BSOS Annual Update 2022

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ANNUAL UPDATE

2022–2023

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

Hello, I’m Susan Rivera, and I am honored to send greetings from campus as the new dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS).

It has been a pleasure to learn about the departments, programs, centers and initiatives in our college, and to meet many faculty members, students, alumni and staff. Ours is a welcoming community, and I look forward to meeting many more BSOS Terps during this exciting academic year.

I am joining you from the University of California, Davis, where I served as chair and professor in the Department of Psychology. My research is focused on investigating brain structure and function in both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals, including those with autism, Down syndrome and the fragile X spectrum of involvement.

As an administrator, I share this college’s commitment to a supportive and inclusive climate, and to fostering academic excellence. I look forward to working with you to strengthen and improve our teaching, to expand the scope and impact of our research and scholarship, and to engage in even deeper and more meaningful ways with the community around us.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. My family and I are proud to be newly-minted Terps!

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

MAJOR BSOS CENTERS & INITIATIVES

• BSOS Anti-Black Racism Initiative

• 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 (MPRC)

• National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism

• University of Maryland Autism Research Consortium

2 THE COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
John Susan M. Rivera • Dean and

POINTS OF PRIDE

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Several of our graduate programs and areas of specialty are ranked among the best in the country:

BSOS is nationally ranked #1 IN CRIMINOLOGY AND IN COUNSELING #1 Criminology #1 Counseling (PSYC & EDUC) #6 Geosciences (globally)

#10 Audiology #14 Sociology of Population #16 Speech-Language Pathology #22 Economics #24 Sociology #28 Political Science #30 Psychology #33 Clinical Psychology Sources: U.S. News & World Report

HESP Clinic Partnership Provides Hearing Aids to 150 Holocaust Survivors

The Hearing and Speech Clinic and the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA) of Rockville, Md., have helped more than 150 Holocaust survivors, providing free hearing tests and hearing aid fitting services since 2015.

Many patients share family photos and important memories with Assistant Clinical Professor Lisa Rickard and her clinical audiology doctoral students, often with the help of case managers or relatives who can interpret Russian.

Today, the clinic gets most hearing aids from a company called Oticon, and JSSA provides transportation services to UMD for interested survivors, a pandemic-driven shift that occurred when the clinic reopened sooner than JSSA offices. The clinic also now accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield (state and federal), United Healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid insurance plans, allowing it to conduct its own hearing tests for the community.

BSOS IS HOME TO NEARLY 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students Our college community includes 190 tenure-track faculty & 376 professional-track faculty

“This is just one more opportunity for our students to get the clinical training they need—to learn how to modify test procedures due to a language difference or memory or cognitive issues—but also a special opportunity for students to interact with a very unique population,” Rickard said. go.umd.edu/hespjssa

3 BE THE SOLUTION

RESEARCH, LEARNING & TEACHING

COLLEGE UPDATES

• Promoting inclusive excellence is at the heart of the college’s hiring efforts and research priorities. This fall, BSOS made a concerted effort to hire multiple faculty members focused on racial inequality, across multiple departments: African American Studies, Anthropology, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Government and Politics, Psychology, and Sociology.

JANE GOODALL: INSPIRING HOPE THROUGH ACTION

In October, BSOS and the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences proudly co-sponsored a special event with world-renowned ethologist Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE

Dr. Goodall narrated her journey from an animal-loving girl to an earlycareer scientist to a budding activist. She celebrated victories, such as the National Institutes of Health’s decision last year to end its chimp experiments and send test subjects to sanctuaries, and the environmental revival of

the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, where she started and continues her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees.

The Jane Goodall Institute’s collaborators over the years include Professor Matt Hansen in the Department of Geographical Sciences, who helps to provide valuable satellite data shedding light on deforestation. Read the Maryland Today article: go.umd.edu/goodallevent

DR. RICHARDSON’S HOMECOMING ADDRESS TAKES

ON DAILY TOLL OF GUN VIOLENCE

Joel and Kim Feller Professor Joseph Richardson AFAM/ANTH delivered this year’s Beyond the Field Homecoming address on understanding and shortcircuiting the cycle of gun violence. Through the Transformative Research and Applied Violence Intervention

Lab (TRAVAIL), Richardson integrates behavioral and social science, medicine, public health, social work, law, computer science and the digital humanities to inform ways to stem gun violence in Black communities. Watch the video: go.umd.edu/beyondthefield

• Nineteen BSOS faculty members were awarded $20,000 UMD Teaching & Learning Transformation Center course grants in the summer of 2022 to redesign or enhance academic courses/programs to feature experiential learning in the classroom community. Two groups of BSOS faculty were awarded $140,000 program grants. The college is proud of the collaborative, inclusive and dataenriched programming created by our faculty members.

• Through a unique partnership between GVPT and The Washington Post’s News Polling team (composed of GVPT and JPSM alumni), graduate students are able to get hands-on experience taking the pulse of American opinion. Other units in BSOS conduct groundbreaking polls that shed light on important matters of public opinion globally–including the Critical Issues Poll, the Sadat Chair for Peace and Development, and the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement.

NEARLY $54 MILLION IN EXTERNAL FUNDING FOR RESEARCH, SERVICE AND TRAINING IS BROUGHT IN ANNUALLY BY BSOS FACULTY AND STUDENTS

4 THE COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
Stephanie S. Cordle/University of Maryland John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

Isabella Alcañiz GVPT, director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center, was appointed as a commissioner of the City of College Park’s inaugural Restorative Justice Commission. The commission is charged with guiding the restorative justice process for the African American community of College Park, Md., with a particular focus being given to the historic African American community of Lakeland—its current and past residents, as well as the descendants of current and past residents.

“The neighborhood of Lakeland was historically this beautiful, vibrant community of African Americans. But racist policies robbed the community of its rich cultural and commercial vibrancy,” Alcañiz said. “This has been recognized as a problem and a harm that continues to have a very direct effect on community members in Lakeland and in College Park, and I am honored and excited to be part of such a historic effort to impact in a positive way today’s Lakeland community members.”

This service is related to Alcañiz’s work on the Policy and Engagement Subcommittee of the BSOS Anti-Black Racism Initiative.

FACULTY & STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS

The outstanding faculty and staff members of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences are committed to teaching, engaging and supporting students. They make significant contributions to their fields and their communities. Included here are just a few of their activities, awards and honors. bsos.umd.edu

The National Academy of Sciences elected Katharine Abraham ECON/ JPSM/MPRC among its newest cadre of 120 members and 30 international members.

Boragan Aruoba ECON was appointed as co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Monetary Economics

Robert Choflet, Angel Dunbar, and Sharon Harley AFAM were awarded an Experiential Learning Grant from UMD’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center. The grant supports a learning project that will work to connect students and the classroom to the wealth of Black cultural resources in the region.

Patricia Hill Collins SOCY was named as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

Virginia Haufler GVPT was awarded a special Fulbright-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship. She will conduct research in Canada, examining how the private sector can be held accountable in the context of growing inequality and climate crisis.

Sharon Hodgson AFAM and Jessica Montresor-López BSOS were recognized with BSOS Outstanding Staff: Exceptional Contribution awards.

Gary LaFree CCJS was named as a Distinguished University Professor, the highest academic honor the university confers upon faculty.

Andrea López ANTH was appointed to the Maryland Department of Health’s Standing Advisory Committee on Opioid-Associated Disease Prevention and Outreach Programs.

Catherine Nakalembe GEOG was awarded Uganda’s Highest Civilian Award, the Golden Jubilee Medal, for her efforts to improve food security in Africa.

Rochelle Newman HESP was named as a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America.

Matthew Roesch PSYC was named as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, an award presented each year to a select few senior, tenured faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching and scholarship.

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BSOS GRADUATE STUDENTS OBTAINED $750,000 IN EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING DURING THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR
UMD IS RANKED #3
AMONG ALL U.S. UNIVERSITIES IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH ACCORDING TO THE CONSORTIUM OF SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATIONS
Stephanie S. Cordle/University of Maryland

STUDENT ACTIVITIES, AWARDS & HONORS

OUTSTANDING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

• Spencer Bowdle ECON and Madelyn Harris PSYC were named as UMD Undergraduate Researchers of the Year.

• Janna Chapman GEOG received a $10,000 United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Evona Scholarship for Diversity in STEM.

• Emily Eason GVPT was presented with the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Library Award.

Jaelah

Through the program, Jupiter partnered with UMD’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery (GLAD) Lab to study urban expansion in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington area.

With support from their mentor, GLAD Lab Co-Director Matt Hansen, Jupiter used a remote sensing-based approach to quantify urban expansion in the Washington-BaltimoreArlington area from 1985 to 2020.

“The global urban population is expected to double in the next thirty years, and we need information about how fast urbanization is occurring, as well as what is being built and where,” Jupiter said.

Jupiter found that the region of study saw a 57% increase in land occupied by humanmade structures during the 35-year interval. This information can be used to assist with smart urban planning that prioritizes the health and safety of people and the environment while supporting a vibrant economy. They also noted that their method for quantifying urban expansion can be applied to other cities and even nationally to show large-scale changes in urbanization over time.

• Alena Garner HESP was awarded the John W. Brockman Fellowship for Speech/Language Pathology by the Scottish Rite Charitable Foundation.

• The National Science Foundation presented three members of the BSOS community with Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards: Jacob Glassman and M Pease PSYC , and Betselot Wondimu ANTH

• Sean Houlihan, Dixin Li, and Erin Tinney CCJS were awarded the inaugural Dr. Anat Kimchi Graduate Student Awards. Dr. Kimchi was a beloved CCJS graduate student who was tragically killed in 2021, and the endowed awards memorialize her passion for research related to racial inequality, recidivism, social justice, and the study of formal institutions of social control.

• Amy Rivera CCJS/GVPT and Jennifer “Jay” Rubio GVPT participated in the prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship Program.

• Katelin Ten AFAM was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Alford Family Current-Use Scholarship in Honor of Val Skeeter.

• Karoline Trovato PSYC was presented with the Library Award for Undergraduate Research.

6 THE COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
Jupiter is majoring in computational Earth observation science, and participated in this year’s Summer Research Initiative. John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

SENIOR LECTURER CREATES MOOT COURT EXPERIENCE FUND

Thanks to a $40,000 gift from Senior Lecturer

Michael Spivey GVPT Ph.D. ’15, GVPT students will be eligible to receive financial support for related experiential learning opportunities—especially moot court competitions. Students enjoy Spivey’s moot court course, MLAW411, and participate in competitions.

“Moot court teaches great skills independent of legal analysis; it teaches basic approaches to argumentation, humility in knowing that there are weaknesses in your position whichever side you’re arguing, and—I’ve really seen this with students—it teaches a degree of self-confidence,” Spivey said. “I view this program as a legacy project that will continue after I am no longer teaching at UMD, but one of the obstacles to that is the cost of going to these competitions. I gave this money so that students now and in the future will have the ability to do this; will have the ability to experience what it is like to be an appellate advocate before a bunch of intimidating lawyers and judges.” go.umd.edu/spiveymootcourt

71% OF BSOS UNDERGRADUATES PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE INTERNSHIP WHILE AT UMD

ENGAGED ALUMNI & DONORS

SRI FOUNDER EXPANDS PROGRAM WITH GIFT

A generous $50,000 gift from Robert “Bob” Steele former BSOS associate dean, supports students in the Summer Research Initiative (SRI) and expands the scope of the program. Steele helped to found the SRI in 1999–the college looks forward to celebrating the program’s 25th anniversary this summer.

The SRI encourages students from underrepresented minority groups to engage in social and behavioral science research, and pursue graduate degrees in related fields. The SRI has become a strong pipeline to encourage talented undergraduates on the path to graduate school, and toward distinguished careers in various fields. go.umd.edu/steelesri

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: THE BSOS DIVERSITY GIFT FUND

The BSOS Diversity Fund was established to facilitate initiatives and programming related to diversity, equity and inclusion within the college. From supporting the events and activities of the BSOS Anti-Black Racism Initiative, the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, the Summer Research Initiative, and many other programs, your gift will help our community explore and address the root causes of structural racism and social inequalities. go.umd.edu/bsosdiversityfund

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Office of External Relations 0145 Tydings Hall 7343 Preinkert Dr. College Park, MD 20742 bsos.umd.edu /bsosumd

Giving Opportunity: BSOS UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE FUNDS

For many BSOS students, financial burdens are a barrier to pursuing internships, travel to academic conferences and unique research opportunities. Through the generosity of alumni and donors, students can enhance their academic career with the support of BSOS Undergraduate Experience Funds.

BSOS Undergraduate Experience Funds include:

• The Beardsley Family Endowed Student Experience Fund

• The Jay G. Cohen Memorial Student Opportunities Endowment

• The Taylor and Brandon Cole Student Experience Endowment

• The Dries Family Student Experience Endowment

• The Fishlinger Family Student Opportunities Fund

• The Felecia Love Greer Student Experience Endowment

• The John M. Haas Sr. Student Experience Endowment

• The Mascott Family Endowed Student Support Fund

• The Gary L. Rozier Professional Experience Fellowships

To learn more, contact Chief Development Officer Kenny Beaver at beaver@umd.edu.

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COLLEGE OF BEHAVIORAL & SOCIAL SCIENCES
John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

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