Graduate Students Present Research at American Society of Criminology's Annual Conference

University of Arkansas, Dept. of Sociology

Above from left, Kyle Kaminicki and Evan Mudgett; below: Abigail Rongey and Hannah Steinman.

Six graduate students from the University of Arkansas will present their research at the 75th Annual American Society of Criminology Conference in San Francisco next week from Nov. 13-16.

Hannah Steinman, Abigail Rongey, Will Berry, Evan Mudgett, and Kyle Kaminicki from the Department of Sociology and Criminology, and Meredith Lerma from the Department of Geosciences, will present on topics ranging from predicting crime to domestic terrorism and media representations of immigration and crime.

Jeff Gruenewald, associate professor and director of the Terrorism Research Center in the Department of Sociology and Criminology is one of several faculty members who will be accompanying students to the conference next week.

"Encouraging our students to present their research at regional and national conferences remains a priority for our faculty," Gruenewald said. "Students who attend these conferences not only develop skills in research and public speaking, but they are also able to network with faculty from other criminology programs and potential employers."

Three students will be presenting findings based on analyses of data from the American Terrorism Study, which is currently funded by the National Institute of Justice and housed in the Terrorism Research Center. 

Gruenewald noted that, "[i]t is always great to see our students, who are working day in and day out building the American Terrorism Study, asking questions and utilizing the data for their own original studies."

The American Society of Criminology is an international, multidisciplinary conference on issues related to criminology and criminal justice topics, and is the largest of criminology conference in the United States. The conference serves as a forum for academics and practitioners to exchange empirical findings and ideas about the causes, consequences, and responses to crime through research, teaching and practice.

For decades, criminology faculty from the Department of Sociology and Criminology have mentored and encouraged both undergraduate and graduate students to present their research at the conference. 

Gruenewald said that he has seen many students over the years present their research at the conference and gain a better understanding of criminology as a field and confidence in their own abilities to do research.