| Please Welcome to FCS! | |
| New Faculty Members
Dr. Loretta Rudd is a clinical Assistant Professor with the Early Childhood Special Education Program with a joint appointment in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies specializing in preparing early childhood educators to work in classroom and home settings. She comes from Texas Tech University where she served as the Campus Champion for the Jumpstart for Young Children-Lubbock, an early literacy program that partners college students with children from low income homes. Dr. Rudd has taught undergraduate courses in language and literacy development, human exceptionalities, early childhood education, and sign language. She has taught graduate courses in research methods, human development, and early childhood development and learning. Dr. Seung-Hee Son is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies with a concentration on early childhood development and educaiton. She jointly holds a position in Child Devleopment and Family Studies in Purdue University. Dr. Son's research focuses on at-risk children's (low income and ethnic and linguistic minority chiildren) school readiness skills of language, literacy, social and self regulation during preschool and kindergarten transtion and early intervention. She has taught courses in advanced research methods and statistics, language and literacy teaching amd socioemotional guidance in early childhood. Visiting Scholars Lindsey xg Li is an associate professor in Economics at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Her current research interests mainly focus on Chinese macroeconomics and consumer economics. She has taught undergraduate courses in Economics of Money and Finance, International Finance etc. She has taught graduate courses in Economic Theories and Policies of China. She has recently been involved in a scholarship program sponsored by China Scholarship Council. Wanjeong Lee is a professor in the Department of Consumer & Child Studies, Inha University, Korea. Her current research interests focus on child care policy and influences of quality care on children's development. She has taught introduction of child care on an undergraduate level and curriculum development for young children on a graduate level. She is now a member of the Korean National Committee for Child Care Policy. She is a visiting scholar in the Department of Family & Consumer Studies. | |
| Fall 2009 Semester | |
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| Spring 2010 Semester | |
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| Congratulations! | |
| Congratulations to our IPIA demography team on their recent award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. The team includes co-PI's Ken Smith and Lori Kowaleski-Jones with four co-investigators- Barbara Brown, Jessie Fan, Ikuho Yamada, and Cathleen Zick. The project titled, "Neighborhood Characteristics and Body Mass Index: Selection or Causation?" will begin September 1, 2008. It provides $413,875 total costs for a two-year project. The project aim is to characterize the contributions of causal and selection explanations regarding the association between neighborhoods and BMI. | |
| Department Award Winner in 2008-2009 | |
| Associate Professor Sonia Salari - 2008 University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award
Topics in Sonia Salari’s teaching and research are not those of “polite” conversation and include domestic violence on children, intimate partner homicide-suicide, and elder mistreatment. Thankfully, these and other important societal concerns are being addressed by a most competent and passionate expert of family relationships. Salari deliberately creates a comfortable learning atmosphere where difficult topics are discussed. She uses a variety of techniques, including videos, guest lecturers, music, cartoons, and the life experiences of her students, to communicate the challenging material in an accessible way. The results are a highly engaging and relevant learning opportunity. “She did a good job of teaching intense information while keeping the atmosphere light,” said one student. “I won’t soon forget what I learned from Dr. Salari; she made the [heavy subject matter] so interesting I actually looked forward to the class.” Salari’s passion and inspiration is also reflected in her personal involvement in community service, which ranges from battered women’s victim advocate member of the Family Violence Advisory Council. Her undergraduate course in family policy encourages students to become involved in the community by lobbying for family issues in the Utah Legislature. “Climbing those steps to the Capitol I felt like ‘Rocky,’ wrote a student. “Thank you for offering this learning opportunity. There is a light inside me I never knew was there.” Her style emphasizes the communication skills that make her such an effective teacher. She constructs her assignments to train her students in the requisite writing and presentation skills needed to effect change in a highly emotional field. Salari received a Ph.D. in sociology from the State University of New York at Albany in 1993. She joined the University of Utah in 1995 after serving as a National Institute on Aging Postdoctoral Fellow at the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. | |
| Student Honors | |
| Congratulations to the following 2009-2010 scholarship recipients!
Valerie Barber - Departmental Jessica Callor - Departmental Jami Dunford - Departmental Kristy Draper - Elva Acklam Stark and Arvil L. Stark, Ph.D. Catherine Pierce Groves - Esther Peterson Sarah Hadlock - Barbara Christensen Lindsey Hubbard - Departmental Chunlien Liu - Departmental Jennifer Moody - Departmental Benjamin Norris - Departmental Kyle Poulin - Sara Baum Welke (Ida Mae Hanks) Maryjose Smith - Pinon Market Alison Teller - Sterling W. Sill Congratulations to the following KON 2008-2009 Graduates Christina Anderson, Darady Bitter, Jessica Bushman, Ashley Christiansen, Brandi Coombs, Paul Cundick, Angie Fife, Lora Garrison, Jessica Higgs, Lauren Horne, Chelsey Jensen Carver, Jenica Johnson, Amanda Lackey, Young Oak Lowe, Jennifer Lyday, Leslie Morley, Aaron Norton, Sae Ohashi, Sarah Overfelt, Jennifer Samuelson, Elizabeth Shirts, Holly Smith, Miriam Solen, Rishel Stewart, Gayle Turner Eckert, Annette Ward, Christopher Wright | |
| Family Ecology Graduates | |
| After finishing his graduate studies in Family Ecology in the Spring of 2009, Ryan Champlin took a job with a Community Action Program in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is currently a program planner and grant writer for various programs, including: a residential weatherization and energy partnership, a regional community gardens initiative, an implementation effort of a community revitalization visioning project, a financial institution watchdog project connected with the Community Reinvestment Act, and the organization’s “Greening” committee. Ryan has also begun a personal blogging project to document his life in a brand new city without a car and provide commentary on the built environment and its related policies.
In the Spring of 2007, Jonathan Gallimore graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He received a researcher designation and a Human Factors Certificate with his bachelor’s degree. During his senior year, Jonathan was given a scholarship from the Psychology Department and completed a Senior Thesis, an honor program, titled “Attention Deficits of Cell Phone Use on Pedestrians.” This project was presented at both the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research (UCUR), and the abstract was published in the University of Utah Undergraduate Research Abstracts Journal. In the Summer of 2009, Jonathan received his Master of Science in Human Development and Social Policy from the University of Utah. His committee consisted of Dr. Barbara Brown (chair), Dr. Carol Werner (co-chair), and Dr. Kevin Rathunde. During his graduate career, he worked closely with Dr. Brown and Dr. Werner, co-authored two manuscripts currently under review, and is preparing to submit another article for review with Dr. Brown and Dr. Werner on his master’s thesis. During the second year of graduate school, Jonathan was awarded the David and Dorothy Watkiss Scholarship. After assisting Zhou Yu with Research Methods for three semesters, Jonathan taught Research Methods online (FCS 3200-090) during the Summer of 2009. Currently, Jonathan is a PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at Washington State University (WSU), and is working with Dr. Lisa Fournier examining attention and visual processing. In the Fall of 2009, Jonathan will teach a lab section of Psychology 312, Research Methods, and supervise two research projects. After receiving a PhD, Jonathan’s plans to include a possible post-doctorate project, teaching psychology classes at a major university, and continued research into psychological processes. Ariana Prazen received her Master’s of Science Degree in Family Ecology at the University of Utah. Her thesis committee included: Dr. Nicholas H. Wolfinger (Chair), Dr. Lori Kowaleski-Jones, and Dr. Caitlin Cahill. Her thesis research considered how joint physical custody arrangements affected children’s neighborhood friendships. As a research assistant during graduate school, Ariana assisted with the Growing Up in Salt Lake City Project facilitated by Dr. Caitlin Cahill. Currently, she is the Program Manager for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring (a center under the College of Education at the University of Utah). The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring is a character education program for schools K-12. It is a valuable program built around five core values: Caring, Respect, Responsibility, Trust and Family. Besides Ariana’s position at Community of Caring, she is busy as a wife and mother of three wonderful children. Her future goals include being a part of the Community of Caring program as it progresses, and getting more involved in volunteering in the local community. | |
| Student Advisory Committee (SAC) | |
| Join up and serve the department and your fellow students. Have an impact on the quality of your professors. It will look good on your resume too! | |
| Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society | |
| Information about Kappa Omicron Nu can be found at http://www.fcs.utah.edu/undergrad/kon. | |
| Early Childhood Education Program | |
| The Early Childhood Education program has been revised. Click here to check out the changes. | |
| Requirement Updates | |
| An updated list of requirements for all FCS majors, minors and programs have been posted. These requirements have been posted exclusively in pdf format for better printability. The employment potential page has also been updated. Be sure to check these out. | |
| New Faculty Authored Books/Recommended Reading | |
| AGEING, Susan McDaniel; 2008, SAGE Major Work on Ageing/Gerontology
London, UK: Sage, A 4-volume edited book. (1624pps, ISBN: 9781412935586) See http://www.sagepub.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book230881 KINDERGARTEN AT WORK:-INTRODUCING THE SUPER 6-A YEARLY PLAN WITH A MONTH TO MONTH GUIDE TO WORKING SMARTER, NOT HARDER (Book I), Trish Saccomano & Kathy Bringhurst; 2007, KT Educational Enterprises. (158 pps, ISBN 9781605300122) See http://www.kteducation.com KINDERGARTEN AT WORK:-INTRODUCING THE SUPER 6-A YEARLY PLAN WITH A MONTH TO MONTH GUIDE TO WORKING SMARTER, NOT HARDER (Book II due out August 2008) | |
| Employment Potential | |
| Check out our new Job Bulletin Board
across from the Main Office, 228 AEB. This information should be of special interest to Seniors, and will answer the the infamous question "What can I do with this major?" for everyone. Look for frequent updates. Click here to see our new employment potential page. | |
What's New in the Department?