News

Nov 16, 2011

Paying it Forward

Christina LaCanfora (Comm and Sociology '07) was so grateful for the scholarship support she received from the Department of Communication that she’s replenished the fund twice. “It feels fantastic to know that you are making it a little easier for a student to finish a degree by reducing the stress of money,” says LaCanfora, 25. She received the Nancy and Melinda Snow Scholarship and has since donated to the scholarship, with her employer, ExxonMobil, matching her donation three to one.

Oct 18, 2011

Raising Awareness About Health Literacy

R.V. Rikard Health literacy–the ability to read, understand, and act on health-related information–poses an enormous challenge to improving health and to lowering healthcare costs in the United States. Federal policies and agencies, such as HealthyPeople 2020, the 10-yearagenda for improving national health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize the importance of…

Oct 4, 2011

The New Dating Game: When Dates Follow Hookups

New research sheds some light on just how complicated sex and dating are. Casual sex clearly carries its own risks, but the academic literature on “hooking up” may be presenting an unduly rosy picture of dating. New research doesn’t advocate no-strings hookups (i.e., casual sex between people who aren’t dating), but does highlight gender inequities…

Oct 1, 2011

CHASS Student of the Month – October 2011

David Whitcher, October 2011 CHASS Student of the Month

Sep 21, 2011

How People Feel About Diversity And ‘Neighborhood Schools’: It’s Complicated

The Wake County Board of Education has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent years as it debates issues related to diversity and “neighborhood schools,” and voters are preparing for board elections October 11. But researchers from NC State have found that the issues are more complex than media outlets have made them appear.…

Aug 19, 2011

Advances In Forensic Anthropology: 3D-ID

Sometimes law enforcement officials find partial human remains: like a human skull, with few or no other skeletal remains. How can you tell if it was even a man or woman? New technology called 3D-ID can help – giving forensic scientists information about a person’s sex and ancestral background based solely on the measurements of…

Aug 18, 2011

Sociologist Ron Wimberley Dies

Dr. Ronald C. Wimberley, William Neal Reynolds professor of sociology and a member of the faculty for 40 years, has died. Wimberley was well known for research that described sociological factors that impact living conditions in the 11-state rural Black Belt South. His work went beyond research and included outreach efforts aimed at addressing the…

Aug 9, 2011

Bioarchaeology Grad Student Wins Top Honors

First place honors in the Social Sciences category at the Graduate Student Research Symposium were awarded to Adrianne Offenbecker for her poster presentation, Examining the Role of Environmental Stress in the Etiology of Skeletal Defects. Offenbecker is pursuing her Master’s in Anthropology at NC State, with a concentration in bioarchaeology. She says she chose NC…

Jul 27, 2011

Caution: Your Child’s First Job Could Be Hazardous to Her Health

The Atlantic has published an article about workplace safety among teens, using research conducted by Sociologist Michael Schulman. An estimated 80 percent of teens are employed at some point during their high school years–but many of them are ill-equipped to deal with on-the-job hazards. Around 146,000 adolescents are injured in the workplace every year, according…

Jul 15, 2011

CHASS Faculty — Martha Crowley

Why does work matter? How do our experiences in work places affect other areas of our lives? Martha Crowley, assistant professor of sociology, focuses her research around such questions. Crowley reflects on her research, on the importance of mentors in her own professional development and in the lives of students, and on why she loves…