Susan Karimiha, Ph.D. Candidate and Research Assistant in the LSU School of Leadership and Human Resource Development has been awarded a competitive fellowship through the Association of International Agriculture and Rural Development.The Association's objectives of this fellowship program is to facilitate student attendance and participation in the annual conference, which is held annually in Washington D.C. Another objective includes broadening student vision and help build a broad array of social/cultural, economic, and scientific skills required to become an effective 21st century professional in international agriculture and rural development. Additionally, another objective is networking by providing opportunities for students to meet with influential individuals in universities, non-governmental organizations (NGO's), Congress, governmental agencies, international financial institutions and multi-national corporations active in international agriculture and rural development initiatives.Her participation in the Fellowship's Future Leaders Forum includes two days of visits to agencies, companies, and organizations (i.e. USAID, USDA-FAS & NIFA, World Bank, Peace Corps, UN/FAO, Chemonics, Dupont/Pioneer International, Millennium Challenge Corporation) engaged in international agriculture and rural development.Susan is PhD candidate and holds a Graduate Research Assistantship under faculty member, Dr. Sunyoung Park. Susan's goal is to use her research findings to improve poverty throughout the world, through more effective human resource development research and training to help develop sustainable solutions to peace, global resource security and economic development for future generations. She was previously awarded a Fellowship through the LSU Office of Research and Economic Development and the European Union's ERASMUS program at the University Grenoble Alps in Grenoble, France.

Dr. Sunyoung Park, Assistant Professor in the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development, returned from presenting research at the 2018 American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in New York City. Her presentation, "Workplace Learning Measures for HRD: Review and Summary" was about reviewing the existing workplace learning measures used in empirical studies in human resource development (HRD). Dr. Park also serves as chair for the roundtable session of the Korean AERA. The AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. With its nearly 25,000 members, comprised of faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other distinguished professionals, they produce and disseminate knowledge, refine methods and measures, and stimulate translation and practical application of research results. Dr. Park's research centers on organizational culture and behavior, learning and performance in different contexts, leadership, and research trends in human resource development (HRD) and related fields. Her primary research purpose is to provide practical guidelines for enhancing a positive organizational culture, supporting employee development, and resolving performance issues in organizations.