SSSP Section on Environment and Technology Spring 2019 Newsletter Message from the Chair Nels Paulson University of Wisconsin-Stout Dear E&T Division Members, The theme of this year’s annual meeting in New York City will be “Illuminating the SOCIAL in Social Problems”, but for the E&T Division it is the year of justice and activism! The amount of papers dedicated to issues of environmental justice and activism are overwhelming and inspiring. It is clear that scholarship is only increasing in quality and quantity on this topic, and what better place to develop such scholarship than within Environment and Technology Division of SSSP! This newsletter offers a look into this summer’s annual meeting in Manhattan. But it also offers a reflection on why environmental justice has struck a chord so much in our membership this last year, and why we have an entire session focused on gender specifically. Kari Norgaard from the University of Oregon offers us a short narrative on how she interprets the events last fall surrounding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the U.S. in terms of overlap with other issues of gender violence and the environment. We will have E&T members exploring these issues and more through presenting and discussing their scholarship in New York, including sessions on environmental activism, health, environmental justice, labor, and indigeneity. The critical dialogues are particularly exciting as well. I want to call attention to ours, which offers the most overt focus for the technology half of our division: Societal, Environmental, & Educational Impacts of Technology. In the description, we observe that “technology infuses all aspects of our life and work. This session will consider the nexus of societal, environmental, and educational implications. How do we address these issues in our research, scholarship, activism, & pedagogy?” How indeed? Furthermore, how does this have implications for issues of justice and activism? Bring what you hear in our other sessions to their discussion- I imagine there will be much overlap. You never know where a new angle, perspective, frame, or connection may emerge! I want to thank again our wonderful new editor, Alexis Econie! She is doing more than any of you might realize in managing her first-year doctoral studies and editing an exceptionally great looking newsletter. I cannot say enough good things about her. Thank you, Alexis! I look forward to seeing you all in August. My best wishes for a great end of spring and fulfilling summer! Cheers, Nels Brett K Marshall Award The 2019 Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award went to Nikhil Deb, University of Tennessee, titled “A Cloud with no Silver Lining: The Bhopal Disaster and the Slow Violence of Social and Environmental Destruction”.  Honorable Mention went to June Jeon (University of Wisconsin-Madison) with "Habitus of Ignorance: Ease and Legitimation of Ignorance in the Advanced Bioenergy Center".   We should probably thank the selection committee, which included Dr. Erin Robinson (Canisius College), Dr. Marko Salvaggio (Goucher College), and Dr. Yuki Kato (Georgetown University).    The E&T Division reception is joint with other divisions and will be Friday of the conference (August 9th) in the Grand Ballroom from 4:30-6:10pm.  Gender Violence and the Environment Kari Norgaard, PhD Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies University of Oregon As we have watched the events surrounding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, I know that many of you, your students, your family members, and your colleagues have been reliving traumatic experiences of sexual violence. It took me a week to put the following thoughts into form. More could be said, but here are some thoughts for now. I invite each of us as professional sociologists to spend some time thinking about the relationship between sexual and gender violence—and its repercussions in the Senate, Presidency, and now our courts—and the onslaught on our natural environment. I am inspired to frame it this way partly because my colleague here at University of Oregon, Dr. Laura Pulido, has - together with her students- been analyzing the connections between racist rhetoric, racist policies, and the dismantling of environmental protections. I am motivated as well by my own intense shock and re-awakening to the truly grim state of gender politics in our country. I also encourage you to check out the New York Times Opinion piece by my University of Oregon Philosophy colleague Dr. Bonnie Mann: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/opinion/kavanaugh-misogyny-epistemic-worlds.html In October I opened my Race, Gender and Environment graduate seminar with a similar invitation to my students to make links between environmental degradation and the national displays of gender violence in DC. I also invited them to be curious about the role that sexual and gender violence has played in the past transformations of places where each of us live and otherwise spend our time. I’ve mentioned a few times that I feel we could do more as a community to theorize the relationships between gender and the environment (with thanks and cheers for those of you who have worked on this!). The time could never be better for this project. Following are a few observations about relationships between environmental destruction and sexual and gender violence. First, I’ve recently been reading Native feminist authors, including Leanne Simpson author of As We Have Always Done and Cutcha Risling Baldy (We Are Dancing For You) who detail the role of sexual violence in past and ongoing colonial conquest, and are very specific about how what we think of as “masculinity” today is a colonial construct imposed onto this continent for the explicit purposes of carrying out what JM Bacon calls “colonial ecological violence.” In my work on the Klamath, my Karuk collaborators have also emphasized how violence against Karuk women and those who failed to conform to gender binaries has been critical for undermining the ecology of the land, and reshaping it for commercial uses to generate wealth, white supremacy, and the rise of capitalism. Dismantling indigenous gender systems was and still is about undermining indigenous sovereignty and elevation of capitalist state power. I write about this in the fourth chapter of my forthcoming book Salmon Feeds Our People: Colonialism, Nature and Social Action. Secondly, it is certainly apparent that direct and indirect sexual and gender violence (e.g. the shaming and dismissal that structure who is taken seriously and who is ignored) affect whose voice counts, including whose scholarship gets out in different academic contexts. Some years ago, when I was attacked by the right, attempts were made to keep my work on climate change quiet using both threats of sexual violence (the subject line of one electronic hate mail was “rape is not an answer”), as well as attempting to belittle me with repeated references to my appearance and the creation of images and videos discussing whether I was “good looking” or “ugly.” (This community did a fantastic job standing up for me at that time and it really made a difference- thank you!). While this was a very glaring situation, women’s intelligence and theorizing are frequently undermined by references and attention to our physical appearance—whether evaluated positively or negatively. Had I been a person of color a slew of racist words for which there is no equivalent for a white person would have likely been used as well. Relatedly, in my time as an environmental sociologist I have watched how gender and sexual violence has been used to shape who is in our community and who is not. Perhaps related, I have long noticed with frustration that fewer female environmental sociologists post publicly on email listservs, and I have wondered both the reasons for this, and its consequences for our collective understanding of ourselves and our discipline. Lastly what sometimes gets called “care-work,” “ecological reproduction,” or “environmental activism” is very linked to our present day (colonial, a la Simpson above) gender constructions. This care-work is the basis of life on earth. Our reliance on one another and on other beings to whom we hold responsibilities is directly kept invisible and underappreciated by way of sexual and gendered violence. This delusion of disconnection is generating capitalist wealth, ecological destruction, and climate change. I have so appreciated the work done by many of you on these and many other aspects of the relationships between gender and environment, including Joane Nagel’s work on gender, militarization, and climate research (e.g. the book Gender and Climate Change) as well as work on masculinity and mining culture (e.g. Shannon Bell) and the great scholarship many, many more of you put forward.  Relationships between gendered violence and the natural environment are not just about “micro” or “meso” interactions, but fundamentally legitimate political economic relations and state power today. I encourage each of us to be curious about why Trump uses such blatantly violent language about women, and about what this political rhetoric means in terms of state, capitalist, and ecological power more broadly. I encourage each of us to pay attention to the importance of sexual and gendered violence in our understanding of what we need to envision for our futures. 2019 Annual Meeting Illuminating the Social in Social Problems August 9-11, 2019 Roosevelt Hotel New York City, NY Optional One-Day Workshops Community-Based Participatory Action Research Monday, August 12 9:00am–4:30pm Location: Sutton Suite, 2nd floor Conference Level, Roosevelt Hotel Registration Fee: $50 for employed registrants or $25 for unemployed/activist/student registrants  Institutional Ethnography Monday, August 12 10:00am–4:00pm Location: Broadway Suite, 2nd floor Conference Level, Roosevelt Hotel Registration Fee: $75 for employed registrants or $50 for unemployed/activist/student registrants  Graduate Student Spotlight Master’s Research Using Photovoice to Learn from Women Farmers, Growers, and Food Activists in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Hannah Whitley M.S. Student in Rural Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education The Pennsylvania State University htw3@psu.edu - - - "There's power in playing in the dirt. It's important that people see what we're doing, take that work seriously, and make growing food possible for everyone. It doesn't matter where we live, what we look like... Give us ladies space, we'll make it happen." – Lonnie*, urban gardener and community activist, Pittsburgh, PA Twenty-first century developments in urban agriculture (UA) have placed a demand for research that identifies the social, cultural, economic, and community benefits of sustainable production and the challenges related to its practice in urban contexts. At the same time, literature on social sustainability has shown that the rooted issues of structural racism, gender inequity, and economic disparities disproportionately affect urban farmers and gardeners, particularly those operating in Black and Brown neighborhoods across the U.S. The results of limited outreach and engagement are visible in studies whose results show that operations struggling the most to establish and maintain sustainable practices are those located in communities of color. Current evidence validates the need for urban agriculture reform and policy revision to address these issues, yet the experiences of women, particularly women of color, have been largely absent within urban agriculture research. My Master’s thesis seeks to embed sustainable urban agriculture within discussions of social issues, namely, the long-term historical, institutional, and cultural inequality endemic to food systems in the United States. To do so, I have organized The Female Farmer Photovoice Project, which aims to highlight the most pressing challenges facing female farmers, growers, and food activists who live and work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Through the combination of participant observation, photography, focus groups, and individual interviews, the Project utilizes a unique form of participatory action research called photovoice, which invites participants to take photographs that represent their individual perspectives and lived experiences in UA spaces. Allowing three weeks for participants to take photos using a provided film camera, participants then meet to share their photographs and take part in meaningful discussion concerning the strengths and shortcomings of existing urban agriculture support services and opportunities for improvement among existing nonprofit organizations, government agencies, research institutions, and extension services. I have recently finished the recruitment process for the photovoice portion of this study, and am very excited to have 16 enthusiastic women join me to highlight their work within Pittsburgh’s urban agriculture scene. These women come from a variety of operations types, ranging from backyard beekeeping, guerilla gardening, cut flower incubation, non-profit diversified vegetable growing and for-profit value-added businesses, and represent a variety of neighborhoods, businesses, coalitions, and agriculture organizations. They will be asked simply to take pictures to “tell the story” of their experience working in urban agriculture, including the positive and negative aspects of their operation. The Female Farmer Photovoice Project kicks off in early May with an information session at a local community center, followed by camera distribution, picture taking, and a reflection meeting to be held in early June. We will work together to create a traveling and digital photography gallery that will be displayed at agricultural education, networking, and policy events throughout the Northeast and beyond and have long-term goals of creating a photostories book that documents participants’ photographs and narratives, depicting their work as women urban agriculturalists operating in Pittsburgh. If you are interested in learning more about The Female Farmer Photovoice Project and would like to follow along with our process, find us online at www.thefemalefarmerphotovoiceproject.org or on Instagram @femalefarmerphotovoice. If you would like to learn more about photovoice as a research method or be kept appraised of any findings that come from this thesis, please email me at htw3@psu.edu. - - - *pseudonym This research is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number GNE18-190-32231 and is made possible with support from the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN). 2019 Annual Meeting Environment & Technology Sessions August 9-11, 2019 Roosevelt Hotel New York City, NY Date: Friday, August 9 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Session 021: Environmental Activism Room: Lexington Suite Sponsors: Conflict, Social Action, and Change Environment and Technology Organizers & Presiders: Marko Salvaggio, Goucher College Thelma Velez, Ohio State University Papers: “Caught in the Storm: Two-and-a-half Years of Ethnography and Activism in Flint, MI,” Benjamin J. Pauli, Kettering University “Articulating a Bright Future: New Power and Repertoires of Construction in the Climate Justice Movement,” Laura Hanson Schlachter, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Political Fruit: Guerilla Grafters as Environmental Activists,” Chandra Russo, Colgate University “‘Humans Come before Whales’: Unpacking Intersections and Disconnects between Christians and Environmental Movements in the U.S.,” Kelsea MacIlroy and Lynn Hempel, Colorado State University “Facebook Activism: Comparing West Lake and Standing Rock,” Kristen M. Kalz and Kandice Grossman, University of Missouri Date: Friday, August 9 Time: 12:30 PM - 2:10 PM Session 026: Sustainability, Green Jobs, and Justice Room: Hudson Suite Sponsors: Environment and Technology Labor Studies Organizer & Presider: Todd E. Vachon, Rutgers University Papers: “Can ‘Transparency’ Change How People Relate to Food, Environment, and Labor?” Sang-hyoun Pahk, University of Hawai'i at Manoa “Energy Democracy: A Just Transition for Social, Economic, and Climate Justice,” Sean Sweeney, City University of New York and Todd E. Vachon, Rutgers University “Environmental Justice: Averting the Environmental Apocalypse,” Angus Nurse, Middlesex University “Examining the Ideology of Over-consumption with Insights for Addressing Climate Change,” Diana Stuart, Northern Arizona University, Ryran Gunderson, Miami University and Brian Petersen, Northern Arizona University “Labor Implications for the Objectification of Environmental Consciousness: A Case Study of Single-use Plastics,” Ryan Ricciardi, The George Washington University Date: Friday, August 9 Time: 2:30 PM - 4:10 PM Session 037: Environmental Health and Labor Room: Hudson Suite Sponsors: Environment and Technology Labor Studies Organizer, Presider & Discussant: Erin E. Robinson, Canisius College Papers: “Child Labor in the Fashion Industry in Mexico,” Patricia Murrieta and Leonardo A. Gatica, University of Guadalajara “Expanding the Scope of Place-Based Environmental Justice Scholarship: Communities, Health, and the Workplace,” Alexis Econie, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Power, People, and Progress: Just Transition and Environmental Justice Movements Aligned,” Erin E. Robinson, Canisius College “White Collar Locals: Ethnic Identity and Boundary-making in a Honolulu Government Workplace,” Eli R. Wilson, University of New Mexico Date: Saturday, August 10 Time: 8:30 AM - 10:10 AM Session 067: Gender and the Environment Room: East End Suite Sponsor: Environment and Technology Organizer: Laura McKinney, Tulane University Presider: Thomas J. Burns, University of Oklahoma Papers: “A Cloud with no Silver Lining: The Bhopal Disaster and the Slow Violence of Social and Environmental Destruction,” Nikhil Deb, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Winner of the Environment and Technology Division’s Student Paper Competition “Addressing Environmental Health Concerns of Community Residents of Kettleman City, CA: A Community-based Approach to Examining Exposure and Assessing Community Health,” Clare Cannon, University of California, Davis and University of the Free State, South Africa “Coming out and Burning out: Farming Entry and Exit for Lesbian and Queer Agriculturalists,” Jaclyn K. Wypler, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Ecospiritual Traditions Sustain Hope in Work for Ecojustice across Generations,” Finn McLafferty Bell and Glory Brar, University of Michigan “Influences of Gender, Age, Religiosity, and Income on Environmental Attitudes: Considering Interaction Effects,” Thomas J. Burns and Peyman Hekmatpour, University of Oklahoma Date: Saturday, August 10 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Session 077: Urban Responses to Climate Change Room: East End Suite Sponsor: Environment and Technology Organizers: Yuki Kato, Georgetown University Alexis Econie, University of Wisconsin-Madison Presider: Alexis Econie, University of Wisconsin-Madison Papers: “Deep Displacement: Nantucket Island, Touristic Gentrification, and Climate Change,” Elise Largesse, Boston College “Habitus of Ignorance: Ease and Legitimation of Ignorance in the Advanced Bioenergy Center,” June Jeon, University of Wisconsin-Madison “Planning for Sustainability in Buenos Aires: Transnational NGOs and the Discourse of South-south Policy Circulation,” Jacob Lederman, University of Michigan-Flint “Science in Court: An Analysis of Climate Change Litigation in the U.S. from 1990 to 2018,” Daniel X. Kim, The George Washington University “The Racially Unequal Effects of Natural Hazards and Federal Recovery Assistance on Self Employment,” Asia I. Bento and James R. Elliott, Rice University Date: Saturday, August 10 Time: 2:30 PM - 4:10 PM Session 111: Neoliberal Globalization and Environmental Injustice Room: York Suite Sponsors: Environment and Technology Global Organizer & Presider: Nikhil Deb, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Description: The session has a number of papers highlighting the nexus between neoliberal globalization and environmental/climate injustice. It has both case-study and quantitative research evidences (Such as in Latin America and North America) critical to understanding the environmental (in)justice issues we face today within and outside the US. Papers: “Power, Violence and Environmental Conflict: 21st Century Coal Transition in Colombia,” Tamra L. Gilbertson, University of Tennessee, Knoxville “Landscapes of Destruction, Landscapes of Waste: The Production of Enviro-racialized Landscapes as Strategies of Capital Accumulation and Processes of Bodily Dispossessions,” Christopher Oliver, Tulane University and Victor Torres Velez, Hostos Community College “Dumping in Dixie Revisited: Spatial Clustering of Toxic Releases in the U.S., 1987-2017,” Tanesha A. Thomas, City University of New York “The Effects of Structural Features of the Trade of Natural Resources on Environmental Degradation,” Danielle J. Vesia, University of California, Irvine “Constructing a Sustainable Food System? Alternative Food Networks in Buenos Aires, Argentina,” Isaac Leslie, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Clara Craviotti, National Scientific and Technical Research Council Date: Sunday, August 11 Time: 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Session 134: Intersection of Indigeneity and Environmentalism Room: Riverside Suite Sponsors: Conflict, Social Action, and Change Environment and Technology Organizers: Marko Salvaggio, Goucher College Thelma Velez, Ohio State University Presider: Thelma Velez, Ohio State University Papers: “Journey to Standing Rock: Environmental Justice on the Frontlines,” Anne Luna-Gordinier, California State University, Sacramento “Indigenous Sovereignty through Indigeneity: The Power of Water Epistemologies,” Doreen E. Martinez, Colorado State University “The Land That Sustains Us: Indigenous Environmental Resistances to Safeguard the Environment,” Carrie McLachlin Leslie, University of Oklahoma “Indigenous Pathways beyond Anthropocene Crises Decolonizing Land Governance to Nurture Biocultural Diversity and Climate Justice,” Leonardo Esteban Figueroa Helland and Abigail Perez Aguilera, The New School and Felix Mantz, Queen Mary University of London “From Rio to the Rights of Nature: The Role of Indigenous and Environmental Activism in the Emergence of a New Paradigm,” David Heath Cooper, University of Kansas Date: Sunday, August 11 Time: 12:30 PM - 2:10 PM Session 148: Dimensions of Health and Environmental Contexts Room: Riverside Suite Sponsors: Environment and Technology Health, Health Policy, and Health Services Organizer, Presider & Discussant: Danielle Christine Rhubart, University of Dayton Description: This session includes papers that utilize unique research methods or teaching techniques to examine relationships between context, environmental problems, and health. Papers: “What Role Does Gentrification Play on the Relationship between the Food Environment and Childhood Obesity in New York City? An Exploration of Social Factors on Individual Health Outcomes.,” Brennan Rhodes-Bratton and Andrew Rundle, Columbia University, Gina S. Lovasi, Drexel University and Julie B. Herbstman, Columbia University “Taste and Waste: Elementary and Middle School Children’s Experiences with School Lunch,” Blake J. Martin, North Carolina State University, Lillian MacNell, Campbell University, Sarah Bowen, North Carolina State University and Sinikka Elliott, University of British Columbia “Defining Health Risks of Climate Change as a Social Problem,” Hyung Sam Park, University of Central Florida “Role-playing Ibsen’s ‘Enemy of the People’ as a Teaching Tool for Environmental Sociology and Public Health,” Lillian MacNell and David Tillman, Campbell University Date: Sunday, August 11 Time: 2:30 PM - 4:10 PM Session 160: Environmental Justice and Life Changes Room: Riverside Suite Sponsors: Environment and Technology Society and Mental Health Organizer: Giovani Burgos, Adelphi University Papers: “‘There Was Nothing Alive There’: The Role of Emotion in Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Participation,” Jaime J. McCauley, Coastal Carolina University “Killing Them Softly with Water: Impacts of Racialization and Impoverishment on Water Quality in California,” Nataly Roxana Escobedo Garcia, University of California, Irvine “Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Childhood Mental Health: Inequalities of Neighborhood Built Environment?” Yuying Shen, Norfolk State University “Residential Racial Segregation and Neighborhood Air Quality: A Multilevel Test of the Racialized Place Inequality Framework,” Giovani Burgos, Adelphi University “The Tiny House Movement and Social Transformation: The Importance of Thinking (and Building) Tiny,” Tracey D. Harris, Cape Breton University Date: Sunday, August 11 Time: 4:30 PM - 6:10 PM THEMATIC Session 171: CRITICAL DIALOGUE: Societal, Environmental, & Educational Impacts of Technology Room: Riverside Suite Sponsor: Environment and Technology Organizer & Presider: Randall Amster, Georgetown University Description: Technology infuses all aspects of our life and work. This session will consider the nexus of societal, environmental, and educational implications. How do we address these issues in our research, scholarship, activism, & pedagogy? Papers: “Anti-toxics Activism and the Nonprofit Industrial Complex in Silicon Valley,” Travis L. Williams, Virginia Commonwealth University “Can You Help Me Now?: An Experiment in the Effects of Cell Phone Use on Social Capital Formation in Group Settings,” Simon J. Purdy, SUNY Delhi “Digital Downsides: The Negative Impacts of Social Media on Self and Society,” Ronald E. Bulanda, Miami University “Illuminating the SOCIAL in Social Media: Reclaiming a Common Humanity in the Digital Age,” Randall Amster, Georgetown University “Meetup/Hookup Apps: An Analysis of a MSM/Gay Global Sexual Market,” Robert T. Cserni, Stony Brook University Hot off the Press Recent publications in environment and technology Austin, Kelly. 2019. "Frey on “The Transfer of Core-based Hazardous Production Processes to the Periphery”: Contributions, Inspirations, and Lasting Legacy.” Journal of World-Systems Research 25(1):175-84. Econie, Alexis and Michael L. Dougherty. 2019. Contingent Work in the US Recycling Industry: Permatemps and Precarious Green Jobs. Geoforum, 99, 132-141. Frey, R. Scott, Paul K. Gellert, and Harry F. Dahms, eds. 2019. Ecologically Unequal Exchange - Environmental Injustice in Comparative and Historical Perspective. London: Palgrave MacMillan. Gellert, Paul K. 2019. "Bunker’s Ecologically Unequal Exchange, Foster's Metabolic Rift and Moore's World-Ecology: Distinctions with or without a Difference?” Chapter 4 in Ecologically Unequal Exchange - Environmental Injustice in Comparative and Historical Perspective, edited by R. Scott Frey, Paul K. Gellert, and Harry F. Dahms. London: Palgrave MacMillan Gellert, Paul K. 2019. “Neoliberalism and Altered State Developmentalism in the 21st century extractive regime of Indonesia.”Globalizations DOI: 10.1080/14747731.2018.1560189 Gellert, Paul K. 2019. "R. Scott Frey and the Unfinished Agenda of Unifying Economy and Environment in the World-System from Extraction to Waste ." Journal of World-Systems Research 25(1):185-93. Leslie, Isaac Sohn, Jaclyn Wypler, and Michael Mayerfeld Bell. 2019. “Relational Agriculture: Gender, Sexuality, and Sustainability in U.S. Farming.” Society & Natural Resources. Leslie, Isaac Sohn. 2019. “Queer Farmland: Land Access Strategies for Small-Scale Agriculture.” Society & Natural Resources. Pellow, David. 2019. “R. Scott Frey was Doing Critical Environmental Justice Long before Anyone Else.” Journal of World-Systems Research 25(1): 169-74. Serrano, Angela & Brooks, Andrew. 2019. “Who is left behind in global food systems? Local farmers failed by Colombia's avocado boom” Environment and Planning E. Advance Online Publication. doi: 10.1177/2514848619838195 Wishart, Ryan. 2019. “Class Capacities and Climate Politics.” Energy Research & Social Science 48:151–65. Note from the Editor Alexis Econie University of Wisconsin-Madison Hello, E&T Members! I am finishing up my first year of sociology doctoral study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my gratitude for those who made this year a happy and successful one. Specifically, I must thank my adviser, Jane Collins, and our Director of Graduate Studies, Monica White, for their outstanding support and council, as well as my cohort at Wisconsin for providing steadfast humor and fellowship during this first year. I am currently preparing a co-organized session with Yuki Kato (Georgetown University) and a paper to be presented in Erin Robinson's (Canisius College) Environmental Health and Labor panel. I look forward to meeting many of you at the annual meeting in Manhattan this summer! Alexis