Sociology News

McDaniel receives the IEA Bruce Choppin Award for her MA thesis

Congratulations to Anne McDaniel, who received the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s 2008 Bruce Choppin Award for the best master’s thesis submitted in educational studies.

Bryan & Moulta-Ali Awarded NSF AGEP-SBES Program Travel Grants

Graduate students Derrick Bryan and Umar Moulta-Ali were awarded travel grants from The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) and the The Ohio State University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS). Derrick was one of eight graduate students nationwide chose to participate in a research conference on Urban Ethnography at Yale University in April while Umar was one of eight graduate students nationwide chosen to participate in a research conference on Sociological Perspectives on Climate Change at the NSF in Arlington, Virginia in May. Best wishes to both of these outstanding young scholars!

Jacobs’ Research on Race & Death Row Mentioned on the TJMS

Professor Dave Jacobs’ research on the inherent problems of racial bias and disparities in the US capital punishment system was included on a May 8 segment of the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TMJS). The TMJS airs nationwide and is considered one of the most influential programs on urban radio. Congratulations Dave!

Downey Quoted in Newsweek

Professor Douglas Downey, was quoted in Kathleen Deveny’s June 2 “Newsweek” article entitled, “Why 'Only-Children' Rule” (see http://www.newsweek.com/id/138538 ). He comments on his research findings that 'only-children' and children with a lone sibling tend to perform better academically and stay in school longer than children who are part of a larger sibling group. It is always great to see press coverage of someone’s work we are familiar with in the department. Congratulations Doug!

Meyer Elected President of SSSR

Professor Kay Meyer, has been elected the new President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. This group focuses on social scientific research about religious institutions and experiences. Kudos to Kay on being elected to this important position!

Light Receives a Presidential Fellowship from OSU’s Graduate Program

Doctoral candidate, Ryan Light received a Presidential Fellowship from the Ohio State Graduate School. This fellowship is awarded to graduate students entering the final phase of their dissertation so that they may devote one year to the completing it unimpeded by other duties. Recipients of this award embody the highest standards of scholarship in Ohio State graduate programs. Congratulations Ryan!

Lobao Elected a 2008 AAAS Fellow

Professor Linda Lobao, of the Rural Sociology program at the Ohio State University, was elected an American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow, for her distinguished contributions to the field of rural sociology. Lobao’s work focuses on agricultural and industrial changes that affect communities, households, and individuals. For more information, check out the ASA Footnotes article at (http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/apr08/fellows_0408.html)

Peterson & Krivo ASA Reps at an exhibition on Capitol Hill

Professors Ruth Peterson and Laurie Krivo were invited by American Sociological Association (ASA) to participate in the 14th annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Exhibition & Reception on Capitol Hill, held Wednesday, June 25, 2008. They exhibited their research in a poster on “Race, Residence & Crime: A Structure of Inequality.” The exhibition included 37 other innovative research and education projects supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Members of Congress and congressional committee member staff, the leadership of NSF and representatives from the White House and other policymaking and research agencies attended. A press release is available at(http://www.asanet.org/cs/press/view_news?pressrelease.id=421). Many congratulations to these two outstanding criminologists!

Chaney weighs in on the Death Penalty Debate

Brenda Chaney, senior lecturer of Sociology and Criminology at OSU Marion, was featured in the “Ask the expert” section of OSU’s “onCampus” newspaper. She discusses the complexities of why many Americans still support the death penalty despite their belief that innocent people have been put to death and when overall crime rates seem to be on the decline. To learn more, check out the article in the June 19 issue at (http://oncampus.osu.edu/article.php?id=2193.)

Rosenberg Receives 2007 Halbert E. Dunn Award

OSU Sociology Alum Harry M. Rosenberg, Ph.D., (1972), received the 2007 Halbert E. Dunn Award from the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems. He was a graduate student member of the CHRR (Center for Human Resource Research) at OSU in the early 70s. This award is the highest recognition given by the Association for contributions to public health statistics. A Fellow of the American Statistical Association, Harry, retired, spent much of his career at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) where he was Chief of the Mortality Statistics Branch, Division of Vital Statistics. NCHS is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harry was also the first Head of the World Health Organization’s Mortality Reference Group, which is concerned with updating the International Classification of Diseases. At OSU, Harry focused on demography and methodology; his thesis was on the relationship between female labor force participation and fertility. He remembers his years at OSU as very intellectually stimulating, a wonderful environment. “We struggled through Abraham Kaplan’s, 'Toward a Theory of Inquiry,' one chapter at a time, debating the meaning of every sentence…rather like Talmudic scholars.” Harry is married to Dr. Barbara Filner; they reside in Bethesda, Maryland. He can be reached at HarryMRosenberg@aol.com.

Graduating seniors in Sociology in the ‘08 Denman Forum

The Denman Forum will be held on Wednesday, May 14. At the annual Denman Forum, Ohio State's best undergraduate researchers will talk about their work. Over 400 students will be presenting. Five Sociology graduating seniors will be in the forum: Nicholas Jordan, Meredith Ross, Luis Sanchez, Lynanne Wolf-Sabatino, and Jeness Woodard. Congratulations to these seniors and their faculty advisors for getting them involved in sophisticated research.

Gibbs and McCloud Win GATA Awards

Benjamin Gibbs and Laura McCloud received Graduate Student Teaching Awards and were among ten graduate students selected across the entire university for this award. The GATA award is Ohio State's highest form of recognition for graduate teaching associates who exhibit exceptional teaching. We should be proud of both our students and our department for consistently producing award-winning instructors. Best wishes to Ben and Lauri!

Paxton and Hughes' Research on Women and Politics is Timely

According to Pam Paxton, associate professor of sociology and political science and OSU doctoral student in Sociology, Melanie Hughes -- the Unites States is fairly run of the mill when it comes to women's roles in politics. In terms of political equality for women, the U.S. ranks in the middle compared to most other countries. Paxton and Hughes are the authors of a recent book on women and global politics entitled, "Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective" (Pine Forge Press, 2007). According to Paxton, the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for president has broken new ground in the United States, but the nation still trails behind many other countries in terms of women's political representation.

Media Covers Buchmann et al’s Work on Costly SAT Prep Courses and the College Admissions Edge

Professor Claudia Buchmann’s research on SAT preparation was mentioned in a March 1 L.A. Times article. She finds that students from higher-income families are more likely to use SAT preparation tools such as classes and tutors that in turn gives them an advantage when applying for college. Buchmann worked on this research with coauthors Professor Vincent Roscigno and Dennis Condron, an OSU PhD alumni and now assistant professor of sociology at Emory University.

Sayer in the Media

Professor Liana Sayer’s research on working women being more likely to seek divorces when they are unhappily married was mentioned in the Wall Street Journal on March 20. Sayer is conducting this study with other researchers at Stanford and finds that working women leave dissatisfying marriages at higher rates than do women who do not work outside the home.

PhD Alumni Davies and Pelak Excel

Former OSU doctoral student, Professor Kim Davies (PhD 1996) recently published her first textbook, “The Murder Book: Examining Homicide,” with Prentice Hall. Davies is an Associate Professor & Department Chair at Augusta State University in The Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Social Work. Professor Cynthia Fabrizio Pelak (OSU PhD, 2002) won the ‘Sociology of Sport Journal’ Outstanding Article Award (2006) for her 2005 paper entitled, "Athletes as Agents of Change: An Examination of Shifting Race Relations within Women's Netball in Post-Apartheid South Africa.” Pelak is part of the Department of Sociology at the University of Memphis. This is exciting news from our alumni!

Taylor Receives Two Distinguished Career Awards

Former OSU Faculty Member (1976-2002) and OSU PhD alumni (1976) in Sociology, Professor Verta Taylor (UC Santa Barbara) was recently given two distinguished career awards. On April 19, she received the 2008 Simon & Gagnon Distinguished Career Award from the ASA Section on Sexualities. On April 26, she will receive the Distinguished Career Award for her contributions to Social Movements Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Be sure to congratulate Verta when she returns to our department as a brownbag speaker on May 23 to give a talk titled, “The San Francisco Same-Sex Weddings Protests: the Political Significance of Cultural Tactics.”

Byron , Painter and Vespa the Recipients of Hayes Forum Awards

Graduate students Reginald Byron, Matthew Painter, and Jonathan Vespa received awards at the 22nd Annual Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum held on April 12, 2008. Byron won first place in the Business section of the forum for his research paper entitled, "Stereotypes and the Bottom Line: Learning Lessons from Gender-Based Firing Discrimination Cases." Painter and Vespa received third place in the Social and Behavioral Sciences for their work entitled, "The Path to Marriage: Cohabitation and Wealth Accumulation." Please take a moment to congratulate our own 2008 Hayes Graduate Research Forum award recipients.

Media Covers Alums Singh & Siahpush’s Work on the Lifespan Gap Amongst the U.S. Rich & Poor

OSU sociology alums Gopal Singh (PhD 1991) and Mohammad Siahpush (PhD 1990) were featured in a March 23 New York Times article on life expectancy differences between the affluent and lower-income people. Gopal currently works as a demographer at the Department of Health and Human Services and his co-researcher Mohammad is a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Best wishes to these former OSU sociology students!

Browning’s Neighborhood Research Sparks Media Interest

Professor Christopher Browning and co-author Ming Wen of the University of Utah find that neighborhoods play a major role in motivating or discouraging residents to exercise. A short New York Times article published on March 25 titled, “Exercise: Tying Neighborhoods to Fitness Efforts” focused exclusively on their recent empirical paper published in the journal “Urban Studies.” Well done!

Roscigno et al’s Research on Age Discrimination Generates Extensive Media Coverage

Professor Vinnie Roscigno, sociology graduate student co-authors Sherry Mong and Reginald Byron, and Griff Tester -- PhD graduate of Ohio State and now an assistant professor at Georgia State University -- have become popular in the media as a result of their work on age discrimination in employment. Various new stories and radio interviews have focused on their September 2007 Social Forces article that examines ageism and workplace inequality. Congratulations to all of the investigators on this project!

Slaten Awarded a Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowship

Kevin Slaten received the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellowship for his work on China. He recently received his BA in Sociology and Political Science with Honors from Ohio State. Congratulations!

Cooksey in the News

Professor Elizabeth Cooksey was quoted in a November Associated Press article on why parents might be fostering more educational opportunities for their children. She suggests that parents are encountering more outside pressure to be active in nurturing their child’s educational achievement. Check out the article by Stephen Ohlemacher first published on November 1, 2007.

Slomczynski is the Huber Award Recipient

Congratulations to Dr. Maciek Slomczynski, Professor of Sociology, who received the Joan N. Huber Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences!