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Recent Announcements
Undergraduate Avery Award Celebration & Graduate Teaching and Research Awards
The Department of Sociology celebrated their annual Robert W. Avery Award this year on February 27th. This year's award went to Mr. Aaron Arnold for his outstanding accomplishments in Sociology. We also had two runners up Ms. Samantha Goldberg and Ms. Amira Rahim. All honorees received a monetary award. The requirements for these students to be considered for this award is as follows: they must have completed at least 84 credits with a minimum QPA of 3.25 in sociology (including the statistics requirement) and a minimum of 3.25 QPA in all courses.
Mr. Aaron Arnold, Avery Award Winner, and friends.
Following the completion of his undergraduate studies, Aaron plans to take a year off while preparing for graduate school. In the interim he hopes to work, travel, volunteer and explore the possibilities of postgraduate life in Pittsburgh. Aaron is especially interested in continuing his work on both locally and globally focused studies of race, gender, sexuality, HIV/AIDS and human rights issues. He intends to pursue graduate programs in Sociology or Public Health and, ultimately, a career in the progressive non-profit, public service or social research sectors
Ms. Samantha Goldberg, Avery Award Runner-Up, and family.
Upon graduation, Samantha will be working as a caseworker at the Office of Children, Youth & Families, Allegheny County’s child welfare agency. Beginning in August she will also be attending graduate school part-time at Pitt’s School of Social Work for her MSW. After getting some field experience, she would like to go back to school for her PhD in either sociology or social work, so that she can conduct research and
teach at the university level.
Ms. Amira Rahim, Avery Award Runner-Up, and Wynn Maloney, Undergraduate Coordinator.
In a statement from Amira, she mentioned that she was “very honored to be a recipient of the Avery Award. Being a student of sociology has been a tremendous benefit toward my intellectual development and I intend to continue my studies in the field post-graduation. Before applying to law schools and Ph.D.
programs, I will most likely continue my studies in a research or degree program abroad. I am also excited about possibly teaching for a few years in an inner-city school, working for a non-profit organization, or working on my painting portfolio. Big congrats to the other Avery recipients and to the class of 2009.”
Graduate Awards
Every year the department offers two awards to the graduate students, one is the Teaching Fellow Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence in recognition for their pedagogical accomplishments and the second award is, The Norman P. Hummon Research Award for an outstanding research project in Sociology. This years recipient of the Teaching Award is Mr. R. Spencer Foster and the Hummon Award went to Ms. Amy McDowell.
Spencer Foster receives his teaching Fellow Award for Undergraduate Teaching from the Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Mohammed Bamyeh.
Amy McDowell received the Norman P. Hummon Research Award for her Master's Thesis entitled, "“I’m not sure how much this was about music: Networks, Locations and Rituals of Identity in Pittsburgh’s Grassroots Music and Arts Scenes”. She is pictured with the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Mohammed Bamyeh.
