Sociology 2017 Newsletter

SOCIOLOGY NEWSLETTER | Issue #2 1 Sociology M a y 2 0 1 7 N e w s l e t t e r From the Department Head: Judith Little Problem Solving Competition 2 A Message from the Sociology Club 3 International Field Research 4 Fullerton Appointed to ASR Editorial Board 5 Faculty Welcome 5 Faculty Farewells 6 & 7 Catching Up With Alumni 8 & 9 Undergraduate Commencement Fall 2016 10 2016 Graduate Degree Recipients 11 Alpha Kappa Delta Inductees 12 Graduate Student Presentations and Publications 13 Congratulations! 14 & 15 Bradford Gray Lecture Series 16 Inside this issue: The 2016‐17 academic year was a year of significant achievements for OSU Sociology. In July, 2016, the Center for the Study of Disas‐ ters and Extreme Events (CSDEE) was relocated to the Sociology Department and I was appointed as Director by Dean Danilowicz. The CSDEE is a College of Arts & Sciences research center providing a support system whereby disaster research capabilities from across disciplines and colleges at OSU can be developed and coordinated. In September, Dr. Sharon Bird took a leave of absence to pursue op‐ portunities at the National Science Foundation and I became Interim Head of Sociology. As this newsletter demonstrates, Sociology faculty, students, and staff were engaged in a variety of activities and received various ap‐ pointments and accolades. Undergraduate Coordinator, Dahlia Molloy, took a team of undergraduate sociology majors to Denver to compete in the Judith Little Problem Solving Competition at the an‐ nual meeting of the Association of Applied and Clinical Sociology. Dr. Stephen Perkins was recognized for his summer research on the Pacific Island of Betio. Dr. Andy Fullerton was appointed to the Edi‐ torial Board of the American Sociological Review , the discipline’s premier journal. Sociology graduate students were active in present‐ ing at professional conferences and during OSU Research Week. There were other notable happenings this academic year. The Brad‐ ford Gray Lecture Series in Sociology sponsored two nationally rec‐ ognized sociologists: Dr. Joanne Nagel from the University of Kansas and Dr. Paul Mohai from Michigan State University. L. Patrice Lati‐ mer (BS in Sociology, 1975) was inducted into OSU’s Diversity Hall of Fame. We inducted 13 members into the OSU chapter of Alpha Kap‐ pa Delta and some of our most talented undergraduate students re‐ ceived scholarships and special recognitions. Continued on page 2