News and Notes

February 2008

These highlights related to the social, behavioral, and economic sciences at Michigan State University are brought to you by the Office of the Dean and University Relations. For the latest news, visit our Web site at www.socialscience.msu.edu.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to share news of current research projects, publications, and awards. Call 517/432-0746 or send an email to Michelle Strobel. Submit event information to webmaster@socialscience.msu.edu.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The College has established a new Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusive Affairs to serve as a hub where College faculty, staff, and students can go for information, consultation, support, and resources relating to our inclusive efforts. Under the leadership of DeBrenna Agbenyiga, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusive Programs, the office is establishing proactive initiatives to foster the growth of a welcoming and inclusive community climate as well as respond to and track complaints of discrimination and harassment. All members of the College community are invited to consult with Dr. Agbenyiga. The office is located in 221A Berkey Hall. Assistant Dean Agbenyiga can be reached for an appointment at 353-4823.

The College of Social Science invites nominations and applications for Director of the Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID). Applications are due by February 8, 2008. See the position posting for more information.

Dr. Thomas Summerhill has been appointed Director of the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science following a college-wide search. Dr. Summerhill is an associate professor of history. In addition to serving as the Center’s director, Dr. Summerhill will serve as Acting Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Social Science. A College search for a permanent replacement for Dr. Brendan Mullan is planned for fall semester, 2008

Dr. John Goddeeris has agreed to serve as Acting Associate Dean for Research in addition to his position as Associate Dean for Program Review and Planning while the College undertakes a comprehensive search for a permanent replacement for Dr. David Campbell.

Ms. Sarah Blom has been promoted to Senior Director of Development in the College. After leading the College to an outstanding conclusion to the recently-completed capital campaign, Ms. Blom ’s new title is a well-deserved reflection of her capacity to develop and head a mature alumni and development program for the College.

AWARDS, HONORS, AND RECOGNITION

Globally, MSU is ranked 38th in the social sciences by Jiao Tong University in Shanghai. Rankings are based on "alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, Highly Cited Researchers, articles indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)," and articles published in the top 20 percent journals of each field. more...

Walter Hawthorne—associate professor of history—has won a National Research Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for 2008-2009. The research fellowship is among the most prestigious national awards available for historians. Hawthorne will use the award to work on his third book.

Judy Olson, professor of geography, received the Earle J. Fennel Award from the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping for lifelong contributions to mapping education. The award will be presented to Olson in Spokane, Washington in March 2008.

Monica Mukerjee, a senior majoring in psychology and international relations, has been named a 2008 Marshall Scholar. Murkejee will pursue a master's of science degree at Oxford University in England, where she will study forced migration. During her second year of the scholarship, she will pursue a master's of philosophy degree at the University of Sussex in England and study gender and development. The Marshall Scholarships were founded by an Act of Parliament in 1953 and commemorate the humane ideals of the European Recovery Program or Marshall Plan. They are funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and administered by the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission in the United Kingdom. more...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

WORKERS MUST BE HAPPY WITH JOB/LIFE MIX
From the Chicago Tribune: Ellen Ernst Kossek and Brenda A. Lautsch's research started about five years ago with a study of telecommuters. The idea was to learn whether employees who had the option of working from home felt less conflict between their jobs and personal lives. ... "We found that everybody was working all the time," says Kossek, Michigan State University professor and leading work-life expert. "Even people who weren't out of the closet as teleworkers were working at home at night, they were catching up on their e-mail on the train. I don't think the companies knew how much people were working." See a related press release on Kossek's work.

REACTION TO BUSH TAX REBATE PLAN
From WLNS-TV: President Bush wants to give millions of Americans a tax rebate check. It's part of a plan to stimulate the economy. ... Max Kreinin, Michigan State University economics professor, says "whatever they spend the money on will stimulate production and jobs. The more people buy, the more factories produce, the more they produce, the more they employ."

FORENSIC SCIENTIST CHANGES HISTORY
From the Detroit News: As director of Michigan State University's forensic science program, David R. Foran cringes at television shows like "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" that portray forensic scientists as gun-toting investigators capable of solving a crime with minute evidence in a few days. "Ninety percent of what forensic scientists do is at the bench in laboratory," says Foran. For much of the year, Foran and a handful of MSU students looked into the 1910 conviction and hanging of Hawley Harvey Crippen in Great Britain for murdering his wife. DNA evidence, analyzed by Foran, proved the dismembered and gutted body found under Crippen's London residence was not that of Crippen's wife, Cora. See related stories in The Scientist and the Lansing State Journal.

JOHN SEITA
From The Spartan Podcast.com: John Seita, associate professor of social work at Michigan State University, is part of a new breed of professionals who spent time as a youth in the child welfare system and are now working to change that system. Seita details his own experience in foster homes and talks about what has changed in the system over the years. Listen to a related Podcast with Gary Anderson, Director of the School of Social Work.

BLOOD LEAD LEVELS LINKED TO ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
From Environmental News Service.com: Very low levels of lead in the blood, levels previously believed to be safe, could be contributing to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a new Michigan State University study of 150 children in the Lansing area. ... The research findings support a growing body of national evidence indicating there is no safe level of lead in the blood, says study director Joel Nigg, professor of psychology at Michigan State University. See an additional story at WLIX-TV.