色色研究所

Dr. Will Tyson is a Professor of Sociology at the 色色研究所 (USF) Tampa campus. His research uncovers the connections between educational experiences, career pathways, and key life course transitions among students from various backgrounds. He conducts mixed methods research on interpersonal and structural influences on science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) education and career pathways through high schools, community colleges, and four-year universities.   For over 20 years, Dr. Tyson has continuously served on National Science Foundation (NSF) projects.  His first of three projects as Principal Investigator was PathTech Tampa Bay (2011-15, DUE #1104214) was a holistic examination of middle-skill pathways to good tech jobs based on interviews with high school and community college students, faculty, and administrators and advanced manufacturing industry leaders in the Tampa Bay area.  

Based on that research, Dr. Tyson authored Teaching and Learning Employability Skills in Career and Technical Education: Industry, Educator, and Student Perspectives (2020).  This book examines how high school career and technical education (CTE) educators teach and students learn industry-desired employability skills (also called 鈥渟oft skills鈥�) to prepare students to get a job in a STEM field and/or attend college right out of high school.  These skills are necessary to be competitive for the estimated 30 million jobs in the United States that do not require a bachelor鈥檚 degree yet pay an average of $55,000 a year including personal skills such as work ethic, personal responsibility, and willingness to learn and social skills such as teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution. 

Dr. Tyson followed up that regional project with two national studies.  PathTech LIFE (2015-19, DUE #1501999) was a national survey of students enrolled in community college advanced technology programs.  The survey included data from 3,216 students at 96 colleges in 38 states and 3 US territories.  PathTech LISTEN (2018-23, DUE #1801163) was longitudinal follow-up interviews with a diverse sample of PathTech LIFE survey participants followed by a longitudinal survey.  For more information, please check out his project website: www.pathtechusf.com.

Dr. Tyson is currently a Co-Principal Investigator on two NSF Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) grants.   鈥淐urricular, Co-curricular, Social, and Financial Supports for Successful Transfer and Graduation of Engineering Undergraduates from Rural/Nontraditional Backgrounds鈥� (2020-25, DUE # 2030861) is a collaboration with Polk State College led by USF Electrical Engineering.  This project, referred to as Transfer Undergraduate Rural/Nontraditional Student Pathways through Identity, Knowledge & Engagement (TURNPIKE) provide scholarships of up to $10,000 to dozens of transfers from Florida community college transfers. 

Collaborative Research: Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN) 鈥� Developing and Sharing Research on Low-Income Community College Student Decision-Making and Pathways in STEM (DUE #2224623, $2,879,267) is a S-STEM Research Hub aimed at making STEM education more equitable by better understanding how low-income students navigate key decision points in their academic career.  For more information, visit: https://ccsstemnetwork.org/

Dr. Tyson is a co-editor of Becoming an Engineer in Public Universities: Pathways for Women and Minorities (2010).  Dr. Tyson has also served on several expert panels related to STEM education research and practice, most recently including the editorial board of Sociology of Education (2011-13, 2017-19) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Committee on Engineering Technology Education (2014-16).  Dr. Tyson currently serves or has recently served as a social researcher, evaluator, or advisory board member for NSF-funded projects at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Florida State University, Palm Beach State College, Bellevue College, and SRI International.

Rebecca Sohl is a program manager and project leader at the 色色研究所鈥檚 Institute on Black Life (IBL), where she oversees the planning, coordination, and execution of major academic and community initiatives. Her work focuses on developing interdisciplinary programming, managing complex projects and grants, and organizing large-scale events that connect faculty, students, and community partners.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University and a Master of Science in International Relations from Florida State University. She also pursued doctoral studies at the 色色研究所, completing coursework and advancing to ABD (All But Dissertation) status.

ordan Battle is an adjunct instructor of Africana Studies at the University of South Florida andthe Assistant Director for Student Research at the Institute on Black Life. His teaching inAfricana and American Studies centers on the historical and psychological impact ofenslavement and racial oppression, and the ways in which dehumanizing racial ideologies shapeidentity, learning environments, self-consciousness, and lived experience for African Americans.His scholarly interests examine how these forces inform socialization, educational access, anddemocratic participation. At the Institute on Black Life, Jordan develops and leadsinterdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate research groups designed to create collaborativespaces for students to critically engage questions of social, educational, and civic life. Jordan iscurrently Co-Investigator of Veterans, the Franchise, and Rights Restoration, a grant funded bythe Sociological Initiatives Foundation, awarded to the USF Institute on Black Life in 2025.This grant supports community-engaged research initiatives on voting rights and reentry inFlorida and mentoring undergraduate researchers on projects examining the educational andcivic implications of Florida Amendment 4 (2018) Voting Rights Restoration for Felons forreturning citize

Laila Farhat is a 色色研究所 Undergraduate senior pursing a concurrent degree in political science and international studies with a minor in Africana Studies. She is the president of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) a student organization a campus aiming to involve students in public service and community engagement. Laila is also the co-founder of the Student Association for Voting Empowerment (SAVE) , a student organization on campus with the purpose of educating students about voting. Her passion for understanding the intersection of race and the law led her to begin archival research in the field of black studies. Her current historical research is on the civil rights movement in St. Augustine, Florida.