Category: Social Sciences

Stories about UCCS LAS Social Science topics.

LAS Faculty Receive CRCW Seed Grants

LAS faculty several natural and social science departments were recently awarded funding from the UCCS Committee on Research & Creative Works (CRCW):

Christine Biermann, Geography and Environmental Studies
& Emily Mooney, Biology
Tracking Change in the Mountains: Alpine Insects and Treeline Ecosystems as Indicators of Climatic Shifts

Justin Cole, Mathematics
Approximation of Topological Insulators in Photonic Lattices

Elizabeth Daniels, Psychology
Social Media and Sexualization among Adolescent Girls from Diverse Backgrounds

Dylan Harris, Geography and Environmental Studies
Seeing the Changing Climate in Changing Cultures in Georgia & Colorado

Karin Larkin, Anthropology
Chasing the Cure: Archaeology and Material Culture of the Navajo Era of Cragmor Sanatorium

Diana Selmeczy, Psychology
The Development of Adaptive Help-Seeking in Children

LAS Faculty Participate in Town Hall to Confront Anti-Asian Stereotypes and Violence

Stephen Cho Suh, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Ethnic Studies, Sandy Ho, Assistant Dean & Director of Student Affairs, College of Education Assistant Professor attendant rank of Languages & Cultures, Yang Wei, Associate Professor of History, and George Bayuga, Instructor of Anthropology took part in the town hall. Learn more by reading the recent article in the Communique, written by Mark Belcher. You can also watch a recording of the town hall.

LAS Alum: “I Am” Air Force Installation and Mission Support

Pamela Miller, an Anthropology and History alum, was recently featured on #IAMIMSC. A select quote from her feature: “My duties include programing projects that guide archaeological and architectural inventories and updating each Installation Cultural Resources Management Plan. I also program projects related to Native American ethnographic studies and identification of properties of traditional, religious and cultural importance to 36 federally-recognized tribes with a cultural affiliation to the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming.”

Faculty Research Spotlight: Dr. Escasa-Dorne of Anthropology

Michelle Escasa-Dorne

Dr. Michelle Escasa-Dorne, Associate Professor of Anthropology, was an author on the following recent publication: Swami, V., Escasa-Dorne, M. et al. (2020). The Breast Size Satisfaction Survey (BSSS): Breast Size Dissatisfaction and its Antecedents and Outcomes in Women from 40 Nations. Body Image, 32:199-217. Keep reading to learn more about this study.

Continue reading “Faculty Research Spotlight: Dr. Escasa-Dorne of Anthropology” →

LAS Alum Wins Film Award

Samone Roberts

Samone Roberts, a 2020 Communications B.A. graduate, recently won a Silver Telly Award for the short animated film she made as a student in the Digital Filmmaking Track of the Communication Department. Her film, The Gardener, was made with the assistance of an LAS Student-Faculty Research and Creative Works grant that was awarded to Samone and her mentor, David Nelson, Professor and Chair of Communication. The Gardener was one of only 20 films in the country that won a Silver Telly in the Student Category. Professor Nelson first met Samone when she was in his Freshman Seminar class “Storytelling: From Casablanca to Star Wars”.  She told him then that she would like to make an animated film someday.

Watch Samone’s short film, The Gardener.

Online Communication Degree Rated in the top 10 by Study.com

Study.com has published its 2021 rankings, and UCCS was ranked #7 on their list Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Communications. To compile the list study.com considered hundreds of universities across the country and selected University of Colorado Colorado Springs based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty, and more. 

The online BA in Communications at UCCS is designed to provide a well-rounded overview of the field of communication and includes multiple electives to customize the program to students’ specific interests.



LAS FACULTY IN THE COMMUNIQUE: CHRIS BELL’S NEW BOOK “Disney Channel Tween Programming”

Chris Bell

Dr. Chris Bell, Associate Professor of Communication, was interviewed by the Communique about his new book “Disney Channel Tween Programming: Essays on Shows from Lizzie McGuire to Andi Mack.” Anna Squires conducted the interview and authored the article: “7 Questions with Chris Bell, author of “Essays on Shows from Lizzie McGuire to Andi Mack.”

Research of Tara Cepon-Robins from Anthropology Featured in High Impact Outlets

Tara Cepon-Robins

The research of Dr. Tara Cepon-Robins, Associate Professor of Anthropology, was recently published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and also featured in the journal Science. Dr. Cepon-Robins’s scientific article in PNAS, “Pathogen disgust sensitivity protects against infection in a high pathogen environment,” was described for a broader audience in Science: “Disgusted by spoiled food? You may be protecting yourself from disease,” by Ann Gibbons. This research was also featured recently in the UCCS Communique in an article written by Anna Squires: “Cepon-Robins: A healthy sense of disgust can keep you from getting sick.”

Communications Faculty Member Honored by Former Student on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Cathryn Supplee

Cathryn Supplee, Lecturer for the Department of Communication, was honored by a former student who sent a note of thanks through The Civics Center, a national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on high school voter registration and civic engagement:

“Thank you for your commitment to improving and educating people on intercultural communication. I can say with certainty that your work has improved this world and spread awareness for important issues.   -Fischer Kirwan

On behalf of The Civics Center, you inspire us, too. Thank you for the amazing work you have done to support your students and community.”