooms. He is interested in understanding the inclusion of neurodivergent students, including autistic students and those with intellectual disability, within the elemenary years. Stefano wants to study teacher preparation, educational policy, and a student’s sense of belonging. He states, “I am the son of a blind man, which instilled in me a the belief in equitable opportunities for all populations within our schools.”

Solange Ramirez is a doctoral student in the School of Education, advised by Dr. Nicole Sparapani and Dr. Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica. Her research interests center around the intersection of neurodiversity and multilingualism in educational settings, and how multimodal approaches — including translanguaging — can improve accessibility and support literacy learning for young neurodivergent emergent bilinguals. Driven by the belief that education should be designed with all learners in mind, Solange is passionate about improving teacher preparation programs to better equip educators to meet the diverse needs of their students. She has a background in linguistics and education. She received her BA in Linguistics from San José State University and her MA in Teaching from Santa Clara University.

Undergraduate Research Assistants                     

Leah Cole is an undergraduate student studying Human Development with a minor in Biological Sciences. At the lab, Leah administers math and literacy assessments, conducts video observations, codes Initiating Communication within math and literacy lessons, and administers and codes ESCS assessments. She joined the CARE Lab because she is passionate about equity and inclusivity in education. Leah also works for the Redwood SEED Scholars Program, a four-year inclusive college opportunity for students with intellectual disabilities. In her free time, Leah plays for Rogue, the UC Davis Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team. After graduation, Leah hopes to attend graduate school to become a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist.  

Katie Schwenker is a 4th year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Education and Sociology. In the lab, she administers math assessments, conducts video observations, and codes Initiating Communication. In addition to her work at the lab, Katie also works as a campus tour guide and an orientation leader. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to become a school psychologist. Having a sibling on the autism spectrum, she is interested in researching methods for the early detection of learning disabilities, especially among populations that are historically underdiagnosed.

Joley Bove is an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and Linguistics with minors in Education and Public Health. In the lab, she administers literacy assessments and conducts video observations. She joined the CARE Lab after hearing about its impactful research from Redwood SEED Scholar and data team member, Sophie Howarth. Her passion for improving access to equitable education for neurodiverse individuals drives her commitment to the lab. Outside of research, she works for the Redwood SEED Scholars program as the Social Inclusion Lead and for the Whole Earth Festival. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career in pediatric speech-language pathology.

Mimi Tran is an undergraduate student majoring in Human Development with a minor in Psychology at UC Davis. She began her work in the CARE Lab video coding Initiating Communication and is now part of both the assessment and data teams. Mimi administers math assessments in classrooms and assists with data entry and organization for ongoing projects. She joined the CARE Lab because she is passionate about inclusive education, neurodiversity, and supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Outside of the CARE Lab, Mimi works for the Redwood SEED Scholars Program as a Health & Wellness Mentor, supporting students in developing independent living skills. She also volunteers at several adaptive therapy clinics in the Davis area. In her free time, Mimi performs with Vision Dance Troupe, an on-campus dance team. After graduation, Mimi will be attending graduate school to pursue a career in occupational therapy, with long-term goals of supporting neurodiverse individuals.

Emily Torres Luna is an undergraduate studying Psychology with a minor in Education. In the CARE Lab, she administers literacy assessments, assists with video observations, and has recently begun supporting data entry projects. Outside the lab, Emily is a mentor for the Redwood SEED Scholars Program and volunteers at a social skills coaching center serving neurodiverse youth and adults. She joined the CARE Lab to broaden her understanding of how we can better support neurodivergent students, particularly those with autism, in classroom settings. This interest is rooted in her lived experience as a sister to three siblings on the autism spectrum, which fuels her passion for advocating for effective inclusive education. In the future, Emily plans to attend graduate school to become a school psychologist, where she hopes to provide holistic and equitable supports through a social justice lens to uplift the academic and personal success of neurodiverse students.

Cosmos Liu is an international undergraduate student majoring in Cognitive Science and Anthropology. In the lab, they work on video transcription and videotaping. They chose these fields of study to investigate educational and mental health issues from a global and culture-sensitive perspective. In their free time, they love gardening and making illustrations.