COLLEGE OF
BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES THE SOLUTION
Table of Contents
A Message from the Dean
A Message from the Dean . . . . 1
BSOS in the Spotlight
College Headlines. . . . . . . . . . . 2–4 AASD News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 ANTH News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 6 CCJS News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ECON News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9 GEOG News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11 GVPT News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 HESP News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 JPSM News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PSYC News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 15 SOCY News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 16, 17 Peace Chairs News. . . . . . . . . . 18, 19 Updates from Centers, Clinics and More. . . . . . . . . . . . 20–22 JOINT PROGRAM IN DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OFIN DEPARTMENT OF JOINT PROGRAM JOINT PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF IN DEPARTMENT OF
What a transformative year it has been! Our College continues to expand both physically through renovations in many of our buildings, such as Tydings and LeFrak Halls, and in terms of the scope of our research. If you’ve read The New York Times, visited the huffingtonpost.com or watched Good Morning America in the past few months, you have no doubt seen BSOS research in the headlines, from Professor Matthew Hansen’s local-toglobal forest-mapping tool to Associate Professor Melissa S. Kearney’s findings on teen pregnancy. And it’s not just our faculty members making headlines—our alumnus and board member Dr. Clifford Bassett was recently seen on CBS This Morning offering expertise on allergies.
Survey Methodology Survey Methodology Hearing & Speech Sciences Government & Politics Sociology Anthropology Government & Politics Economics Geographical Sciences Geographical Sciences riminology Criminal Justice It is no surprise that BSOS is in the Sociology Government Psychology Sociology Be in Touch! . . .Criminal . . . . & . . . .Politics . . . . Justice 24Justice spotlight—our students, faculty, staff and iminology minology &&& Criminal DEPARTMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF OF DEPARTMENT OF DonorsDEPARTMENT Make a Difference . . . . 23 DEPARTMENT OFOF
alumni work to “Be the Solution” to the world’s great challenges, from conflict resolution to economic and environmental sustainability to fighting diseases. Highlighted in this publication are some of the many recent accomplishments that illustrate our work. I invite you not only to turn these pages, but to visit our website at www.bsos.umd.edu to find out even more about what’s happening in our dynamic College. Connect with us on Twitter @bsosumd and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bsosumd.
Dean John Townshend
For the past five years, I have proudly served this College as dean. At the end of this semester, I will shift my focus back to research and teaching as a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences. A national search is underway for the next dean, and many of our students, faculty members, administrators and alumni are part of that important selection process. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many extraordinary members of this community to expand BSOS’s scope and impact, and look forward to being a part of the future of this remarkable institution. Be the Solution! John Townshend Dean and Professor
College of Behavioral and Social Sciences: Be the Solution | 1
BE SOCIAL BE JUST BE SOCIAL BE CULTURAL JUST BE UNDERSTOOD BE JUST BE SOCIAL BE COUNTED
College Headlines
UMD Launches Innovative Law and Society Program BSOS is proud to be a founding partner of MLAW, a state-of-the-art collaboration between the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Driven by MPower, MLAW affords students a unique opportunity to engage with a wide range of diverse and intellectually stimulating legal communities. UMD and School of Law faculty members will teach in MLAW Programs, providing a rare and memorable learning experience for undergraduate students.
MLAW Director Dr. Robert Koulish
MLAW features a Minor in Law and Society as well as the College Park Scholars Justice and Legal Thought
Living-Learning Program, which will introduce students to the relationship between law and justice in the modern world through a combination of classroom, experiential and co-curricular teaching and learning experiences, along with campus- and region-wide events. Learn more at www.mlaw.umd.edu. “By bringing together resources and leaders from across the University—and by partnering with the School of Law— we have created a truly unparalleled opportunity for students of all majors and areas of interest to add a law and society focus to their undergraduate studies,” said Dr. Robert Koulish, MLAW’s director.
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New Center Links Business and Criminology BSOS’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice partnered with the Robert H. School of Business to launch the Center for the Study of Business Ethics, Regulation and Crime (C-BERC), the first venture of its kind to formally link business with criminology in an academic environment. Through C-BERC, UMD seeks to scientifically confront, assess, evaluate and develop best practices at the inter sections of business, ethics, regulation and crime. To learn more, please visit www.rhsmith.umd.edu/cberc. C-BERC Director Dr. Sally Simpson
“Recent headlines from major news sources highlight the critical need for C-BERC, from stories about insider trading to drug-marketing settlements to corporate compliance. Although there is a great deal of conjecture about why otherwise successful companies violate the law, as well as strong points of view about specific policies and strategies designed to prevent and control crime
and victimization, there is far too little scientific investigation into these issues to answer these key questions,” said C-BERC Director Dr. Sally Simpson. “The goal of C-BERC is to build a diverse scientific community of scholars and students, whose research and training will address these and other critical challenges confronting business.” Dr. Simpson also noted that the establishment of C-BERC directly benefits UMD students and faculty—as well as national and international practitioners— in a variety of ways. “We are developing collaborative research projects that will generate new ideas, scientific approaches and research findings that will translate into best practices and evidence-based policy,” Dr. Simpson said. “We also are creating educational projects for undergraduate and graduate students that fuse training in business law, ethics and forensic investigation into a highly valuable, analytic and practical skill set.”
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Dean’s Student Advisory Council Serves BSOS Community The BSOS Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC) is a student-run organization that advises the dean on various topics affecting students and their educational and social experiences at UMD. Founded in 2002, DSAC is an opportunity for undergraduate students to become more involved in their College, represent their departments and classmates, and develop valuable leadership skills. “I truly appreciate how empowering DSAC is. I expected BSOS to encourage its student groups to develop and share ideas, but the willingness to support and fund our projects at all levels was surprising—and fantastic,” said DSAC Chair Mackenzie Burnett, a junior Government and Politics major. “DSAC provides students with insight into how the College functions, from administration to course development. It helps students understand the College’s priorities, and in turn helps the students convey their own opinions effectively.”
DSAC organizes and hosts many popular events each year, including the highly successful Student-Faculty Dinner. And this year, the Council is focusing on increasing students’ access to internship experiences and undergraduate research opportunities, gathering additional feedback on courses, improving the advising system and acting as a resource for students to voice their concerns.Visit ter.ps/bsosblog.
Senior and Hearing and Speech Sciences major Amanda Eisner, DSAC’s vice chair of programming, takes the lead on planning and executing events, and says the experience has strengthened her leadership skills. “I’ve learned the importance of leading by example, collaborating, compromising and working within a budget,” Eisner said. “Beyond that, I have influenced real change at BSOS.”
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10 BSOS Programs Ranked in the Nation’s Top 40 by U.S. News BSOS is the proud home of 10 programs and areas of specialty ranked among the top 40 in the nation in the 2015 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools. Once again, the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice’s graduate program is ranked #1. The Department of Sociology’s sex and gender specialty is ranked #6, and its sociology of population specialty is ranked #10. The Department of Sociology’s graduate program is ranked #24. The speech language pathology
specialty in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences is ranked #17, and its audiology specialty is ranked #21.The graduate program of the Department of Economics is ranked #22.The graduate program of the Department of Government and Politics is ranked #28. The clinical psychology program in the Department of Psychology is ranked #37, and the department’s graduate program is ranked #40.
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College Headlines MARYLAND CENTER FOR
ECONOMICS AND POLICY
Introducing the Maryland Center for Economics and Policy The Maryland Center for Economics and Policy (MCEP) was established by BSOS and the Department of Economics to create a better understanding of our nation’s most pressing problems and the development of solutions to those problems based on sound and objective economic analysis. MCEP increases the visibility of the policy-relevant research being conducted by Maryland faculty members, provides a forum for discussion of current economic issues, strengthens connections between UMD faculty and students and the community of policy practitioners, and provides opportunities for students to engage with the major policy issues of our time. MCEP is directed by Professor Katharine G. Abraham, a distinguished economist
who has a long affiliation with the University of Maryland and recently completed a two-year stint as a Member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Professor Abraham is supported in this work by the Center’s Faculty Steering Committee, a group of faculty members that includes representatives from the Department of Economics, the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and the School of Public Policy. An External Advisory Board to be named in the near future will provide broad guidance concerning the Center’s activities, which will include public events featuring prominent thought leaders, as well as public issue briefs on timely topics provided by MCEP faculty.
MARYLAND CENTER FOR ECONOMICS AND POLICY Professor Abraham also will teach an honors seminar on Current Issues in American Economic Policy and has made linking students to policy-related internship opportunities a priority for the Center. “The Center aims to enhance students’ undergraduate experience and future career by giving them a path for becoming involved with the policy process that hasn’t previously existed at the University,” she said.
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AASD News
Strengthening Academic Excellence among African American High School Students
Dr. Odis Johnson, Jr.
A new partnership between the Alpha Foundation of Howard County, Inc. and UMD researchers focuses on promoting academic excellence and self-esteem among African American male high school students. Dr. Odis Johnson, Jr., associate professor and interim chair of the African American Studies Department, and Dr. Mia Smith Bynum, associate professor of family science and director of the Black Families Research Group in the School of Public Health, will lead an evaluation of the Alpha Achievers Program (AAP) in Howard County, Md. The objective of the partnership is to document the AAP’s best practices that foster a positive learning environment
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in the Howard County Public School System, and to improve leadership and thinking skills, confidence and commitment to school, grades and knowledge of African American and African history and culture. “Our involvement seeks to highlight the apparent success of this program by evaluating its program processes and impacts. A rigorous evaluation like this will yield information that can be used to improve the program, scientific evidence regarding the benefits of the program for participants and the knowledge required for other communities to replicate the program wherever there is need,” Dr. Johnson said.
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AASD and ANTH News
AASD Event Examines Racial Disparities in Health The African American Studies Department hosted a timely, interdisciplinary symposium focused on addressing disparities in health care. “Advancing Health through a Racial Lens” featured remarks on health, race and social justice by Professor Dorothy Roberts of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, as well as a panel discussion by distinguished UMD faculty. The event was organized by Professor Gniesha Dinwiddie, who spoke on addressing racial disparities in health care, focusing on cardiovascular disease among African Americans. “Today, we face problems that complicate implementing solutions to the nation’s most pressing health issues that disproportionately impact African Americans. I created the symposium to critically dialogue about these issues with academics, professors, students, community members and administrators,” Professor Dinwiddie said. “This initial symposium has set the groundwork for future meetings that will address the diseases that disproportionately impact communities of color and provide solutions for reducing health disparities.” Assistant Professor of Anthropology Thurka Sangaramoorthy discussed HIV and AIDS issues among racial groups, touching on topics in her new book Treating AIDS: Politics of Difference, Paradox of Prevention (Rutgers University Press), an examination of the everyday practices of HIV/AIDS prevention in the United States from the perspective of both AIDS experts and Haitian immigrants in south Florida.
“I welcomed the opportunity to participate in this highly interdisciplinary symposium and to engage with colleagues to discuss critical issues related to race and health. We need more of these inclusive forums in which a wide variety of scholars, students and activists can openly and honestly discuss not only the pressing health issues affecting communities of color, but also the structural contexts and policy environments which drive biological and social vulnerabilities,” Professor Sangaramoorthy said.
Dr. Gniesha Dinwiddie
Associate Professor of Family Science Mia Smith Bynum spoke about her research on the relationships between African American children and their mothers, describing ways that mothers teach their children to face discrimination. Professor Dinwiddie said the event was highly successful, noting that plans are under way for next year’s symposium, which will feature scholars from health disparities centers around the country to continue the dialogue. To watch a video of the event, visit ter.ps/aasdhealth.
Dr. Thurka Sangaramoorthy
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“ This initial symposium has set the groundwork for future meetings that will address the diseases that disproportionately impact communities of color and provide solutions for reducing health disparities.” — Dr. Gniesha Dinwiddie
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ANTH News
Anthropology Celebrates 40th Anniversary, Endowed Chair anonymous donor has made a commitment to establish the department’s first endowed chair. The Dr. Ellis R. Kerley Chair in Anthropology will honor the life and legacy of the founding chair of the department; providing crucial support to ensure faculty excellence.
For decades, the Department of Anthropology has taken pride in being a small unit with a global impact. Faculty, staff, students and alumni celebrated 40 years of excellence with a special reunion event on April 4 in McKeldin Library. At the event, it was announced that an
Started in the 1960s as part of Sociology, Anthropology became a department in 1973, under the leadership of Dr. Kerley. From the very first, the department’s renowned faculty members focused on providing one-on-one teaching and learning experiences. Students have had the opportunity to work on research projects, lab experiences and archaeological field schools that have shed light on cultures and societies, strengthened environmental sustainability efforts and opened doors to new avenues of study.
In the 1980s, the faculty developed the M.A.A. program; in 2007, the Ph.D. program was established. The department continues to grow and to have a significant impact on the College, the University and beyond. “Our faculty, students and alumni have always had the goal of being part of the solution. This perspective has led us through the years and helped us address many of our community and global needs,” said Dr. Paul Shackel, chair of the department. “Our alumni have made significant contributions to making our world a better place to live, either by working in the private sector, working for NGOs, working for government agencies or earning academic positions in top-ranked universities.” www.anth.umd.edu
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Honoring Dr. Tony Whitehead
local, state, regional, national and international levels.
and development. Dr. Whitehead has also strongly supported the BSOS Summer Research Initiative, a key part of the College’s longstanding commitment to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities who pursue graduate degrees in the social, behavioral and economic sciences.
Dr. Whitehead’s work has introduced students to ethnographic field methods, with projects such as the Prison to Community Reentry Ethnographic Research project, the Urban Health and Human Ecology Project, and the CrossNational Collaborative on Youth Health and Gender Issues Project.
In 1989, Dr. Whitehead established CuSAG, an applied research and technical unit which offers expertise in cultural and community analysis using knowledge and skills grounded in anthropology, community health and ethnographic research methods. CuSAG facilitates social change through the design, implementation and evaluation of community-based initiatives. It also provides anthropologically-based knowledge and skills to people and groups involved in community-based initiatives at
“Tony has been a leading force in developing a strong program in the anthropology of health. He has also been instrumental in making contributions to the larger field of anthropology,” said Dr. Paul Shackel, chair of the Department of Anthropology.
Dr. Tony Whitehead
This spring, the Department of Anthropology celebrates Dr. Tony Whitehead’s retirement. Dr. Whitehead is a professor of medical anthropology, as well as the director and founder of the Cultural Systems Analysis Group (CuSAG). Dr. Whitehead served as department chair from 1987 to 1993, and co-coordinates graduate training in the anthropology of community, health
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In honor of Dr. Whitehead’s retirement, a public forum, followed by a celebration dinner, is being held on May 2. To learn more, contact Sarah Morrow at semorrow@umd.edu.
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CCJS News
Study: Nearly Half of Black Males, 40 Percent of White Males Arrested by Age 23 Nearly half of black males and almost 40 percent of white males in the United States are arrested by age 23—which can hurt their ability to attend school, secure employment and participate fully in their communities, according to a new study in the journal Crime & Delinquency. The study’s authors include Professor Ray Paternoster, a member of the faculty of UMD’s #1-ranked Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. This groundbreaking report outlines the first contemporary findings on how the risk of arrest varies across race and gender, analyzing national survey data from 1997 to 2008 of teenagers and young adults, ages 18–23, and their arrest histories, which run the gamut from truancy and underage drinking to more serious and violent offenses. The study excludes arrests for minor traffic violations. The study reveals a higher prevalence of arrest among black males compared to white males, and little race variation in arrest rates among black and white females. “These findings are troublesome because they show that a large proportion of young males, particularly AfricanAmerican males, will carry the stigma of an arrest. What makes this so problematic is that the repercussions will be manifested throughout their adult years as youth with arrest histories—even if the arrest does not result in a conviction— will find it difficult to find full-time and adequately paying employment, and without adequate employment they do not make attractive marriage partners,” Professor Paternoster said. “Our findings would suggest that for African-American males, the cumulative probability of an arrest by age 23 is higher than the
cumulative probability completing college. This does not bode well for their futures.” Other key findings include: ■■ By age 18, 30 percent of black males, 26 percent of Hispanic males and 22 percent of white males have been arrested. ■■ By age 23, 49 percent of black males, 44 percent of Hispanic males and 38 percent of white males have been arrested. ■■ While the prevalence of arrest increased for females from age 18 to 23, the variation between races was slight. At age 18, arrest rates were 12 percent for white females and 11.8 percent and 11.9 percent for Hispanic and black females, respectively. By age 23, arrest rates were 20 percent for white females and 18 percent and 16 percent for Hispanic and black females, respectively. Professor Paternoster said that while the study’s findings are eye-opening, they prompt further inquiry and investigation. “This is the first study in a very long time to be able to get these estimates of the cumulative risk of arrest, and it would be expecting too much for this one study to answer many questions. For instance, we observed that African-American males had a greater risk of arrest than white males, a difference we did not see among females, and it is not clear why this would be so. Further, how much of the difference between African-American and white males is due to differences in behavior and how much is due to other factors like differences in police behavior or the behavior of victims is an important
question for future research,” Professor Paternoster said. In addition to Professor Paternoster, the study’s researchers include lead author Robert Brame of the University of South Carolina, Shawn Bushway of the University of Albany and Michael Turner of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This study, a representative sample of the larger population, builds on a previous one by the team that was released in January 2012 in the journal Pediatrics. That study garnered national attention for providing the first look since the 1960s at arrest prevalence and for its key finding that one in three people are arrested by age 23. The research team next will seek to develop an understanding of the economic, social and law enforcement factors that can influence arrests and what role gender and race play.
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ECON News
ECON Department Boasts Exceptional Female Faculty are succeeding and thriving in this field,” said Distinguished University Professor Maureen Cropper, the department’s first female chair and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
For decades, the University of Maryland’s highly ranked Department of Economics has enjoyed an international reputation of excellence. Critical research by its faculty members has been influential in shaping economic policy both in the United States and abroad. Today, the department stands as a focal point for the exceptional contributions of women in economics. Thirty percent of the department’s tenure-track faculty members are female, a much higher percentage than that of the top 100 economics departments in the nation. “Our high percentage of tenure-track female faculty members serves as an example to women inside and outside of the University of Maryland that women
Professor Cropper also lauded the department’s female faculty members for their impressive accomplishments. Among them are Katharine Abraham, who served as a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA); Judy Hellerstein, who served as CEA’s Chief Economist; and Melissa S. Kearney, who currently heads the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. Six of the department’s female faculty members are Research Associates of the National Bureau of Economic Research, including Ginger Zhe Jin and Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan. A commitment to mentoring has contributed to the success of many faculty members in the department, both men and women, said Professor Hellerstein, a faculty associate of the Maryland Population Research Center and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Professors Kearney and Hellerstein
“Our high percentage of tenure-track female faculty members serves as an example to women inside and outside of the University of Maryland that women are succeeding and thriving in this field.” —Distinguished University Professor Maureen Cropper
recently served as mentors for the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession’s CeMENT Workshop. At the workshop, they were in good company; Assistant Professor Lesley J. Turner served as a mentee, and incoming CeMENT director Kosali Simon—a professor at Indiana University—is an alumna, having received her Ph.D. from Maryland in 1999. Professor Simon said that her time at UMD significantly influenced her scholarship and her career path—as well as her personal life. “Having Judy Hellerstein as a professor at Maryland was an important factor in my deciding to pursue an academic career. I received great advising from all my mentors there, men and women, but certainly I felt there was a strong presence of female faculty at Maryland that I now realize does not exist in every economics department,” Professor Simon said. “It was also important to see how professors deal with dual careers and with combining childrearing and work. I was lucky that I had an office very close to the faculty offices and could experience a lot of interaction. That ‘applied micro hallway’ was something very special that left a lasting impression on me.” “I was fortunate to have been mentored by wonderful senior colleagues, both men and women, early in my career,” said Professor Hellerstein. “Now, I view it as both a privilege and a responsibility to work closely with our female students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and I find it incredibly rewarding to watch them achieve their academic, career and personal goals.” Learn more about the department at www.econ.umd.edu.
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BSOS Research: MTV Shows Contributed to Decline in Teen Birth Rate Despite concerns that turning teen moms into reality TV stars has glamorized teen pregnancy, a new study shows that MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom have had a more powerful impact in the opposite direction. The research, coauthored by UMD economist Melissa Schettini Kearney and Wellesley College economist Phillip B. Levine, finds that the programs led to a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births, which accounts for around one-third of the overall decline in teen births in the year and a half following the show’s introduction in 2009. The study was
published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. To determine the show’s impact on teens, Kearney and Levine conducted an indepth empirical study, analyzing several measures of exposure, including Nielsen ratings data and metrics from Google and Twitter. The researchers then examined the impact on teen birth rates using Vital Statistics Natality microdata. Kearney and Levine found that the programs have a large and highly engaged following, win ratings wars and lead teens to search for and tweet about the themes within. They also find that searches and
tweets about birth control and abortion spike exactly when the show is on and in locations where it is more popular. Their most important finding, though, is that “the introduction of 16 and Pregnant along with its partner shows, Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2, led teens to noticeably reduce the rate at which they give birth,” Professor Kearney said. To read more, visit ter.ps/16pregnant.
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GEOG News
UMD Leads 1st Local-to-Global Mapping of Forest
A UMD-led, multi-organizational team has created the first high-resolution global map of forest extent, loss and gain. This free resource greatly improves the ability to understand human and naturally-induced forest changes and the local to global implications of these changes on environmental, economic and other natural and societal systems. In a new study, the team of 15 university, Google and government researchers reports a global loss of 2.3 million square kilometers of forest between 2000 and 2012 and a gain of 800,000 square kilometers of new forest. “Losses or gains in forest cover shape many important aspects of an ecosystem, including climate regulation, carbon storage, biodiversity and water supplies, but until now there has not been a way to get detailed, accurate, satellite-based and readily available data on forest cover change from local to global scales,” said Professor of Geographical Sciences Matthew Hansen, the team leader. To build this tool, Hansen, Research Associate Professor Peter Potapov and five other UMD geographical science researchers drew on the decades-long UMD experience in the use of satellite data to measure changes in forest and other types of land
cover. Landsat 7 data from 1999 through 2012 were obtained from a freely available archive at the United States Geological Survey’s center for Earth Resources Observation and Science. More than 650,000 Landsat images were processed to derive the final characterization of forest extent and change. The analysis was made possible through collaboration with colleagues from Google Earth Engine, who implemented the models developed at UMD for characterizing the Landsat data sets. Google Earth Engine is a massively parallel technology for high-performance processing of geospatial data and houses a copy of the entire Landsat image catalog. What would have taken a single computer 15 years to perform was completed in a matter of days using Google Earth Engine computing. Hansen and his coauthors say their mapping tool greatly improves upon existing knowledge of global forest cover by providing fine resolution (30 meter) maps that accurately and consistently quantify annual loss or gain of forest over more than a decade. This mapping database, which will be updated annually, quantifies all forest stand-replacement disturbances, whether due to logging, fire, disease or storms. And they say it is based
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on repeatable definitions and measurements while previous efforts at national and global assessments of forest cover have been largely dependent on countries’ self-reported estimates based on widely varying definitions and measures of forest loss and gain. Dynamics from local to regional to global scale are quantified. For example, subtropical forests were found to have the highest rates of change, largely due to intensive forestry land uses. The disturbance rate of North American subtropical forests, located in the Southeast United States, was found to be four times that of South American rainforests during the study period; more than 31 percent of U.S. southeastern forest cover was either lost or regrown. At national scales, Paraguay, Malaysia and Cambodia were found to have the highest rates of forest loss. Paraguay was found to have the highest ratio of forest loss to gain, indicating an intensive deforestation dynamic. The study also confirms that well-documented efforts by Brazil— which has long been responsible for a majority of the world’s tropical deforestation—to reduce its rainforest clearing have had a significant effect. To read more and to view the online mapping tool, visit ter.ps/forestmap.
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GEOG and SOCY News
Researchers Address Economic Dangers of ‘Peak Oil’ Researchers from the University of Maryland and a leading university in Spain demonstrate in a new study which sectors could put the entire U.S. economy at risk when global oil production peaks (“Peak Oil”). This multi-disciplinary team recommends immediate action by government, private and commercial sectors to reduce the vulnerability of these sectors. While critics of Peak Oil studies declare that the world has more than enough oil to maintain current national and global standards, these UMD-led researchers say Peak Oil is imminent, if not already here—and is a real threat to national and global economies. Their study is among the first to outline a way of assessing the vulnerabilities of specific economic sectors to this threat, and to identify focal points for action that could strengthen the U.S. economy and make it less vulnerable to disasters. Their work, “Economic Vulnerability to Peak Oil,” appears in Global Environmental Change. The paper is co-authored by Christina Prell, UMD’s Department of Sociology; Kuishuang Feng and Klaus Hubacek, UMD’s Department of Geographical Sciences; and Christian Kerschner, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. A focus on Peak Oil is increasingly gaining attention in both scientific and policy discourses, especially due to its apparent imminence and potential dangers. However, until now, little has been known about how this phenomenon will impact economies. In their paper, the research team constructs a vulnerability map of the U.S. economy, combining
two approaches for analyzing economic systems. Their approach reveals the relative importance of individual economic sectors, and how vulnerable these are to oil price shocks. This dual-analysis helps identify which sectors could put the entire U.S. economy at risk from Peak Oil. For the United States, such sectors would include iron mills, chemical and plastic products manufacturing, fertilizer production and air transport. To learn more, visit ter.ps/peakoil. “Our findings provide early warnings to these and related industries about potential trouble in their supply chain,” Professor Hubacek said. “Our aim is to inform and engage government, public and private industry leaders, and to provide a tool for effective Peak Oil policy action planning.”
While critics of Peak Oil studies declare that the world has more than enough oil to maintain current national and global standards, these UMD-led researchers say Peak Oil is imminent, if not already here—and is a real threat to national and global economies.
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GVPT News
Grad Student Conducts Syrian War-Zone Survey Data Offers Views on Peace and Possible Western Intervention but we hope that our efforts will provide insights into civilian and combatant views and preferences in real-time as conflict is still unfolding,” Mironova said. Among the survey’s key findings:
PHOTO BY LOUBNA MRIE
■■ 56% of respondents would welcome U.S.-led intervention; 59% would welcome NATO-led intervention ■■ 88% of FSA members would rather keep fighting than negotiate with current government leaders
Vera Mironova, a Ph.D. candidate studying political science at UMD, and Sam Whitt, a professor at High Point University, gathered valuable survey responses in Syria on topics ranging from desire for democracy, attitudes toward Western intervention in the conflict, support for the rebel groups and rebel causes, willingness to negotiate for peace and prospects for Syrian unity after the war. The researchers hired an Arabic
native speaker in Syria to administer the survey in person to both Syrian civilians and Free Syrian Army (FSA) soldiers in the rebel-controlled territories, including frontlines of Aleppo and Idlib. “We hope that this original survey offers scholars, journalists and policymakers a glimpse of the views and opinions of Syrian civilians and rebel soldiers on these critical topics. We faced many challenges in the process of collecting these data,
■■ 54% of civilians would support an immediate ceasefire to facilitate negotiations ■■ 76% of civilians and 80% of rebel soldiers believe Syria must remain a unified state ■■ 54% of all respondents agree that all Syrians are capable of living together in a common state For more survey results, analysis and photos, visit ter.ps/syriasurvey.
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Washington Insider: Journalist Jonathan Allen, BA ‘98 As a White House reporter for Bloomberg and the former White House bureau chief for Politico, Jonathan Allen, B.A. (GVPT) ’98, knows Washington inside and out. Allen recently published HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton (Random House) with coauthor Amie Parnes, which quickly became a New York Times bestseller. “My coauthor and I thought Hillary’s political comeback from the ashes of the 2008 campaign to front-runner status for
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the 2016 Democratic nomination was fascinating. We wanted to tell the story of that resurgence and also give folks a window into how Hillary makes decisions and who she surrounds herself with in the event that she does run for the nation’s highest office again,” Allen said. Allen’s interest in Washington—and how to take its pulse—emerged during his time at UMD in the Department of Government and Politics. Continued on page 24
HESP News
LEAP Celebrates 20 Years of Service to Children and Families The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences (HESP) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its renowned Language Early Advantage Program (LEAP). Launched in 1993 by department chair Nan Ratner, LEAP is a preschool program with a focus on language-based classroom interaction. LEAP students benefit from a rich curriculum emphasizing communication development and individualized speech and language therapy. LEAP provides critical services for local children and their families. Frustrated with the lack of programs designed for children with language delays and disorders in the early 1990s, Professor Ratner was inspired by a Kansas preschool that was succeeding in this area. The late Irv Goldstein, the BSOS dean at the time, authorized the necessary funds to construct the classroom and establish the
preschool program. LEAP has grown into an invaluable resource. LEAP also provides instrumental experience for many HESP students. Both undergraduate and graduate students are involved in the program, gaining valued clinical experience and applying
their skills under the careful direction and supervision of speech and language therapists. Through the generous support of its donors, LEAP makes a difference for countless children and families. To donate online, visit ter.ps/givetoLEAP.
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HESP and PSYC News
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Autism Studies The University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium (UMARC) is comprised of researchers throughout BSOS and UMD. Bringing together subject experts from the Departments of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Psychology, Human Development, Special Education, Linguistics and Kinesiology, UMARC is the epitome of interdisciplinary collaboration. Together, researchers at UMARC study both typically developing children and those with autism spectrum disorders to provide a greater understanding of the social, cognitive, linguistic and neural underpinnings of autism. With more than a dozen researchers contributing to the work of UMARC, the scope of the studies and methods being used are expansive. Exploring the early
predictors of autism is among the central research foci and is key to understanding how scientists and care providers can better identify autism spectrum disorders and intervene at an increasingly early stage. Researchers are using state-of-theart brain imaging technology to examine the brains of children, adolescents and young adults—looking at how people with autism process language, emotions and interpersonal contact differently than others. Some studies are even utilizing
eye-tracking software to investigate how non-verbal cues help individuals with autism understand language. In an effort to involve the local community in their work, and ensure that the outcomes of studies find their way to parents and families of autistic children, UMARC hosts as series of monthly lectures that are open to the public. To learn more, visit www.autism.umd.edu, and be sure to visit the UMARC table at Maryland Day.
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JPSM News
JPSM Junior Fellows Program Named in Top 10 The Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) is the nation’s oldest and largest program offering graduate training in the principles and practices of survey research.
Accurate survey responses gathered from a large and diverse sample of the population are critical to informing important social policies and designing innovative social services. The Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) is the nation’s oldest and largest program offering graduate training in the principles and practices of survey research. Founded in 1993, it is sponsored by the Federal Interagency Consortium on Statistical Policy and located at the University of Maryland. To date, it has more than 240 graduates working in government agencies, academic settings and private survey research firms. Its award-winning faculty is drawn from the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan, Westat and other organizations. JPSM is committed to providing unique opportunities for its students. Pro Fellow, a website dedicated to helping students find fellowships to fund graduate school, go abroad, conduct research or land their dream job, recently named JPSM’s Junior Fellows Program as one of the top 10 summer fellowships of 2014. The JPSM Junior Fellows Program is a unique internship experience that gives students a paid research assistantship, plus educational benefits that can expand career horizons. To learn more, visit www.jpsm.umd.edu.
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Professor Conrad Wins Warren Mitofsky Innovator Award “Conrad and Schober have advanced the application of new communication technologies to survey-data collection.”
Joint Program in Survey Methodology Director Frederick Conrad recently received the Warren Mitofsky Innovator Award along with collaborator Michael Schober for their work on conversational interviewing, the clarification of question meaning, the interpretation of standardized language and the application of human dialogue features to web surveys. The award recognizes accomplishments in the field of public opinion and survey research that occurred in the past 10 years, or that had their primary impact on the field during the past decade. “Conrad and Schober have advanced the application of new communication technologies to survey-data collection,” said the award administrator, the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
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PSYC News
CAPER Program Helps Students Adjust to College Life To help new Terps make the academic and social adjustment to college life, UMD offers numerous courses and resources to help students cope with stress and other challenges. Scientists in the Center for Addictions, Personality and Emotion Research (CAPER) have introduced a pilot intervention program to assess whether or not the structure of students’ first course, UNIV 100, could help them better adjust. Director Dr. Carl Lejuez and his colleagues designed the intervention around a proprietary treatment method called Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD), which they also developed. The approach, which has been used successfully around the world to address behavioral and substance abuse problems, is unique in its promotion of self-examination and reflection—giving
students a greater sense of their personal values and the steps they need to take daily to live according to those values. “The UNIV intervention never specifically mentioned ‘alcohol’ or ‘risky behavior’,” Dr. Lejuez explained, noting the challenges faced in counseling when confronting problem behavior directly with someone who might not be ready to make any changes. “We engaged students in a dialogue that promotes values, accountability and support. We encouraged students to be as healthy and confident as they can be while taking active steps to pursue their academic and social goals.” Of the 71 freshmen participating in the study, 37 received the BATD treatment while their remaining classmates experienced a traditional curriculum; this treatment included goal-setting as well as
recommended steps that were aimed to “replace” coping behaviors such as problem drinking. The intervention was not meant to be a replacement for traditional therapy methods for those with more serious mental health issues, but simply a straightforward way to empower students. Focusing on the freshmen’s drinking habits and reported depression, the intervention sought to be the solution to new students’ most challenging emotional issues and their subsequent risks. After the 15-week study, researchers saw a significant drop in “problem drinking” among the BATD group, compared with no change in the drinking habits of students in the control group. To learn more about CAPER, visit www.addiction.umd.edu.
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Finding New Treatments for ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects millions of children worldwide and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, as well as difficulty controlling behavior. Directed by Associate Professor Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, the Maryland Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Program is a clinical research program that provides comprehensive, empirically-based assessment and treatment of ADHD and associated behavior problems, trains psychologists in assessment and treatment practices, and educates the public about assessment and treatment methods. To learn more, visit ter.ps/umdadhd.
Professor Chronis-Tuscano is committed to engaging her students in this critical work, both in the classroom and in the laboratory. She is the recipient of the 2013 BSOS Teacher-Mentor Award. “There is great diversity in outcomes among individuals with ADHD. Some individuals with ADHD learn to manage their symptoms quite well, whereas others experience serious outcomes which might include substance abuse, criminal behavior and/or suicide. Our research strives to understand early risk and protective factors which predict long-term outcomes in individuals with ADHD and to develop interventions which target these factors,” Professor Chronis-Tuscano said.
Associate Professor Andrea Chronis-Tuscano
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SOCY News
Group Processes Lab Creates Unique Research Opportunities for BSOS Students projects, and then serve as mentors for incoming students the next semester. At that point, the original students are also conducting independent research. Undergraduate students often return to the lab as volunteers even after their for-credit service is over. It is exciting to see their engagement and enthusiasm as they become invested in the projects,” Professor Lucas said. Kamilah Wakil, a junior sociology major in her first semester in the lab, said, “What I like most about my experience in the lab is the ability to become intellectually involved in projects. The other undergraduate students and I aren’t just collecting or coding data; we are designing studies and making decisions about how we will get the data.” The Department of Sociology’s Group Processes Laboratory conducts social science experiments conceptualized, designed and carried out by undergraduate and graduate students working closely with faculty members. These students and faculty also study and publish the resulting data to share the findings with the academic community and the public. Research participants are primarily undergraduate student volunteers, who are paid for their time. The lab is directed by Professor Jeff Lucas, who also teaches courses on social psychology, research methods, group processes and leadership.
The lab has expanded in both scope and stature in recent years, moving from Tawes Hall to a new lab in the ArtSociology Building, which opened in 2007. Because of the success and significance of its experiments and resulting findings, research in the Group Processes Laboratory has been funded by grants from agencies including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Professor Lucas said the lab’s work is so successful in part because of the loyalty and continued involvement of its student researchers. “We have a model in which new students come in the first semester, participate in running studies and developing
Students involved in the lab are divided into research teams around particular projects. These teams are usually three students, often two undergraduates and one graduate student. The project teams meet with faculty as their projects move forward, and they bring their progress to larger lab meetings to report results and get feedback from other lab members. Current research in the lab includes projects examining how economic recessions might lead to different behaviors among women and men, how the extent to which people feel competent or incompetent in a situation affects how strictly they follow rules and guidelines, and whether the perceived complexity of text affects how important people think the text is. For more information, visit www.socy.umd.edu.
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Improving Services for Military Personnel, Veterans Directed by Associate Professor of Sociology Meredith Kleykamp, the Center for Research on Military Organization (CRMO) conducts research on the sociology of military institutions and military organization, as well as on military members, veterans and their families. The CRMO also works to train the next generation of military sociologists and to serve as a nucleus for communication among social scientists conducting research on the military through publication of research findings and sponsorship of scientific conferences. The CRMO also is a valuable resource for policy makers so that decisions can be informed by the most recent social science research. Dr. Kleykamp engages students into these timely and important projects, and is currently leading an independent study research experience with six undergraduates and two graduate students on a project to analyze newspaper accounts
of veterans during the Vietnam conflict. This work complements a similar study Dr. Kleykamp and one of those grad students completed on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. “My student collaborators are instrumental in helping us to build the database of articles to analyze and read, and in beginning to code them for key themes. The majority of these students are coming from my undergraduate course on military sociology and now have the opportunity to build on that foundation,” Dr. Kleykamp said. The students and Dr. Kleykamp hope their findings will ultimately lead to improvements in the way military personnel are supported during their service and when they become veterans. For more information, visit www.meredithkleykamp.com.
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Grad Student Examines Tattoo Culture David Paul Strohecker, a fourth year doctoral student within the Department of Sociology, is conducting research on tattoo culture showing that acceptance of employees with body art is growing and, perhaps, may one day attract no more notice than wearing jeans on Fridays. Strohecker’s academic area is “deviance” and he has specialized in tattooing and its growing approval in the culture at large. Strohecker has been keeping apprised of companies such as Urban Outfitters that don’t care if workers have tattoos, and watches for mainstream businesses including Starbucks that may want them covered up but can be lax
in enforcement from store to store. He says local businesses such as coffee shops and bars often try to build cachet by hiring workers who are adventurous in appearance. “Employers are starting to realize having interesting people work for them is in their interest,” Strohecker says. “They are trying to tap into the youth who are really into that.” Read more about Strohecker and other interesting alumni and students on the Alumni Association website at www.alumni.umd.edu.
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Photo and story courtesy of the UMD Alumni Association
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Peace Chairs News
Updates from the George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace
Professor Suheil Bushrui
Professor Suheil Bushrui, the George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace, was recently interviewed on the Arabic language television station Al-Mayadeen, which is broadcast throughout the Arab world and also is seen in
the United States and Europe. Professor Bushrui spoke about the great humanistic traditions of Arab culture and the need to activate a vigorous intercultural dialogue between the East and the West. Speaking about the profound social, cultural and political changes that have swept across Arab countries in the last three years, he addressed key reform issues, including women’s rights. Professor Bushrui was asked about his latest publications, including an anthology he recently edited with Professor James Malarkey, The Literary Heritage of the Arabs (London, Dar al-Saqi), which highlights past and present trends in Arabic culture and literature through essays by Christian, Jewish and Muslim authors. Professor Bushrui also was invited to participate in a live radio broadcast hosted by the internationally recognized Arabic
News from the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development The goals of the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and its incumbent, Dr. Shibley Telhami, are to further the dialogue for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world; to bridge the gap that often occurs between the academic and policy worlds, bringing the policy community of nearby Washington, D.C., in closer touch with the latest research findings; and to maintain an active and rigorous research agenda.
Dr. Shibley Telhami
Recently, Dr. Telhami released a new poll on American public opinion toward the Arab-Israeli conflict on which Dr. Telhami published a much-discussed article in Foreign Policy. Read the article at ter.ps/sadatarticle.
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station Asharq Alawsat. The one-hour interview discussed new developments in Arabic literature and poetry, as well as emerging dialogues connecting Eastern and Western thought and writings. Professor Bushrui also focused on the importance of global peace and called for an immediate end to persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East. PBS television recently aired a special segment on the life and legacy of the Lebanese-American poet and artist Kahlil Gibran, which featured commentary by Professor Bushrui.View the interview at www.pbs.org/religion. The Gibran Chair is widely recognized as the leading authority in the field of Gibran studies. Scholars from a variety of countries seek guidance from the Chair when publishing scholarly works on, or translations of, Gibran’s writings. Learn more at www.cidcm.umd.edu/gibran.
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In March, the Sadat Chair cosponsored an international conference at Harvard University, The Transformation of Intractable Conflicts: Perspectives and Challenges for Interactive Problem Solving. Dr. Telhami spoke on the panel “Transferring Insights from Unofficial Dialogue to Official Diplomacy and Public Debate.” And in cooperation with UMD’s Department of Art, the Sadat Chair launched its 2014 Art for Peace competition on the theme of Overcoming Mistrust. The competition is sponsored by Suzanne F. Cohen in memory of her late husband, Nathan L. Cohen, and selects the best artwork depicting peace and reconciliation. For more information, visit www.sadat.umd.edu.
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Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Events Examine Critical Topics This spring, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace continues to bring together scholars and leaders from around the world to strengthen pathways to peace and diplomacy and to seek solutions to key challenges facing society. These include racial prejudice, climate change and the challenges of globalization. Professor Hoda Mahmoudi, the incumbent of the Bahá’í Chair, has designed these programs to advance interdisciplinary examination and discourse on global peace. “Through these events and other activities, it is my mission to bring our students into productive dialogue with scholars and thought leaders from around the world,” Professor Mahmoudi said. “We offer this range of interdisciplinary topics not only because we want to engage a diverse audience, but because these topics and the issues they explore are of immediate relevance to the pursuit of peace. Environmental sciences, cultural studies, the humanities, engineering—all of these roads can lead to peace.” It follows, Professor Mahmoudi says, that anyone studying or researching in these and other areas must know they can be part of the peace process. “Whether you are studying the arts and humanities, science and technology, or the behavioral and social sciences, you can be part of the discussion and part of the solution,” Professor Mahmoudi said. Recently, the Chair held “Conquering the Root Causes of Racial Prejudice,” the first event in a series on Structural Racism and the Root Causes of Prejudice. The symposium was co-sponsored by The Critical Race Initiative, led by Dr. Rashawn Ray of the Department of Sociology, and featured Dr. Lawrence D. Bobo of Harvard University, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt of Stanford University
and Dr.Vincent L. Hutchings of the University of Michigan. “Advancing scientific knowledge about the root causes of racial prejudice is a central goal or objective of any institution of higher learning,” Professor Mahmoudi said. “Likewise, conquering the root causes of racial prejudice should be a fundamental goal toward building a just and harmonious society in which everyone’s fundamental human rights and the right to dignity are protected.” Upcoming Bahá’í Chair spring events include “Climate Change and Food Security,” the first in a series of symposia on Overcoming Challenges in Globalization of the Environment, which will be held on May 2 at 11 a.m. in the McKeldin Library Special Events Room (6137). The event features renowned panelists Dr. Patricia RomeroLankao, Interdisciplinary Sociologist and Research Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado; and Dr. Debra Davidson, Associate Professor, Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Professor Hoda Mahmoudi
“ Environmental sciences, cultural studies, the humanities, engineering— all of these roads can lead to peace.” — Professor Hoda Mahmoudi
This event is cosponsored by the Program for Society and the Environment, led by Dr. Dana Fisher of the Department of Sociology. For more information and to register—and to learn about additional events and updates—visit www.bahaipeacechair.umd.edu.
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Updates from Centers, Clinics and More
Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC) The Center for American Politics and Citizenship addresses major issues of governance today and trains future leaders to grapple with the pressing issues of tomorrow. CAPC provides research, education and outreach to promote an informed and engaged public and more effective and responsive government. CAPC is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research institution within BSOS’s Department of Government and Politics. Student enrollment in the Center for American Politics and Citizenship’s Maryland Internship Program (MIP)
expanded dramatically over the past three years. In 2011, the program hosted nine students; in 2013, enrollment expanded to 44. MIP accepts applications from UMD students of all majors; accepted students are placed in Maryland state and local government offices and participate in a weekly class seminar with other interns. The program offers a wide array of placements, including state offices such as the Maryland Governor’s Office and General Assembly, as well as county and local offices, such as states’ attorneys and city councils. www.capc.umd.edu
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The Center for International Development and Conflict Management
BSOS Research Centers The College is home to a number of major research centers, which are dedicated to the interdisciplinary exploration of critical topics, from substance abuse to environmental sustainability to international diplomacy. To learn more, visit ter.ps/bsoscenters.
UMD’s Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) builds knowledge on the causes of conflict as well as its transformation and peaceful management and assists policymakers and societies in devising policies that enable countries to pursue peaceful paths to conflict resolution and national development. The scholars and practitioners at CIDCM engage in a diverse range of interdisciplinary research, training and applied projects, involving data collection and analysis, monitoring and risk assessments, publications, policy guidance, capacity-building and problem-solving workshops, and international dialogue.
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Past and present initiatives have exhibited major achievements in several areas, including conducting innovative research on international and civil conflicts with a focus on quantitative analyses of new data sets; conducting studies concerning the sources of state fragility and the causes and consequences of protracted conflicts among states, groups and individuals; developing techniques for early warning of political instability and armed conflict; and making innovations in approaches to conflict mitigation and resolution, including pioneering work on “Track-II” diplomacy. Many of CIDCM’s activities are global in scope, while others have entailed fieldwork and implementation in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. A significant segment of these projects has occurred as part of government-sponsored initiatives, on behalf of clients like USAID. CIDCM faculty are the frequent recipients of major grants from funders like the National Science Foundation. www.cidcm.umd.edu
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Center for Safe Solutions The Center for Safe Solutions (CSS) supports science-based initiatives that reduce drug trafficking, money laundering, firearms trafficking, drug-related violence and gang activity. CSS provides policy and decision makers with research and criminal intelligence that enables them to make informed decisions. Through CSS, faculty, researchers and student interns have the opportunity to
gain experience and knowledge as they work to resolve some of society’s most perplexing social issues. In March, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President, awarded CSS $8.23 million to continue its support for drug enforcement, treatment and prevention initiatives addressing the drug threat in the District of Columbia and select counties
in Maryland and Virginia. Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) provides roughly $3.5 million annually to support CSS researchers helping DPSCS transition to a distributive computing environment. www.psttap.com
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Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) For nearly 25 years, CESAR’s team of social scientists has addressed the problems substance abuse creates for individuals, families and communities. Current projects include the Maryland Community Services Locator, a centralized, one-stop service locator built with
MapQuest technology housing approximately 9,000 Maryland programs in more than two dozen service categories. Another key project is the Community Drug Early Warning System, which was implemented with funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy
to develop a more accurate understanding of drug use by local offender populations. CESAR also is working on a joint project designed by Bowie State University to provide HIV testing and education to young adults. www.cesar.umd.edu
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Global Communities and CIVICUS BSOS is the proud home of two of the University’s most popular and highly regarded Living-Learning Programs, Global Communities and CIVICUS. Global Communities provides an intellectually engaging and socially active community for students to learn about
globalization and global issues, and to develop skills and attitudes to empower them to take advantage of its opportunities and meet its challenges. www.globalcommunities.umd.edu CIVICUS is an academic citation program that promotes citizenship,
leadership, community building in a diverse society, scholarship and community service-learning. This spring, its director, Dr. Sue Briggs, was presented with the BSOS Dean’s Medal in recognition of her extraordinary service to the College community. www.civicus.umd.edu
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Hearing and Speech Clinic UMD’s Hearing and Speech Clinic provides speech, language and hearing services for individuals of all ages with a wide variety of disorders. Located in LeFrak Hall, the Clinic is operated by the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences as both a training and research facility of speech-language pathology and audiology. www.hesp.umd.edu
Among numerous recent projects addressing critical issues: Clinical Assistant Professor Eusebia Mont is conducting a pilot study on the use of a telepractice model of providing speech-language therapy intervention. In addition, the project is investigating the impact of this model on the clinical education of graduate students in the department. In March, Professor Mont, Clinical Assistant
Professor Kristin Slawson and Associate Professor Yasmeen Faroqi Shah worked with graduate and undergraduate students to organize a workshop for families and friends of stroke survivors. The purpose of the workshop is to help families and friends have more effective conversations with stroke survivors who have communication difficulties, a condition called aphasia.
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Updates from Centers, Clinics and More
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)
The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism—better known as START— is a UMD-based research and education center comprised of an international network of scholars committed to the scientific study of the causes and human
consequences of terrorism in the United States and around the world. START supports the research efforts of leading social scientists at more than 50 academic and research institutions, each of whom is conducting original investigations into fundamental questions about terrorism. START recently updated the Global Terrorism Database to include more than 113,000 cases of international terrorist incidents; it is now downloaded more than 300 times per month. In addition,
Congress recently invited Executive Director William Braniff to testify as an expert witness on the state of al-Qaida and its affiliates. START’s growing reach and influence are propelled by the contributions of students, as more than 100 interns are working on projects related to unconventional weapons, radicalization, transnational criminal organizations and more. Also, START’s Massive Online Open Course “Understanding Terrorism” connects experts with 16,000 students worldwide. www.start.umd.edu
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Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) The Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) at the University of Maryland offers research and training opportunities in neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience and computational neuroscience with internationally-renowned faculty who interact among three campuses: in Baltimore City, at Baltimore County and at College Park. Each campus offers graduate training leading to a Ph.D. degree. NACS recently welcomed Dr. Katherine Sacksteder, a grants development
specialist who started her position in October. She supports NACS faculty and students with the preparation of their research and fellowship grants aimed at government funding agencies and private foundations. In addition, she is currently working on three NIH T32 training grants; two are renewals of existing grants, and one is a new proposal. If awarded, the new grant will support NACS students through the first two years in the program. She also is working on a grant that proposes a
Global Land Cover Facility
USGS/NASA Landsat
The Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) is an operational research and development project housed in BSOS’s Department of Geographical Sciences. Funded primarily by NASA, GLCF has been involved in numerous research projects encompassing the fields of remote sensing, geospatial ecology and information systems. Leveraging both custom off-the-shelf and in-house software solutions, GLCF has become one of the largest online repositories and world-wide
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University-wide initiative led by Dr. Charles Caramello, dean of the graduate school, and Dr. Jane Clark, dean of the School of Public Health as well as several NACS faculty. If awarded, this unique program will effectively educate and train pre- and post-doctoral trainees in the biosciences in the “what” and “how” of different career paths and provide them with the knowledge and experiences necessary to make informed career decisions. www.nacs.umd.edu
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distributors of remotely sensed data over the past decade. Instrumental to GLCF’s success is the ability to understand user requirements and build web-based interfaces to facilitate quick and timely delivery of terrestrial data and products. GLCF actively participates in local and international organizations and is a member of the Earth Science Information Partners, International Union of Conservation and the Open Geospatial Consortium. www.landcover.org
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Donors Make a Difference
Charmaine Wilson-Jones: A Natural Leader Charmaine Wilson-Jones is a recipient of the University of Maryland Incentive Award, a full four-year scholarship given to students who have excelled despite facing adversity. She also is a recipient of the Department of Government and Politics’ Oppenheimer Scholarship. In gratitude for the generosity of BSOS donors, who help to make this support possible, Charmaine is committed to Be the Solution! To learn more about these and other giving opportunities, visit ter.ps/BSOSgiving. On a campus of more than 25,000 students, making a difference often seems like a challenge. For junior government and politics major Charmaine WilsonJones, helping 25,000 people would be just a start toward her goal of pursuing a career in the homeland security industry, working as an intelligence policy analyst. Charmaine became interested in homeland security issues during her internship with Congressman Matthew Cartwright of Pennsylvania’s 17th district last summer. Her major and work experience complement her many leadership positions on campus. As the Student Government Association’s first director of diversity, Charmaine pioneered new efforts that aimed to engage all communities on campus and amplify the student voice. She planned a Marriage Equality Rally, helped student organizations collaborate with one another and increased SGA’s outreach efforts to the minority community. Charmaine serves as the chair of the Student Affairs Diversity Advisory Council, where she and a group of students advise the Division of Student Affairs on methods to increase the bounds of inclusion on campus and improve student life. She is also part of the National Consortium for the
Scholarship Recipient Charmaine Wilson-Jones
Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism’s (START) Diversifying Security Studies Program where she conducts terrorism research. Charmaine classifies targets in the Global Terrorism Database, which is viewed by more than 50 million people each year.
Even with a full course-load and her involvement on campus, Charmaine has traveled to Sierra Leone in West Africa 16 times and reads more than 30 blogs per day. She was also invited to the White House in 2013 for President Obama’s speech on the Affordable Care Act.
These achievements come from hard work and a strong will to succeed. When Charmaine’s mother lost her job and became sick during Charmaine’s junior year of high school, Charmaine worked more than 30 hours a week to help with bills. Despite tough circumstances, Charmaine managed to maintain a high GPA and stay in the International Baccalaureate Program at her high school.
As Charmaine looks forward to graduating and pursuing a career in homeland security, she will do her best to live up to the College’s mission to Be the Solution to the world’s great challenges.
Through the generosity of BSOS donors, Charmaine earned the support she needed to focus on her studies at UMD. Her family is now back on its feet, and the situation showed Charmaine just how strong and resilient she could be.
“My involvement on campus has fostered a passion within me to pursue justice and advocate for others wherever I go. In the national security field, this will be a guiding principle of how I conduct my work,” Charmaine said.
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Be in Touch! BSOS encourages our alumni to stay in touch! Tell us about your personal and career accomplishments, and your best Terp memories. Learn about upcoming events and activities, and feel free to suggest programming ideas. To learn more, visit www.bsos.umd.edu or contact Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Laurie Brogdon at lbrogdon@umd.edu or 301.405.0464.
Class Notes We want to share your good news! Please send us a brief description about births, marriages, new jobs, recent promotions and/or professional and educational accomplishments. Updates can be sent to: bsosalumni@umd.edu. Please be sure to include your: • First and last name • Former last name, if applicable • City/state • E-mail address • Year of graduation • Degree/major
www.bsos.umd.edu Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/bsosumd Follow us on Twitter: @bsosumd (www.twitter.com/bsosumd)
The College of Behavioral & Social Sciences boasts 10 diverse, interdisciplinary departments and programs, all committed to investigating and improving the human condition. College of Behavioral & Social Sciences: Be the Solution African American Studies: Be Empowered Anthropology: Be Cultural Criminology & Criminal Justice: Be Just Economics: Be Efficient Geographical Sciences: Be Global Government & Politics: Be Civil Hearing & Speech Sciences: Be Heard Joint Program in Survey Methodology: Be Counted Psychology: Be Understood Sociology: Be Social Printed with soy-based inks on recycled paper.
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Washington Insider from page 12
“I took an entry-level class with Joe Oppenheimer that focused on game theory. While I firmly believe that actual human behavior is often at odds with optimal decision-making, I found myself applying lessons learned in that class to the way I looked at political leaders’ choices. I was probably always headed toward journalism, and I enjoyed working on the Diamondback, but I don’t know that I would have ended up covering politics if it were not for that class. I do know that I would be a much less thoughtful analyst without it,” Allen said. BSOS is pleased to welcome Jonathan Allen as the commencement speaker for the Department of Government and Politics ceremony at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 23, at the Cole Student Activities Building. To read more, visit ter.ps/allenhrc.
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