ISSR is sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice Chancellor Research & Engagement, Graduate School, College of Education, Isenberg School of Management, and School of Public Health & Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
TABLE OF
directors' overview achievements who we are
the big picture securing research funding strengthening research skills fostering interdisciplinarity social science engagement
In our strange new not yet post COVID world of 2021 2022, ISSR remains a bright spot at the university: a place where faculty and students gather to engage in methodological training, learn about and discuss new and exciting research, work together to develop grant proposals, and create new interdisciplinary collaborations.
We have been delighted to continue to see high levels of demand for our programming and support to social scientists across campus, including our semester and summer workshops, our consulting, our grants support, and our seminars.
During the pandemic year of 2020 2021, we were surprised at the high uptake of our almost entirely virtual services (given everything else going on). In 2021-2022, while demand remained high, people struggled to navigate in person and online interactions We found many of our constituents appreciated our flexibility, with a blend of in
person and virtual offerings allowing faculty and graduate students to engage no matter where we were in the COVID wave As we move into the next year, we want to make this flexibility a hallmark of our work on campus, meeting faculty and students where they are so that they can always access the support they need.
This year has also brought increased commitment to social science research from the federal government. Science policymakers now recognize that social science is critical to solving the most pressing social problems, both through our research and our understanding of how to implement new solutions effectively Social scientists on interdisciplinary teams allow us to address grand challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, misinformation and its threat to democracy, the future of work, the loss of reproductive and GLBTQ rights, and health care inequities
ch ia r,
when Karen Mason retired as of June 30th. Karen was the heart and soul of ISSR She played a central and guiding role in our services to campus, particularly for grants support but truly supporting every piece of our work, and did so with grace, intelligence, and kindness. We hope she is enjoying her retirement!
We were lucky to gain Carrie Morrison Penland as our grants and contracts coordinator, and Katie Smith as our new associate director of research administration and operations We remain grateful for our wonderful staff Jessica Pearlman, Elisa Martínez, Sue Falcetti, and Gedeon Fleurissaint, who also moved on since he graduated this year! We also thank our excellent consulting staff Ember Kanelee, Erica Kowsz, Quinnehtukqut McLamore, Ricardo Salas Díaz, Hsin Fei Tu, and Elinor Waite and congratulate both Erica and Quinnehtukqut who completed their PhDs this year. We hope to continue to provide the high quality support that the university has come to expect in the coming year.
KRISTA HARPER, DIRECTOR JOYA MISRA, PAST DIRECTOR
STAFF RESPONDENT ISSR USERS SURVEY 2022
you do an amazing job.
research support is great!
As social scientists across our community navigated shifting demands and ongoing pandemic challenges, they continued to draw on ISSR's support for methodological training and consulting, grant development, and scholarly exchange at pre pandemic levels
ISSR's integration of both professional development and scholarly events/content make it a sort of "intellectual and professional home" that allows me to strengthen my content expertise and engagement with current scholars and scholarship while simultaneously working on my technical and management skills.
I am very pleased with ISSR's current distribution of time across different types of workshops and services However, I am in awe of (and simultaneously concerned) that so much of this support seems to come from just a few people... They do so much!
Grant support from Karen Mason, and now from Carrie has been invaluable. I am looking forward to seeing more hiring in ISSR for
The ISSR Methodology Consulting and the Workshops are wonderfully complementary with research, graduate and undergraduate teaching, and graduate advising. Methodology Consulting and Workshops build skills, and these skills spread from the person who participated to both students and faculty. The availability of ISSR Methodology Consulting increases the breadth and scope of research.
Photovoice: Visual Elicitation Meets Participatory Action Research
Krista Harper & Brittni Howard
Critical Narrative Research and Intervention: Digital Storytelling
Aline Gubrium & Alice Fiddian Green
Getting Started with Social Network Analysis
Kevin L Young
Introduction to R: Data Management
Hsin Fei Tu
Introduction to Python and Web Scraping Hsin Fei Tu
Qualitative Research Design and Methods
Ezekiel Kimball
Introduction to Qualitative Interviewing
Chrystal A George Mwangi
Introduction to Qualtrics
Quinnehtukqut McLamore
Introduction to NVivo 12 for Windows: Uploading, Coding & Analyzing Qualitative Data Eric Griffith
Causal Inference with Graphical Models David Jensen
Text as Data in R Douglas Rice Deep Dive into QGIS Rebecca Seifried
Up and Running with MAXQDA: Building Your Project, Coding, and Analyzing Qualitative Data
Erica Kowsz
Introduction to NVivo 12 for Mac: Uploading, Coding, and Analyzing Qualitative Data
Erica Kowsz
Data Visualization in R and Stata
Hsin Fei Tu
Center for Research on Families Center for International Education Civic Engagement and Service Learning Computational Social Sciences Institute College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Department of Anthropology Department of Communication Department of Sociology Energy Transitions Institute
Graduate History Association
Human Subjects Research Protection Office
National Science Foundation Office of Faculty Development Office of Foundation Relations Office of Pre Award Service Office of Research Development UMass ADVANCE W.E.B. Dubois Library
In our ongoing context of social isolation, scholarly isolation is a real risk. ISSR's work to promote and celebrate the incredible work social scientists are carrying on is a vital support to sustaining vibrant community and imagination across the disciplines.
The Funding Friday, ADVANCE workshops, and seminars that ISSR facilitates and cosponsors have provided me with intellectual enrichment and professional development opportunities that have been central to my growth since joining the UMass Amherst community
FACULTY RESPONDENT ISSR USERS SURVEY 2022
