Learning
About Us
Rooted in Community, Growing for the Future
The SL4E Ecosystem
Science Literacy for Excellence (SL4E) Research Collaboratory is more than a research lab; it is a community-driven ecosystem where everyone has something to learn and something to teach. As an interdisciplinary team of applied linguists, educators, and scientists, we believe that true scientific excellence begins with understanding the land beneath our feet and the languages spoken in our homes.
Engaging
Sustaining
Meet the SL4E Team
Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso
SL4E Lab Director
Assistant Professor of TESOL and Linguistics
Dr. Katerina Sergi
SL4E Research Associate
Assistant Research Professor
Matthew Lentz
SL4E Graduate Research Assistant
View Bio →
Jacob Matkin
SL4E Research Consultant
View Bio →Affiliated Researchers
Dr. Ayça Fackler
Assistant Professor of Science Education
University of Missouri
SEMILLAS’ P.I.
Dr. Leynar Leyton
Assistant Professor and Extension State Specialist
University of Florida
SEMBRAR’s Co-P.I.
Savanah Stewart
Graduate Student
Vanderbilt University
Oliver Sebastian Coleman
Graduate Student
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Dr. Max Vazquez Dominguez
Professor of Science Education
University of North Georgia
Natalia Zambon-Ferronato
PhD Candidate & Lecturer
Universidad ORT Uruguay
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SL4E Lab Director
Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso
SL4E Lab Director
Assistant Professor of TESOL and Linguistics
Dr. Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso is an Assistant Professor of TESOL and Linguistics in the Department of English at Mississippi State University and a Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Center, where she leads the Science Literacy for Excellence (SL4E) Research Collaboratory. A systemic functional linguist, her scholarship focuses on advancing science literacy for multilingual learners through research on teaching and learning, science teacher education and professional development, and the design and interpretation of assessments for multilingual students in science contexts. Dr. Cardozo-Gaibisso is a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Gulf Research Program Early Career Research Fellow (2024–2026). She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and has prior academic and research experience in Uruguay, bringing an international and multilingual perspective to her work in language, literacy, and science education.
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SL4E Research Associate
Dr. Katerina Sergi
SL4E Research Associate
Assistant Research Professor
Katerina Sergi, Ph.D. is as an Assistant Research Professor at Mississippi State University’s Social Science Research Center. Katerina conducts mixed-methods evaluations for federal and state programs, focusing on rural education (PreK-12), school-based mental health, public health, and community-engaged Gulf Coast research.
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Matthew Lentz
SL4E Graduate Research Assistant
Matthew Lentz is a graduate research assistant whose interests span weather risk communication, climate modeling, and how international communities perceive and respond to severe weather warnings. His previous research includes a published undergraduate honors thesis evaluating severe weather risk perceptions among international students. For his graduate work, Matthew is bridging behavioral work with his love for the technical-quantitative side of developing and researching winter storm modeling using artificial intelligence to improve public safety. Additionally, he also serves as the sole creator and developer of this website.
To view more about me and my personal research, click here.
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Jacob Matkin
SL4E Research Consultant
Jacob Matkin holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Mississippi State University with a minor in Geospatial Technologies. His academic and professional background gives him a strong foundation in social theory, qualitative data analysis, and spatial analysis. He was a SEMILLAS undergraduate research assistant in the spring of 2026 and is currently a SEMILLAS research consultant.
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Assistant Professor of Science Education
Dr. Ayça Fackler
Assistant Professor of Science Education
University of Missouri
SEMILLAS’ P.I.
Add full bio details here…
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Assistant Professor and Extension State Specialist
Dr. Leynar Leyton
Assistant Professor and Extension State Specialist
SEMBRAR’s Co-P.I.
Dr. Leyton specializes in breeding and genetics of landscape plants. With a focus on underutilized native plants, the goal of his program is to develop resilient ornamental plants for the landscape with drought and heat tolerance, improved landscape and production performance, enhanced ecosystem services, and sterility. He also directs the Gary W. Knox Gardens of The Big Bend, where he leads initiatives on increasing urban horticulture awareness, plant conservation, and trail of new plant varieties.
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Graduate Student
Savanah Stewart
Graduate Student
Vanderbilt University
Savanah Stewart is a graduate student at Vanderbilt University pursing her Master’s in Multilingual Learner Education. She recently graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education with minors in Spanish and TESOL. She is passionate about ESOL teaching and research in rural public schools in the Southern United States and aspires to teach there upon graduation. Savanah served as a research assistant for the SL4E during the 2024-2025 academic year.
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Graduate Student
Oliver Sebastian Coleman
Graduate Student
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Oliver Sebastian Coleman received a B.A. in English and a TESOL Minor from Mississippi State University, where he also served as a research assistant for the SL4E during the 2022-2023 academic year. Then, he served in the Peace Corps in Panama as a Youth Leadership Development volunteer. While there, he worked collaboratively with Panamanian community members to develop projects including a youth leadership club, an English-language club, and a life-skills orientation program focused on developing students’ critical thinking skills. Now, he will be studying for a Master of Professional Studies in Community Leadership and serving with the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he will work to foster community organizing and engagement for UMBC and the broader Baltimore area.
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Professor of Science Education
Dr. Max Vazquez Dominguez
Professor of Science Education
University of North Georgia
Dr. Max Vazquez Dominguez is a Professor of science at the University of North Georgia. He has worked in numerous science and literacy programs with middle and elementary school science teachers, ESOL teachers, emergent bilingual students, and their families. His research interests include using the emergent bilingual students’ interests and passions in the teaching/learning process, family involvement, science and engineering, the use of the space to enhance science learning, and bilingualism in science.
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PhD Candidate & Lecturer
Natalia Zambon-Ferronato
PhD Candidate & Lecturer
Universidad ORT Uruguay
Natalia Zambon-Ferronato is a PhD candidate in Education at Universidad ORT Uruguay, where she serves as Deputy Coordinator of the Language Center and lecturer. Her research focuses on language development from a sociocultural perspective, teacher education, and multilingual learning contexts.