COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
ANNUAL UPDATE 2019 — 2020
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A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN Many Terps could tell you that I introduce myself by saying, “I’m the guy who’s lucky enough to be dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.” Upon my recent reappointment to another five-year term, I have been reflecting on all that we have accomplished together, and all we are planning to do in the future. I am lucky, indeed! BSOS is one of the largest colleges at UMD, and has a rich and complex research and instruction portfolio. Through the varied avenues of our disciplines, we are working to address the most important issues of our times. We use satellites to track the spread of malaria. Our instrument on the International Space Station is comprehensively mapping Earth’s forests. BSOS faculty are offering new insights on radicalization and terrorism. We are working with members of the Prince George’s County community to reduce gun violence. In all that we do, the BSOS community works to Be the Solution to the world’s great challenges. In order to make such a significant impact, our students, faculty, staff and collaborators must be supported and encouraged. I am grateful to the department chairs, campus leaders, alumni and donors who are helping me to ensure the best possible facilities, materials, and opportunities for our scholars. Please connect with us online and on social media to learn more about the innovative research, teaching, and outreach of our talented students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I also hope you’ll visit us in College Park, or come to an alumni event close to you.
Gregory F. Ball • Dean and Professor
The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences is home to 10 diverse, interdisciplinary departments and many programs, all committed to investigating the causes of behavior and social structures, and thus improving the human condition. Our students, faculty, alumni, staff and partners work to be the solution to the world’s great challenges. bsos.umd.edu
AFAM African American Studies ANTH Anthropology CCJS Criminology & Criminal Justice ECON Economics GEOG Geographical Sciences GVPT Government & Politics HESP Hearing & Speech Sciences JPSM Joint Program in Survey Methodology PSYC Psychology SOCY Sociology
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BSOS
OF PRIDE
Several of our graduate programs and areas of specialty are ranked among the best in the country:
# # #
Criminology
Counseling (PSYC & EDUC) Geographical Sciences #12 Sociology of Population #17 Audiology #20 Speech-Language Pathology #21 Economics #24 Sociology #29 Political Science #31 Clinical Psychology #39 Psychology
BSOS, CMNS LAUNCH NEUROSCIENCE MAJOR
Sources: U.S. News & World Report and the National Research Council
Developed by BSOS and the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, the new neuroscience major at UMD is guided by six learning outcomes:
BSOS is home to nearly
undergraduate and graduate students
1. Develop a knowledge base in the field of neuroscience and supporting disciplines; 2. Understand the current techniques and strategies in neuroscience research; 3. Develop competence in scientific reasoning and critical thinking;
Our college community includes
192 tenure-track faculty and
405 professional-track faculty
MAJOR BSOS CENTERS Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement Center for Substance Abuse Research Center for the Study of Business Ethics, Regulation and Crime Maryland Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence Maryland Population Research Center National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium
4. Develop effective professional communication skills; 5. Understand the role of neuroscience in social and cultural contexts, and understand the influences of social and cultural contexts on neuroscience; and 6. Develop awareness of possible career paths available to students who are proficient in neuroscience. The minor in neuroscience emphasizes undergraduate study in systems, cognitive, and computational neuroscience in a manner that crosses the traditional boundaries of psychology, biological sciences, and other related disciplines. neur.umd.edu
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RESEARCH, LEARNING & TEACHING
Dr. Joseph Richardson launched the Translational Research and Applied Violence Intervention Lab (TRAVAIL), the first applied gun violence research laboratory in Maryland. He also has been named a Joel and Kim Feller Professor; this endowed professorship was created in 2015 to support faculty initiatives within BSOS. Richardson has committed his career to understanding the causes and collateral consequences of gun violence, as well as possible solutions. Several close friends and family members of Richardson’s were either killed or seriously injured as a result of gun violence. “For me, this is very personal,” Richardson said. “The Joel and Kim Feller Professorship will allow me to conduct interdisciplinary research on this public health issue with the goal of producing innovative, sustainable interventions that can be replicated across the state and potentially the nation, and generating knowledge that can inform gun control policy.” go.umd.edu/TRAVAIL
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$54 MILLION+ IN EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING IS BROUGHT IN ANNUALLY BY BSOS FACULTY AND STUDENTS
UMD IS RANKED #9 AMONG ALL U.S. UNIVERSITIES IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH.
BSOS RESEARCH AND LEARNING PRIORITIES • BSOS is dedicated to preparing students for careers in academia, government, international relations, public policy, business, and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. We remain committed to training students in a variety of methods needed for high-quality scholarship in the social sciences, including a commitment to training students in modern data-intensive methods. Our students have the opportunity to earn elective credits and bolster their resumes to prepare to enter the world of work that is informed by today’s “big data revolution.” • Our leadership promotes the investigation of major questions that cut across the social sciences and have significant impact on human societies. Our areas of focus include those related to race and ethnicity, decision-making, social perception, international relations, environmental science, and health. • Members of our college will continue to spearhead the application of methodological innovations to the study of behavior, including: computational methods; neuroimaging methods; virtual and augmented reality; digital data collection in the field; polling processes and tools; biological methods relevant to the regulation of behavior; and the use of satellites and other remote sensing methods and tools to observe patterns of land use across the earth.
FACULTY ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS The exceptional faculty members of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences are committed to teaching and to making significant contributions to their fields. Listed here are just a few faculty activities, awards and honors. bsos.umd.edu
• The Consortium of Social Science Associations presented its 2019 Distinguished Service Award to Katharine Abraham ECON, JPSM. • George Hurtt GEOG was named as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. • Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan ECON joined the board of the Journal of International Economics as co-editor. She will serve a three-year term. • The title of Distinguished University Professor— the highest appointment bestowed by the university on a tenured faculty member—was conferred upon Frances Lee formerly GVPT, Mark Leone ANTH, and Sally Simpson CCJS. • Sangeetha Madhavan AFAM, SOCY coauthored “Gendered Emotional Support and Women’s Well-Being in a Low-Income Urban African Setting” in Gender and Society. • The American Political Science Association bestowed its Woodrow Wilson book award upon Kris Miler GVPT for “Poor Representation: Congress and the Politics of Poverty in the United States.” • Eusebia Mont HESP and Peter Potapov GEOG were selected to receive the Provost’s Excellence Award for Professional Track Faculty. • Rashawn Ray SOCY was selected as part of the 2019 cohort of the Brookings Institution Rubenstein Fellows. • The Kirwan Undergraduate Education Award was conferred upon Scott Roberts PSYC.
BE INFORMED Lectures and Libations
Join us for Be Informed: Lectures and Libations, our community lecture series. Through these events, our faculty members aim to increase the understanding of and the pursuit of innovative solutions to complex challenges facing the global community. A range of interesting topics is addressed in a relaxed atmosphere, accompanied by drinks and food.
go.umd.edu/beinformed
In October, Associate Professor Kris Miler (GVPT) spoke about her recent book, “Poor Representation: Congress and the Politics of Poverty in the United States,” at Denizens Brewing Co. in Riverdale Park, Md.
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ENGAGED ALUMNI & DONORS TRANSFORMATIVE GIFTS GIVING OPPORTUNITY:
Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement
More than 1,800 donors made gifts to BSOS in the past fiscal year. Included here are just a few of the transformative gifts that have strengthened BSOS and opened doors for our faculty, students and alumni. go.umd.edu/givetobsos • $500,000 from Martin Friedman, ’92, and Dina Friedman will provide current use and endowed funds supporting Social Interaction Group Network for All (SIGNA), an advocacy, support and training group for UMD students on the neurodiverse spectrum. • $500,000 from Joel J. Feller, GVPT ’90, and Kim A. Feller,’89, will provide support for the renovation of the BSOS Advising & Career Center.
CDCE Director Stella Rouse With the support of donors and collaborators, and under the direction of Stella Rouse GVPT, the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) launched in 2019.
• $50,000 from K.M. Vijayalakshmi, MA ECON ’71, established the Kusumadhara and Vijayalakshmi Gowda Maryland Promise Scholarship supporting need-based scholarships for undergraduate students in BSOS. • $25,000 from Dr. Jack J. Blanchard and Dr. Melanie E. Bennett established the Dr. Jack J. Blanchard and Dr. Melanie E. Bennett Student Experience Endowment, which facilitates undergraduate student support for experiential learning opportunities in the Department of Psychology.
The CDCE educates, informs and engages citizens and scholars in order to improve democratic governance, with a particular focus on understanding the Millennial Generation. The CDCE bridges the gap between academic research and practical solutions to problems related to the role of government and its citizens as equal partners in the practice of a vibrant and healthy democracy. To learn more, contact Kenny Beaver at beaver@umd.edu.
BSOS AWARDED THE LARGEST NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES OF ANY COLLEGE ON CAMPUS IN 2018
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STUDENT ACTIVITIES, AWARDS & HONORS ERIKA EXTON: NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSFsupported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based Master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. Erika Exton, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, was awarded a five-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Exton’s broad research interests relate to how linguistic experience affects language processing and perception. Her main project studies people’s detection of “code-switches” when listening to a speaker of two unfamiliar languages, and the factors that may influence how these switches are detected. Exton’s research background involved using electrophysiological measures to study aspects of adult language processing in a second language. She is a member of the Language Development and Perception Lab, and works closely with her advisor, Professor Rochelle Newman.
STUDENT AWARDS Boren Scholars: Aisac Accad GVPT Ryan Garfinkel GVPT Margaret Hayden START Andrew Lyman GVPT Emily Marks GVPT Madison Meyer IR Joanna Wolfgram GVPT
Fulbright Awards: Shelby Hickman CCJS is studying human trafficking in Brazil. Peggy McWeeney GVPT is studying interactions between rebel groups and the government in the Philippines. Jenna Nelson HESP was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Scholarship to teach in Spain.
Undergraduate Researchers of the Year: Shereen Ashai PSYC
Winston Family Honors Writing Awards: Rianna Jha GVPT Mario Franco Angeles Sto. Domingo GVPT
77% OF BSOS UNDERGRADUATES PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE INTERNSHIP WHILE AT UMD
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Office of External Relations 0145 Tydings Hall 7343 Preinkert Dr. College Park, MD 20740
FLOAT: A PREVIEW TO PERSONAL FINANCE A new student-initiated program in the Department of Economics is helping both middle school students and college students gain skills in personal finance and economic planning. The Financial Literacy Outreach and Training (FLOAT) program is a student-run organization in which undergraduates undergo on-campus training in personal finance skills and pedagogy in the fall. In the spring, the students serve in local middle schools to deliver engaging lesson plans to young scholars in an eight-week program. Through class activities and customized curriculum, youth are exposed to the principles of borrowing, saving, spending, and investing in future success.
float.umd.edu 8