E-News from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences



	SPRING 2006

	MAJOR GRANTS/CONTRACTS Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Professor Charles Wellford received $392,000 from the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Control to conduct a study on how crime measurement can be improved in the state. Department of Geography Research assistant Diane Davies received $389,226 from NASA for a grant titled "Global Fire Information for Resource Management: Transitioning from a Research to an Operational System with an Emphasis on Protected Areas.” Professor Christopher Justice received $376,800 from NASA for a grant titled "Integrating MODIS and VIRS NPP Observations into the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Decision System.” Research scientist Stefania Korontzi was awarded $465,116 from the Department of Agriculture for a project titled “Remotely Sensed Measurements of Air Quality Emissions from Cropland Burning in the Contiguous United States.” The project will analyze the seasonal and interannual variability of air quality emissions from crop residue burning in the contiguous United States for the years 2004 through 2007 and will provide the first calculations of air quality emissions from cropland burning as well as the first characterization of the contribution of cropland burning to observed aerosol optical thickness. Department of Psychology Psychology professors Andrea Chronis and Carl Lejuez were awarded $639,700 from the National Institute of Mental Health for a grant titled "Integrated Treatment for Depressed Mothers of Children with ADHD." Psychology professor Carl Lejuez has been awarded three additional grants: $1 million from the National Institutes of Health for a study of behavioral treatment for depressed smokers and $1.6 million for a study of behavioral technologies for preventing HIV risk; and $1.25 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse for a grant titled "Drug Choice, Impulsivity and Risky Sexual Behavior." Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program The Public Safety Training and Technical Assistance Program (PSTTAP) was awarded $527,000 from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to help the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center achieve its goals. PSTTAP will help the center provide analytical support for federal, state, and local agencies involved in law enforcement, fire, emergency and medical response services, public health and welfare, public safety and homeland security. It will also provide strategic analysis to better focus the investigative activities being conducted by law enforcement within the state. AWARDS/HONORS Ken Conca, professor of government and politics and director of the Harrison Program on the Future Global Agenda, has received two awards from the International Studies Association for his latest book, Governing Water: Contentious Transnational Politics and Global Institution Building (MIT Press). The Chadwick F. Alger Prize is awarded annually for the best book on a topic related to international organization. The Harold and Margaret Sprout Award is presented annually for the best book on international environmental affairs. Ruth DeFries, professor of geography, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences during that organization’s 143rd annual meeting on April 25, 2006. Election to the Academy is made in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research and is considered one of the highest honors in American science and engineering. Sharon Harley, chair of the African American Studies Department, has received Morgan State University's Martin Luther King-Malcolm X Civil Rights Award for "outstanding achievements as educator and scholar and her fine example as historian." Psychology professor Paul Hanges has been elected a fellow of the American Psychological Association. C riminology professor John Laub and economics professor Wallace Oates have been named Distinguished Scholar-Teachers for 2006-2007. Criminology professor Doris MacKenzie has received the Most Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Corrections and Sentencing. She is also the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar grant, through which she will travel to six different locations in China next year, conducting research on new community corrections programs. Nan Bernstein Ratner, chair of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, is the first alumna of Temple University’s College of Health Professions to be inducted into its Gallery of Success. Government and politics professor Jillian Schwedler has won the 2006 University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Paul Shackel, anthropology professor and director of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies, has been awarded the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Medal for his work in New Philadelphia, Ill. Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and professor of government and politics, has won the 2006 University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service. John Townshend, chair of the Department of Geography, is a recipient of the prestigious 2005 William T. Pecora Award for "Outstanding Leadership in Advancing Global Land Remote Sensing." Criminology professor Charles Wellford received the American Football Foundation's Outstanding Faculty Athletics Representative Award. SERVICE Government and politics professor Marcus Franda has been named to the three-person Advisory Board for a large public television project titled "The Power: The Information Revolution in Our Lives," consisting of several hours of television programming to be narrated by award-winning journalist Frank Sesno, based on footage and research conducted throughout the world. The project will also produce books, films, and other educational materials. Criminology professor Charles Wellford has been reappointed by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich to a four-year term on the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy and has been appointed co-chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police's first Research Advisory Committee. STUDENTS Teams from the University of Maryland tied for first and fourth place at the Eastern Mock Trial Regionals. Government and politics student Dan Routh was named an all-tournament attorney and government and politics/criminology student Ayo Otukoya was named an all-tournament witness, as was government and politics student James Creegan.