Education

• Ph.D. Special Education: Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE), University of Kentucky
• M.S. Social Work, Spalding University
• B.S. Social Work, Western Kentucky University

Research & Academic Interests

• Nature-based play & learning with children
• Environmental education
• Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS)
• Participatory action research

Publications

• Gravil, M., & Gassaway, L. (2025). Blending AI and human performance to engage students. Conference proceedings proceedings from the 2024 Pedagogicon Conference: Student engagement and experiential learning. EKU Encompass Digital Archive.
• Rahn, N., Lacrioz, L., Shin, D., Gravil, M., Chen, C., Hix-Small, H., Arora, S., Grisham, J., Rutland, J., Zehn, C., Mickelson, A., & Zie, H. (2024). Using an online assessment tool to teach authentic assessment to early childhood candidates. Rural Special Education Quarterly. 43(3).
• Brown, S., Gravil, M., & Jacobi-Vessels, J. (2022). Planning and building children’s outdoor play zones for multiple affordances: A community-engaged process. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education. 10(1), 3-13.
• Gravil, M., North, T., & Crawford, R. (2021). Exploring the use of citizen science and technology to connect preschool classrooms at two university-based centers. Children, Youth, & Environments, 31(3), 170-179.
• Ward, K., Gravil, M., Sciaraffa, M. & Antonio, M. (Feb 2025). Young children’s agency and resilience in a climate-changed world. Exchange Magazine. Exchange Press, Inc.

Associations, Affiliations & Work History

• Kentucky Association for Environmental Education (2024-25 Chair Elect)
• Kentucky Division of Early Childhood (CAN Coordinator)
• National Association for the Education Young Children
• National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
• National Science Teaching Association

• North American Association for Environmental Education
• Natural Start Alliance
• World Forum Foundation on Early Care and Education