Niagara University’s Office of Academic Affairs honored two members of Niagara University’s faculty on Sept. 1 during an event celebrating the start of the fall 2022 semester.
Dr. Tim Lauger, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice, received an award for scholarship and Dr. Michelle Ciminelli, associate professor of education, received an award for teaching.
Dr. Lauger joined the criminal justice faculty in 2012. The Wisconsin native attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and received his doctorate in criminal justice from Indiana University in 2010. His research focuses around gang youth. He is the author of “Real Gangstas: Legitimacy, Reputation, and Violence in the Intergang Environment,” which discusses his 18-month ethnographic study of active gang members in Indianapolis, and received the James L. Maddex, Jr., Criminal Justice Review Paper of the Year Award for his article “Violent Stories Personal Narratives, Street Socialization, and the Negotiation of Street Culture Among Street-Oriented Youth.” He is currently working on multiple manuscripts that explore the online presence of gang members and their use of underground rap to communicate elements of local culture.
Dr. Ciminelli holds a B.A. in human development and family studies from Cornell University, an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University at Maryland-College Park, and a Ph.D. in reading education from the University at Buffalo-SUNY.
Her current research focuses on teacher decision making in reading instruction, the impact of federal policies on teacher instruction and student achievement, student perceptions of reading, and culturally responsive teaching practices.
She is the coordinator of the Niagara Reads contest, and a member of the Field Experience and Partnership committee and other professional learning communities.