Past Speakers & Events
Stata 12 for Beginners
Event Date: November 16, 2012
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
Research in Process Speaker Series: "Demystifying the UMass IRB for Social Scientists." Margaret Burggren, Associate Director, Research Compliance;
Anne Herrington, Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Distinguished Professor of English;
Brian Lickel, IRB Board Member, Chair of the Research Committee for the Department of Psychology, Associate Professor of Psychology;
Lynnette Leidy Sievert, IRB Board Member, Professor of Anthropology
Event Date: November 8, 2012
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: W32 Machmer Hall
Description: This panel featured faculty and staff who serve on the UMass Institutional Review Board (IRB), which reviews all faculty and graduate student research on campus that involves interaction with human subjects.
Getting Started in NVivo
Presenter: Jackie Stein
Event Date: November 7, 2012
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
Introductory Statistics Using R
Presenter: Chris Burns
Event Date: November 5 & 6, 2012
Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
Qualitative Research Methods Discussion Group
Facilitator: Professor Tom Juravich, Labor
Event Date: October 31, 2012
Time: 11:00 am
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
ISSR Inaugural Event
Event Date: October 26, 2012
Time: 3:30 pm
Location: Massachusetts Room, Mullins Center
Description: The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UMass-Amherst held a celebration inaugurating the Institute for Social Science Research. Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Provost James Staros, and other honored guests offered remarks, and ISSR Scholars Michelle Budig of the Sociology Department and Robert Ryan of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning presented their new research briefings. See press coverage of the event.
Introduction to Relational/Network Data Collection
Presenter: Chris Smith, Doctoral Student, Sociology
Event Date: October 25, 2012
Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
ISSR Scholars Speaker Series: "The Long-term Trend in Nonmarital Births: Is it About Sex or the Economy?" Paula England, Professor of Sociology at New York University
Event Date: October 23, 2012
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: W32 Machmer Hall
Description: England's early research focused on occupational sex segregation and the gender pay gap, and she has written on the effects of motherhood on women’s pay. More recently she has explored the college “hookup” scene. She is also exploring why inconsistent use of contraception, unintended pregnancies, and early nonmarital births are more common among less advantaged women. She is the winner of the 1999 Jessie Bernard Award for career contributions to scholarship on gender, and of the 2010 Distinguished Career Award from the Family section of ASA.
Short Course in NVivo
Presenter: Jackie Stein, Doctoral Student, Sociology
Event Date: October 17, 2012
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm
Location: W37E Machmer Hall
Talk: "Beyond the Horror Stories: Non-Experimental Social Researchers' Experiences with Institutonal Review Boards." Sarah Babb, Boston College
Event Date: October 16, 2012
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: W32 Machmer Hall
Description: “Getting through IRB” has become a well-known routine for social researchers planning projects involving human interaction. Many of us have been hearing (or telling) IRB “horror stories,” but there has been no systematic research on the nature and extent of the problems social researchers encounter. Drawing on the results of a survey of sociology department chairs and a comparison of 8 cases, Sarah Babb of Boston College discussed the nature, causes, and consequences of the problems non-experimental researchers in the social sciences and humanities encounter with campus IRBs. Sarah Babb is Professor of Sociology at Boston College.
Research in Process Panel and Reception: "Rewards and Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research" with Jane Fountain, Krista Gile, and Millie Thayer
Event Date: October 11, 2012
Time: 4:00 pm
Location: W32 Machmer Hall
Description: This lively discussion addressed collaborations among social scientists and fields as diverse as statistics, computer science, engineering, and the humanities, and cross-disciplinary graduate training, how scholars can communicate effectively across disciplinary boundaries, and the array of intellectual, career, and administrative issues that interdisciplinarity can raise.
Data Analysis and Visualization using R
An ISSR two-day workshop
Presenter: Nicholas Reich, Research Assistant Professor, School of Public Health and Health Sciences
Event Date(s): July 11-12, 2012
Time: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Location: W13 Machmer Hall
Description: Living in the midst of a data revolution, scientists must continually cultivate skills in telling stories effectively with data. In recent years, R—a free, open-source statistical software package—has become one of the most popular tools for scientists and statisticians looking to conduct data analyses and create publication-quality data graphics.
Qualitative Interviewing: Key Tensions, Decisions, and Strategies
An ISSR two-day workshop
Presenters: Dr. Tom Juravich, Professor, Labor Studies/Sociology
Dr. Amy Schalet, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Event Date(s): June 26-27, 2012
Time: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Location: 919 Thompson Hall
Description: Researchers across the social sciences use qualitative interviews to generate knowledge. At every step in the research process, we confront tensions, make critical decisions, and develop creative strategies.
Organizing and Analyzing Qualitative Data with NVivo 9
An ISSR two-day workshop
Presenters: Jackie Stein, Doctoral Student, Sociology
Heather Cassidy, Data Manager, SADRI
Event Date(s): June 13-14, 2012
Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Location: W13 Machmer Hall
Description: For researchers working with qualitative data of all kinds —from interview recordings and field notes to video and images—NVivo offers a platform to organize, analyze and parse through large amounts of information.
Data Analysis Using Stata: Data Management and Analysis
An ISSR SADRI two-day workshop
Presenters: Dr. David Cort, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Heather Cassidy, Data Manager, SADRI
Event Date(s): June 6-7, 2012
Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm
Location: W13 Machmer Hall
Description: Researchers across the social sciences routinely use quantitative methods to generate knowledge. Mastery of statistical software packages such as Stata is a critical component of this knowledge generation.
NSF Funding for the Social Sciences
Presenters: Dr. Regina Werum, Program Director, NSF
Event Date(s): April 20, 2012
Time: 12:00 pm-2:00 pm
Location: Massachusetts Room, Mullins Center
Description: Dr. Regina Werum, NSF Program Officer in Social Sciences, will offer insights into NSF program priorities in the social sciences and lead a discussion about how and when to contact NSF in the conceptualization and preparation of research proposals. Lunch will be provided.
NSF Workshop for Graduate Students in the Social Sciences
Presenter: Dr. Regina Werum, Program Director, NSF
Event Date(s): April 20, 2012
Time: 9:00 am-11:00 am
Location: W32 Machmer Hallt
Description: Advice on how to write dissertation funding proposals, and information about the merit review process. NSF Program Director Regina Werum will read proposals sent in advance and provide feedback.
Panel Discussion: Joya Misra, Editor of Gender & Society, moderated this discussion entitled “Reading Intersectionality's Genealogy for Strategy: Reflections on an Intervention,” with Jennifer Nash and Svati Shah. April 12, 2012.
Rossi Conference: Bruce Western: “Mass Incarceration and the Prospects for Reform.” February 7, 2012.
Panel Discussion: “NIH Funding for the Social Sciences: A Panel by and for Social Science Faculty from across Campus.” February 2, 2012.