Keera Allendorf embarked on the 2022-23 Sociological Research Practicum. This SRP kicks off the Indian American Family Study (IAFS), which investigates (Asian) Indian Americans’ views and experiences of family life with a focus on marriage, childbearing, and intergenerational relationships. The study currently features semi-structured interviews with first- and second-generation Indian Americans. Check out the IAFS website at iafs.indiana.edu to meet the fantastic team and view the colorful logo!

Jennifer Barber: I taught Sexual Diversity (to undergraduates) again this year and enjoyed it more than ever. I also taught Sociological Research Methods to an outstanding group of mostly sociology majors (along with a few minors). As with last year’s cohort, they were super engaged and bright, and were such a pleasure. Three students from last year’s class are now writing sociology honors theses because they have become passionate about research! In 2022, I was honored to be elected to the Sociological Research Association, our profession’s honor society. Also in 2022, I published four papers with post-docs, former post-docs, and former students. They focused on penile-vaginal sexual frequency during pregnancy, contraceptive use to avoid pregnancy, and violence in intimate relationships. I am currently working with two graduate students to finish up their master’s theses on (1) mental health and sexual behavior, and (2) perceived infertility and pregnancy.

With Kyle Dodson, Clem Brooks is working on studies of animus, rights support, and voter choice. In a forthcoming study, Clem and Alicia Harmon investigated minority groups and affective polarization during the presidency of Donald Trump.

Tim Hallett: I’m please to say that, along with my coauthor Gary Fine, we have published a book, Group Life: An Invitation to Local Sociology (Polity Press).  We are very happy with how it turned out!  To quote Michele Lamont’s kind words in her blurb: “Extending their discipline-defining contributions, Fine and Hallett broaden our understanding of the social dimension of human interactions as they impact meaning-making and action.  They propose an original and encompassing sociological approach to group life that will be widely referenced in years to come.”  The book is available for purchase on Amazon and other such sites, check it out!  Those of you who took my grad seminar “Social Interaction and Social Order” (or “SISO”) will recognize many thoughts and themes! In other news, Jack has started college (!) at Denison, where he is also playing football and taking a class with IU PhD Shiri Noy (hopefully she can succeed in convincing him of the virtues of sociology where I failed!).  Shiri has been a lifesaver in helping us to navigate some registration nightmares, thanks so much Shiri!  Wes is a junior at Bloomington South and is one of the drum majors for the marching band this year, helping to lead the group to their highest scoring performances in memory.  Tamara is also doing well as we all navigate this phase of the pandemic.

Jane McLeod: My service as Executive Associate Dean (kind of like the COO) for the College of Arts and Sciences continues through June 2024. When I am not buried in emails and administrative minutiae, I work with Andy Halpern-Manners, Syndee Knight, Elizabeth Anderson, and Drew Myers on an NIH-funded panel study of college students (with special focus on the experiences of autistic students) and with Eun Hye Lee on studies of the association of unmet expectations with mental health. I was honored by the ASA Section on Social Psychology with the Cooley-Mead Award for Distinguished Scholarship in August and got to eat some great ramen when I was in LA for the meetings.

Brea Perry is serving as Interim Vice Provost for Research and Associate Vice President for Research (emphasis on “interim”) this year and is looking forward to being on sabbatical for the 23/24 academic year. Brea was recently awarded an R01 grant from NIH to identify epigenetic pathways underlying the effects of social connectedness on aging-related morbidity and mortality. The study will examine whether structural social network characteristics (i.e., stable social signatures) can slow or disrupt biological aging associated with DNA methylation, thereby promoting resilience to stress exposures, reducing healthcare costs, and increasing healthy years of life.

Bernice Pescosolido was appointed the inaugural Director of the Irsay Institute at Indiana University Bloomington for five years from July 1, 2022 until June 30, 2027. The newly established Irsay Institute targets sociomedical sciences research and will focus on addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and other health challenges, as well as developing opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration among researchers interested in health and health care.  In spring 2023, the Irsay will occupy two floors in Morrison Hall, currently being renovated thanks to a $3 million gift from the Jim Irsay family, owners of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts franchise. This fall, Bernice was honored to receive the 2022 Henry R. Besch, Jr. Promotion of Excellence Award, conferred by the Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors for distinction in promoting and encouraging the growth of excellence at IU, and to be invited as a guest speaker at the Alliance annual dinner event. Continuing her role heading up the Scientific Advisory Council of Glenn Close’s advocacy group, Bring Change to Mind, Bernice has been overseeing the expansion of BC2M’s high school program throughout Indiana and the expansion of the UBC2M college program on all IU campuses.  These are designed to provide students with a place of belonging and leadership development surrounding mental illness and to make school campuses safe and stigma free zones.

Brian Powell’s book, WHO SHOULD PAY? Higher Education, Responsibility, and the Public, was published earlier this year.  He co-authored the book with IU alumna Natasha Quadlin, and IU alumni Emma Cohen, Emily Meanwell, and Oren Pizmony-Levy contributed to chapters.  This book has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Chronicle of Higher Education, among others.  Powell also was the recipient of the ASA Sociology of Education Section’s Willard Waller Award for lifetime achievement in the field of sociology of education.

Kody Steffy is thrilled to return to IU Sociology as a lecturer after a stint as senior researcher at the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research, and Education (NIFU) in Oslo, Norway, where he remains a “tilknyttet forsker” (i.e., an affiliated researcher). At IU, Kody teaches for both the Sociology and LAMP Honors programs. His most recent article is “Research as Discovery or Delivery? Exploring the Implications of Cultural Repertoires and Career Demands for Junior Economists’ Research Practices,” published in Higher Education (with Liv Langfeldt). Another article, “Habits of the Millennial Heart: Individualism and Commitment in the Lives of Young, Underemployed Americans,” is forthcoming in Sociological Focus. His current project investigates scientists’ understandings of research quality.