Faculty Highlights

September 2009:

Social Science Research, edited by Jim Wright in the UCF Department of Sociology, has just experienced its 6th “impact factor” increase in a row.  The ISI impact factor score is based on citations to work appearing in a journal and is the most widely accepted indicator of journal quality.  SSR now ranks 15th among the 100 journals in sociology included in the Thompson/ Web of Science rankings, 4th if specialty journals such as Demography, Criminology, Marriage and the Family, and the like are excluded.

October 2008:

The Institute’s long-time project manager, Amy Donley, received her PhD degree in August, 2008, and was immediately hired as the very first ISBS post-doctoral fellow. She was also promoted to Senior Research Associate.

Dr. Donley’s PhD dissertation was entitled THE PERCEPTION OF HOMELESS PEOPLE: IMPORTANT FACTORS IN DETERMINING PERCEPTIONS OF THE HOMELESS AS DANGEROUS.

Several portions of the dissertation have already been published as chapters in Robert McNamara (ed.), Homelessness in America, Volumes 1-3 (Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2008). Way to go, Amy! Make that Doctor Amy.

September 2007: On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the US EPA will honor Penelope Canan with the "Best-of-the-Best" Award in the "Individual" category (as opposed to corporate or government) for "Path-Breaking Sociological Research on Montreal Protocol Networks."Penelope Canan has served as a member of the Protocol's Technology & Economic Assessment Panel/Economic Options Committee since 1990. In addition, with the support of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Nancy Reichman (University of Denver, Sociology) and Penelope Canan researched and wrote about the formation, maintenance, and performance of expert networks in global environmental governance. The book is called Ozone Connections (2002, Greenleaf) which also appears in Japanese (2005, Nihon Hyoron Sha). She also received this past August at the annual meetings of the American Sociological Association, the "Distinguished Career" Award from the Environment and Technology Section.

August 2007:

Congratulations to Amy M. Donley and James D. Wright, whose paper "For Richer or for Poorer: The Impact of State Level Legislation on Marriage, Divorce and Other Outcomes" has been accepted for publication in Sociological Spectrum.

July 2007: Congratulations to Dr. Penelope Canan! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) selected Dr. Canan to receive the 2007 Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award. The Award is being presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, and distinguishes the highest caliber recipients from over 500 individuals, organizations and teams who have earned annual Stratospheric Ozone Protection awards from 1990 to 2007. The Best-of-the-Best Award nominees were evaluated by US EPA staff and judged by an international panel representing industry, government, and non-governmental organizations. US EPA officials made the final selection of award winners.

September 2006:

Sociological Spectrum at UCF! Drs. David Gay and John Lynxwiler have taken over as editors for Sociological Spectrum. Sociological Spectrum is the journal for the Mid-South Sociological Society

May 2005: Joan Morris and Elayne Zorn have been recommended as 2005 CAS Teaching Incentive Program (TIP) award recipients. The TIP program rewards faculty for teaching productivity and excellence. Selection criteria include teaching quality and effectiveness, commitment to instruction, innovation, creativity, and productivity based on a portfolio of assignments and evaluations collected over the previous 4 academic years.