Ten John Jay students, including three freshmen, enjoyed a rare opportunity to present research at a top-flight academic conference last month, when their poster presentations were accepted for display at the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) conference in New York.
At the ESS conference, held Feb. 26 – March 1, John Jay students and faculty participated in a total of 26 sessions, including poster presentations, paper sessions, workshops, roundtables, mini-conferences and author-meets-critics sessions. In addition, President Jeremy Travis was a participant in a Presidential Session on “The Future of Mass Incarceration.”
“Our students had truly spectacular exhibits and research presentations at the 2015 ESS conference, and we are very proud of their accomplishments,” said Professor Henry Pontell, the newly appointed chair of the Sociology Department and Presidential Scholar. “Special thanks go to Professor Jay Pastrana and all the faculty advisors and mentors for giving our students this wonderful professional opportunity which will undoubtedly help advance their careers.”
The ESS gathering is the largest regional sociology conference in the country.
The participating students, including two recent graduates, had to submit an abstract of their research to compete for a spot at the conference. Upon acceptance, they worked with Pastrana on polishing their posters and presentation skills.
The three freshmen were members of First-Year Seminar sections taught by Professors Ric Curtis and Anthony Marcus. “This is unprecedented success for freshmen,” said Kate Szur, Senior Director of Student Academic Success Programs. “It shows the benefit of early research engagement, and is a testament to the research mentoring provided by the faculty.”
The student participants and their research topics were:
Brenda Ballena (B.A., Political Science). “Homelessness and the Feminization of Poverty.” Mentor: Pastrana.
Kelsey Barnett (freshman). “Love During First-Time Sex.” Mentor: Curtis.
Leslie Camargo and Scott Friebl (freshmen). “Gender Socialization and Body Modification.” Mentor: Curtis.
Sarah Corro (B.A., Criminology). “Assimilation in Multiracial Marriages.” Mentor: Pastrana.
Ayesha Hakim (junior). “A Borderless World: How Social media Is Dissolving International Borders, Creating World Citizens.” Mentor: Michael Rowan.
Rabia Javed (freshman). “Gender, Jobs and Careers in the Online Sex Industry.” Mentor: Curtis.
Gabriella Mungalsingh (junior). “Sex Work in Trinidadand Tobago: Factors Restricting Sex Workers’ Access to Healthcare.” Mentor: Rosemary Barberet.
Tsvetana Muntyan (sophomore). “LGBT Discrimination and Hate Crime in Russia: Results of the Federal Anti-LGBT Propaganda Law.” Mentor: David Green.
Lisa Thompson (senior, CUNY BA). “Critical Theory within Higher Education.” Mentor: Crystal Jackson.
