Yage (Melody) Huang
Melody Huang is a first-year Master of Education candidate in Special Education (High Incidence) at Vanderbilt. She currently serves as a Research Assistant in Dr. Marcia Barnes' Lab, where she supports the First Grade Working Memory Project. Her research interests include learning disabilities, early academic development, literacy and mathematics learning, cognitive processes related to learning, and evidence-based instructional practices for students with high incidence disabilities.
In her role as a research assistant, Melody contributes to school-based data collection and classroom research while applying skills in classroom observation, educational assessment, and data organization. Before beginning her master's program, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood and Special Education from Geneva College in Pennsylvania. Through multiple field placements in preschool, elementary, special education, and English learner classrooms, she designed differentiated instruction and implemented literacy and mathematics interventions that continue to inform her research perspective.
Melody's long-term goal is to bridge educational research and classroom practice by developing evidence-based interventions that improve academic outcomes for students with disabilities. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys photography, traveling, and volunteering with children through educational and community service programs.