Alumni: Where are they now?
Michael Mascarenhas, Ph.D. (graduated with his doctorate in 2005)
Michael recently moved back to Vancouver, British Columbia where he has taken up a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia. As a fellow he is working on environmental justice issues involving Canada's Indigenous Peoples. Michael has also taken a full-time faculty position in the Department of Sociology at Kwantlen University College.
Tomiko Yamaguchi, Ph.D. (graduated with her doctorate in 2004)
Tomiko recently moved back to Japan after graduating from Michigan State University in 2004. Since February, she has been involved in research and the extension program at the Japan’s National Institute of Agribiological Sciences (NIAS). NIAS is the public research institute affiliated with the Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries where a range of research related to agriculture takes place.
Elizabeth Ransom, Ph.D. (graduated with her doctorate in 2003)
Elizabeth is currently an AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science and Technology Policy Fellow. As a fellow she is working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service as an International Trade Specialist. Elizabeth will join the faculty at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in August 2006.
Jean Kayitsinga, Ph.D. (graduated with his doctorate in 1999)
Jean is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University and a temporary faculty at Lansing Community College. After graduation, Jean worked as a research specialist at the Institute for Children, Youth, and Families (ICYF), analyzing data on sexual assault and intimate partner violence projects. Jean was also a research associate in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University, analyzing data on carbohydrate intake and biomarkers of glycemic control among U.S. adults. After a year and half of post-doctoral research experiences, Jean worked as Sr. Data Analyst at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), analyzing and managing data on several national and state funded projects, including the study on child death reviews in Michigan and in United States.
Lori Ann Post (graduated in 1999)
Lori is the Assistant Dean for Research in the College of Communication Arts and Science at Michigan State University. She is also a Senior Fellow at MSU's Outreach and Engagement and Assistant Professor in the Department of Telecommunications, Information and Media Studies. Her research interests are violence prevention, and the role of technology and health.
Doug Wilson (graduated with his doctorate in 1998)
Doug is currently a Senior Researcher at The Institute for Fisheries Management, a small foundation in rural Denmark that studies community involvement in fisheries management. This work has led Doug to fisheries in Africa, Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. His intellectual journey began with a general interest in co-management, but he is focusing more on how groups who must cooperate to manage a fishery (or any commons) create the shared knowledge they need. Doug draws on the local knowledge and sociology of science literatures in his studies. His position at IFM involves coordinating pan-European fisheries projects that engage fishers, conservation groups, and scientists from many disciplines. He chairs a permanent working group at ICES, the international marine science organization, and in the last three years has co-edited two multidisciplinary books. These were also opportunities to learn about working with people who know things in different ways. Doug first joined IASCP in 1991 and has attended five global meetings. He serves on the Scientific Committee for the 2006 European IASCP meeting. Doug was Digest editor from 1999 through 2005. During this time period, he attended IASCP Executive Council meetings so is familiar with the responsibilities of a council member. Doug is excited to have the chance to continue to help build the IASCP. His vision for IASCP is to bring in more people who think differently about the commons. Doug feels that the key is to continue to strengthen the regions through regional events and facilitating broad participation in the global meetings.
Paula Palmer, Ph.D. (graduated with her Master’s degree in 1989)
Paula is currently the Executive Director of Global Response, an international organization promoting social and environmental justice. She has been recently awarded the Ninth Annual Peacemaker of the Year award by the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Ann Baker Cottrell, Ph.D. (graduated with her doctorate in 1970)
Ann has recently retired from the Department of Sociology at San Diego University after 33 years. Ann focused on global/international, social change and qualitative methods in her courses. She is currently continuing a research project on adult third culture kids begun by Ruth and John Useem. She is also working with MSU alumni Kiki McCarthy (Ph.D. in 1972) and Sal Restivo (Ph.D. in 1974) on a festschrift in honor of the Useems.
Rolf Schulze, Ph.D. (graduated with his doctorate in 1966)
Rolf has recently retired from the Department of Sociology at San Diego University after 37 years of teaching. Rolf taught courses related to political sociology and social problems. He remains actively involved in union affairs.
Jonathan B. VanGeest (graduated with his Master's degree in 1991) Jonathan is currently the Chair of Health Policy and Management in the School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University. After graduation, Jonathan completed a doctorate in medical sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Jonathan worked as a Senior Scientist and Program Director in Medicine and Public Health at the American Medical Association (AMA). Additionally, he served as a Scientist in the AMA's Institute for Ethics, an academic research and training center uniquely situated within the nation's largest medical professional association. Jonathan has also held faculty appointments in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois in Chicago and in the College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University. His research interests are centered on racial and ethnic disparities in health care, quality of care, and professional and care outcomes associated with structural changes in medicine.
