West Virginia University Associate Professor Rachel Stein has been elected vice president of the North Central Sociological Association. The NCSA is a regional sociology association including: Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada.
The objectives of the NCSA are to further the development of sociology as a scientific and scholarly discipline through stimulation and promotion. The organization holds an annual meeting which provides faculty and graduate students in the region an arena in which to present their research and houses the regional undergraduate conference, held at the same time as the annual meetings.
“As a graduate student at the University of Akron, I regularly presented my research at the NCSA meetings and have made it my goal to involve my current graduate and undergraduate students in the NCSA,” said Stein. “Several of my undergraduate students presented their senior capstone research projects at the NCSA conference in 2011 and 2012. Over the past six years, we have consistently had between six and twelve WVU Sociology graduate students present research papers at the NCSA meetings.”
Since joining the Department of Sociology in 2008, Dr. Stein’s research has been on the scholarship of teaching and learning and the study of Amish culture. She is also interested in opportunities that lead to crime and victimization. Her work has appeared in “Teaching Sociology” and “Sociological Focus.” Stein also serves as Director of Graduate Studies for the Department.
“My service on the NCSA council and continued involvement in the organization has made a name for WVU in the organization. In addition, the regular attendance and participation of the WVU Sociology graduate students has created a positive image for WVU. WVU also has a fairly large faculty contingent that participates on a regular basis,” said Stein.
