Schmitt, Tay recognized with Trailblazer Awards

Two associate professors have received Trailblazer Awards for midcareer excellence and impact in research and scholarship.

Award recipients for 2021 are:

Sara Schmitt
Associate professor, Human Development and Family Studies, College of Health and Human Sciences

Schmitt’s research is focused on answering critical questions related to how children develop strong self-regulation and school readiness during the early childhood period and how to best strengthen these skills through effective instruction and intervention. Schmitt currently directs the evaluation of the state of Indiana’s public prekindergarten program and is leading training and implementation support efforts for a new early childhood curriculum (Early Learning Matters). Finally, she is co-director of the Center for Early Learning, which is dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education and development through research, practice, and policy initiatives.

Louis Tay
William C. Byham Associate Professor in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, College of Health and Human Sciences

Tay’s research contributes to the enhancement of data science and methodological research in psychology and science-based well-being programs and policies at organizational and societal levels. As a scientific leader, he has co-edited the books Big Data in Psychological Research and Handbook of Well-Being. In addition, he is the founder of the Purdue-based tech startup ExpiWell, an experience sampling platform that enables researchers to capture the daily experiences of people. He also leads the research and assessment work on Steps to Leaps, Purdue’s student-focused well-being initiative.

The Purdue University Trailblazer Award is an annual award for midcareer faculty in the College of Education, College of Liberal Arts, College of Health and Human Sciences, and the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies whose recent research, scholarship or creative work has made a significant impact in the disciplines of humanities, social sciences, and information sciences. The nominee’s work should be pioneering and innovative. 

Recipients of the Trailblazer Award will receive a plaque of recognition and a monetary prize of $2,000.