2025 Reed Fellow
Sally M. Reis, Ph.D.
Sally Reis is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and held the Letitia Neag Morgan Chair in Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education at UConn.. Her research interests relate to talent development, enrichment pedagogy, twice exceptional students, as well as talented girls and women. She has authored over 300 articles, books, book chapters, technical reports and worked a research team that has generated over 50 million dollars during the last few decades.
Title: Using Strength-Based Pedagogy to Engage and Challenge Twice Exceptional Students
Using the pedagogy of gifted and talented education enables teachers to develop strengths, interests, and talents in a broad range of students, including those with disabilities. Enrichment pedagogy helps teachers differentiate instruction, reduce underachievement, and enable students to develop their strengths, while reducing a focus on deficits. This session will briefly highlight this pedagogy and describe how it can be implemented to help students identify and develop their interests and strengths.
2025 UConn Keynote Speaker
Jack Horner
Jack Horner is a severely dyslexic, dinosaur paleontologist! He attended the University of Montana for 14 semesters without receiving a degree. He has since received four honorary doctorates, and a plethora of awards including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Romer-Simpson Medal, the highest honor granted by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Jack was Curator and Regent’s Professor of Paleontology at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana for 34 years. He has more than 300 publications including 11 books. He was the technical advisor for the first 6 Jurassic Park/ Jurassic World movies. Jack currently teaches in the Honors Program at Chapman University in Orange, California.
Title: Jack Horner’s Jurassic Journey
Join Jack Horner, a world-renowned paleontologist, as he shares his journey of navigating severe dyslexia and academic challenges while transforming our understanding of dinosaurs. Despite lifelong struggles with reading, Jack pursued his passion, earning honorary doctorates and serving as the scientific advisor for the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films, as well as the inspiration for Dr. Alan Grant. His story is a powerful testament to resilience, creativity, and embracing one’s strengths. This captivating talk will inspire everyone to forge their own unique paths and persist in pursuing their passions, no matter the obstacles.