What department are you a graduate student in? Sociology. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I went to graduate school because I was idealistic. I saw graduate school as a way to garner the tools I needed to affect positive social change. Did your interests change throughout your program? Yes. My research…
Category: graduate students
Research Spotlight: The Hidden Electoral Incentive: How Voters Reward Candidates’ Climate Change Positions
Environmental problems in and of themselves are apolitical—a Democrat in New York City requires clean air and water and a stable climate just as a Republican in Mississippi does. In fact, much of the groundbreaking environmental legislation passed in the United States was signed into law by Republican presidents and featured strong bipartisan support. Even…
Research Spotlight: Gentrification in Saint Paul, Minnesota
I am a PhD candidate in Geography at FSU. My research has taken a journey on its own. At Syracuse University, where I completed my Masters in Geography, my work was situated in the South Asian context, in rural South India to be exact. In my Masters work, I was studying the impact of corporate…
IOP@FSU Field-Advancing Research: Who Do You Trust? Public Opinion on Handling the Pandemic
On September 8, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP) hosted the first of a series of webinars featuring research on civic engagement, funded by the Institute of Politics. This webinar features a study by Associate Professor of Political Science Amanda Driscoll and political science Ph.D. student Taylor Chewning, using a nationally representative…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Rachel Sparkman from the Department of Sociology
What department are you a graduate student in? I am a Doctoral student in the Sociology department, with a focus on Demography through the Center for Demography and Population Health. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I graduated with a master’s degree in 2012 and worked at a university until 2019. At…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Metin Guven from the Department of Sociology
What department are you a graduate student in? Sociology Why did you decide to go to graduate school? When I was a freshman in the university, one of my professors inspired me about the value of learning, searching, and teaching as an academician. I decided to go graduate school at that time. Did your interests…
Research Spotlight: LGBQ College Students’ Diverging Narratives of Peer Behaviors: Harassment or Not Harassment?
A few decades ago, experiences of peer harassment were common among college students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ). Since then, campus climates have substantially changed, and today, LGBT students’ experiences of peer harassment vary considerably across individuals. That is, some report frequent experiences, and others report no experiences. Scholars generally consider…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Parvathy Binoy from the Department of Geography
What department are you a graduate student in? Geography Why did you decide to go to graduate school? I was in the world of NGOs and humanitarian organizations serving in SriLanka and India before I decided to be in academia. I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to learn and write about…
Research Spotlight: The Much Less United States? Federalism in an Era of COVID-19
The federal response to the crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic stands as a dramatic about-face to the century-long trend towards federal government empowerment. The federal government’s initial reaction to the looming pandemic crisis was disjointed and at times contradictory, a response that stood in stark contrast to the strong and highly coordinated federal…
Graduate Student Spotlight: Austin Bush from the Department of Geography
What department are you a graduate student in? Department of Geography (PhD Geography), but I am also a full-time field researcher for the FSU Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program. Why did you decide to go to graduate school? As an undergraduate student studying Geography at Auburn University, I was presented an opportunity to participate…
