SSRC Chronicles: April 2012
Announcements
The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) and the Harvard School of Public Health seek candidates for a Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Fellowship will explore health and economic systems with particular emphasis on the link between health and economic development. The position is ideal for junior scholars interested in health economics, policy or systems. The Fellow will seek to develop multi-institution, interdisciplinary teams to investigate and promote health and wealth in the Mississippi Delta. He or she will actively engage in Delta-focused research and education activities at Mississippi State University and Harvard University, spending three-quarters of their time at the SSRC under the mentorship of Prof. Arthur G. Cosby and one-quarter time at the Harvard School of Public Health under the mentorship of Prof. David Bloom. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Cosby (arthur.cosby@ssrc.msstate.edu) for more information.
Over June 11-15, faculty from MSU and the University of Zagreb will conduct a week-long seminar at the Center for Advanced Academic Studies at the University of Zagreb in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The seminar, entitled “Explorations in Emerging Data for the Social Sciences,” will introduce participants to analyzing social media data such as Twitter feed and Google Ngram outputs. Instructors will utilize the social media metrics data interface developed at the SSRC to design and access data throughout the course. Research examples will include studies of media elites, event monitoring, social sciences indices development, marketing icons, policy formation and food culture. A limited number of seminar seats are still available. If you are interested in attending, please contact Dr. Arthur G. Cosby (arthur.cosby@ssrc.msstate.edu).
Ms. Monica Rosas, Research Associate, along with Dr. Lokesh Shivakumaraiah, Interim Manager of International Education, coordinated the First International Scholars’ Reception on April 12 in the SSRC Courtyard. This event for the first time recognized the international faculty and staff on MSU campus, and it also encouraged the growth of international collaborations. The reception provided networking opportunities among international colleagues, as well as information on resources available for international partnerships offered by Dr. William B. “Benjy” Mikel, the new associate vice president for international programs and executive director of the university’s International Institute. The reception was co-hosted by the SSRC and the International Institute. Special thanks to Dr. Laura Walton, the Media Collaboration Laboratory and Mr. Josh Richardson.
The Mississippi Electronic Citation Implementation (eCite) team will continue training the remaining Mississippi Highway Patrol in April and May.
New Projects
Dr. Angela Robertson and Ms. Kathleen Gresham (SSRC), Dr. Joyce Yates, Ms. Michelle Lafleur and Ms. Juleigh Baker (Health Education and Wellness, SHC) and Dr. Kevin Williams (Communication) are pilot testing new measures of alcohol marketing among undergraduates, looking at engagement, receptivity, recall and media use. The pilot test is being conducted with the goal of pursuing an NIH grant to study the effects of new media on underage college student drinking.
MASEP
Dr. Angela Robertson and Mr. Lee McCluskey presented “MASEP: 40 Years of DUI Research and Program Development” at the 5th Annual Mississippi School for Addiction Professionals meeting, April 10-13 at the Hattiesburg Convention Center in Hattiesburg.
Survey Lab
The Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Center is collecting data for a telephone-based survey of 2,800 parents who have at least one child attending public school in the state of Arkansas. The purpose of this research is to better understand parent’s attitudes toward Arkansas Act 1220. Enacted in 2003, this legislation addresses the issue of childhood obesity by making changes to school vending machine selections, increasing the amount of “healthy” food served by school cafeterias, and increasing the number of physical education classes. This survey is funded by the College of Public Health, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences. The survey administration and data collection is being directed by Dr. John F. Edwards, MAFES Research Scientist and Coordinator of SSRC Laboratories.
Awards & Recognitions
The Media Collaboration Laboratory received several awards at the Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM) Conference held in Columbus April 12-13, including an Award of Excellence of the 2011 Annual Report and an Award of Excellence for the SSRC Logo Development.
Ms. Jordan Lear, a Communication Assistant in the MCL and lead designer for the 2011 Annual Report, was recognized as a nominee for the PRAM Student of the Year.
Anne Buffington, Family and Children Research Unit Technical Writer, has been appointed by the Starkville School District Board of Trustees to serve as a member of the district’s stakeholder team for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) Quality Assurance Review.
John Gavin Buffington, Student Researcher for Dr. Arthur Cosby, won third place honors in the Mississippi PTA Reflections Music Composition Senior Division for his original score “Sovereign.” John Gavin is currently in his senior year at Starkville High School.
John Gavin Buffington, Editor of the “My Morning Jacket” broadcasting program at Starkville High School, received second place honors for Sports Broadcasting, second place for video editing and third place for overall excellence in broadcast journalism at the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association (MSPA) statewide conference.
Monet Glover, Graduate Research Student with SSRC’s Family & Children Research Unit, was inducted into the Mississippi State University chapter of Pi Alpha Honor Society April 19.
Dr. Dasha Radin received the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Research Award in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Personnel
Ms. Laure Bell joined the SSRC as a Research Associate I in the Family and Children Research Unit. She will be contributing to the “Mississippi Project Fit America Evaluation” project, funded by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Foundation of Mississippi. Ms. Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of West Georgia.
Ms. Lisa Long joined the SSRC as a Research Associate II. She will work with Dr. Linda Southward and the Family and Children Research Unit on the evaluation of the Mississippi Healthy Students Act of 2007, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Ms. Long holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology from Rhodes College, and a Master of Arts in International Educational Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before joining the SSRC, Ms. Long worked both internationally and domestically with the nonprofit organization, Save the Children, as their Senior Education Specialist.
Mr. John McCown joined the SSRC as a Research Associate I. He will be working on the “Mississippi Project Fit American Evaluation” project under the supervision of Colleen McKee. John, a recent graduate of Mississippi State University, holds a Master of Science in Sociology. His thesis examined the relationship between business climate policies and the percentage of children living in poverty. John also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in criminal justice and corrections. Before joining the SSRC, John worked for several years as a teaching assistant in the MSU Sociology Department.
On the Horizon
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, and Ms. Ashley Loftin, Research Associate I, will attend the Tallahatchie Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) on May 2 in Charleston, MS.
Ms. Monica Rosas, Research Associate, has been selected to present at the Eleventh Annual Conference Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) – Latinos in the Heartland, in Columbia, MO, June 13-15. Ms. Rosas will be presenting on Mexican Immigration and the Emergence of Mexican Food in the U.S. Written Culture.
Dr. Angela Robertson, P.I., and Dr. Laura Myers, Co-P.I., submitted a proposal to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Planning’s Office of Justice Programs in response to their Program Evaluation RFP. The proposed “Mississippi Justice Assistance Program (JAG) Recovery Program Evaluation” funding would cover a 12-month period beginning July 1, 2012.
Drs. Ronald Cossman, Jeralynn Cossman, Wesley James and Gerald Shoultz had a paper accepted for presentation at a conference in July, hosted by the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Their paper is titled, “The Association Between Migration and Mortality at the U.S. County Level- Are Health Rates Stable When Populations Are Not?” The special two-day conference is titled “Innovative Perspectives on Population Mobility: Mobility, Immobility and Well-Being.”
Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale is collaborating with Dr. Alexander Rödlach (Creighton University) on a panel entitled, “Cross-cutting Borders between Community and Health: Health Disparities and Community Health across Diverse Vulnerable Populations.” They will submit the panel for consideration as an Invited Session at the 2012 American Anthropological Association Conference held November 14-18, in San Francisco.
Dr. Angela Robertson, P.I., and Dr. Laura Myers, Co-P.I., submitted a letter of intent to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative’s Request for Proposals (RFP-II). The proposed research assesses “The Impact of Oil Spills and Response Efforts on Public Health and Community Well-being.”
Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale (Co-PI) is collaborating with MSU colleagues from the Department of Food Science, Nutrition & Health Promotion on an NIH grant proposal entitled “Jackson Heart Study Participants’ Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors that Attenuate or Exacerbate Obesity and Diabetes” (Dr. Diane Tidwell, PI).
Publications & Reports
Brauner-Otto, S. R., Yarger, J. E., & Abma, J. Forthcoming.”Does it Matter How You Ask? Question Wording and Males’ Reporting of Contraceptive Use at Last Sex.” Social Science Research.
Eskridge, R. D., French, E., & McThomas, M. (2012). The International City/County Management Association Code of Ethics: An Analysis of Violations. Public Integrity, 14(2), 127-149.
Gallardo R., Beaulieu B., & Rosas Gutierrez, M. (2012). Getting Older County by County. Daily Yonder.
Gallardo R., Beaulieu B., & Rosas Gutierrez M. (2012). Less Diverse = Older.Daily Yonder.
McMillen, R., Maduka, J., & Winickoff, J. P. (in press). Use of emerging tobacco products in the United States. Journal of Environmental and Public Health.
Robinson, P., Epperson, W., Huston, C., Willis, R., & Cosby, A. (2012). Factors influencing diagnostic sample submission by food animal veterinarians in Mississippi. Veterinaria Italiana, 48 (1), 31-39.
Strawderman, L., Salehi, A., Babski-Reeves., Thronton-Neaves, T., & Cosby, A. (2012). Effectiveness of Reverse 911 Warning Systems. Natural Hazards Review, 13 (1), 65-73.
Walton, L. R., Cooley, S. C., & Nicholson, J. H. (under review). ‘A Great Day for Oiled Pelicans’: BP, Twitter, and the Deep Water Horizon Crisis Response. Public Relations Journal.
Walton, L. R., Seitz, H. H., & Ragsdale, K. (in press). Strategic Use of YouTube During a National Public Health Crisis: The CDC’s Response to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Epidemic, Case Studies in Strategic Communication.
Presentations, Panels & Conferences
Ms. Rahel Mathews, MPH, presented “An HIV/AIDS community needs assessment: survey and focus group results(2009-2012)” at the State AIDS Conference March 2 in Jackson. Over 60 community stakeholders from around the state were present, including lawyers and doctors as well as representation from NGOs from New York and Harvard.
Dr. Ronald Cossman was a panelist on a Robert Wood Johnson/Active Living Research webinar entitled “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Promoting Active Transportation in Rural Areas.” He shared panelist duties with Tracy Hadden Loh and Eric Oberg with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Mark Duncan, President of Starkville in Motion, and Jen Rice with the Humboldt Area Foundation.
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, was interviewed by Chief Meteorologist Rich Thomas of the WSFA NBC affiliate news station in Montgomery, Alabama, on the Birmingham Integrated Warning Team study. The interview aired this month.
Dr. Kathleen Ragsdale was invited to serve as Moderator for the Multi- Channel Communication: Phone, Chat & Text Helplines panel at the Sex::Tech 5th Annual ISIS Conference on New Media, Youth & Sexual Health (http://sextech.org/). The conference was April 1-3 in San Francisco.
Dr. Angela Robertson accepted an invitation from the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, and served on a Special Emphasis Panel (SEP) that reviewed pre-doctoral (F30,F31) and post-doctoral (F32) AIDS Fellowship applications including those for both behavioral and basic AIDS and AIDS-related training. The meeting was held April 3.
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, was an invited participant for the Internet radio program WeatherBrains on April 9. WeatherBrains is a weekly audio show delivered by the Internet. The show generally runs 60 to 80 minutes every week; recorded on Monday nights; the show is usually available by midnight Monday nights EST. It has produced over 200 shows, and hasn’t missed a week since the day they started. The segment featuring Dr. Myers can be found at http://weatherbrains.com/weatherbrains/.
Dr. Laura Walton attended the Southern States Communication Association conference in San Antonio, TX, April 11-15. At the conference, she presented “The Internship Experience: A Qualitative Assessment” – co-authored with M.B. Humphrey, a Communication Assistant in the MCL. Also, Dr. Walton accepted the “Top Paper Award” in the PR Division and organized and participated in a panel entitled “Developing Consensus: Defining the PR Process.”
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, and Ms. Ashley Loftin, Research Associate I, attended a Severe Weather Safety Program in Birmingham, AL April 17. The program involved a number of churches coming together to get more information about severe weather. Dr. Myers and Ms. Loftin distributed their Weather Warning Perception Research Study survey to the massive group. The program was featured on the ABC 33/40 news on April 17. The following are links to the videos that aired: http://www.abc3340.com/videoautoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6979329.
Dr. Dasha Radin, Research Fellow and Associate Professor of political science, presented the paper entitled, “Does corruption undermine trust in public health system?” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association in Chicago.
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, and Ms. Ashley Loftin, Research Associate I, attended the Tallahatchie Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) April 19 in Charleston, MS.
Dr. Angela Robertson attended The Mississippi Commission on Children’s Justice Public Hearing April 20 at the Trent Lott National Center, University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.
Dr. Laura Myers, Research Professor, and Ms. Ashley Loftin, Research Associate I, attended the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Science Foundation workshop entitled, “Weather Ready Nation: Science Imperatives for Severe Thunderstorm Research” in Birmingham, Alabama, during the week of April 24-26. Dr. Myers was an invited participant.
Rahel Mathews, MPH, presented a poster at the National Oral Health Conference in Milwaukee, WI, April 30-May 2. Her paper is entitled, “Prevalence of untreated tooth decay among pre-schoolers in the Mississippi Delta Region and related risk factors.”
McMillen, R., Hart, R., & Grubbs, C. (2012). Heart Attack Admissions in 3 Rural Mississippi Counties Following Smoke-free Ordinances. Paper accepted to the National Rural Health Association Conference, Denver, CO.
McMillen, R., Hart, R., & Grubbs, C. (2012). Heart Attack Admissions in 3 Rural Mississippi Counties Following Smoke-free Ordinances. Paper accepted to the National Rural Health Association Conference, Denver, CO.
McMillen, R., O’Connor, K., Winickoff, J., & Wilson, K. (2012). Factors associates with counseling parents about tobacco smoke exposure: A national pediatrician survey. Platform presentation accepted to the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Boston, MA.
McMillen R., O’Connor, K., Groner, J., & Klein J. (2012). Trends in tobacco counseling: Results from the AAP Periodic Survey of Fellows. Poster accepted to the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Boston, MA.
McThomas, M. (2012). A Case for Community-based Citizenship. Presented at the Midwest Political Science Association’s Annual Conference, Chicago.
Tanski, S., McMillen, R., Wilson, K., Klein, J., & Winickoff, J. (2012). Misperceptions about the ease of nicotine addiction and experimentation. Platform presentation accepted to the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Boston, MA.
Wilson, K., McMillen, R., Tanski, S., Klein, J., & Winickoff, J. (2012). Tobacco smoke incursions in multi-unit housing. Platform presentation accepted to the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Boston, MA.
May 3, 2012SSRC 2012 Annual Report
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