Sociology PhD student, alumnus win American Sociological Association awards

June 1, 2020

Mark Suchyta has been awarded the Jane Goodall Award for Graduate Student Scholarship for his paper "Environmental Values and Americans' Beliefs about Farm Animal Well-Being."

The award is presented by the Animals & Society section of the American Sociological Association 2020 Awards. In addition to the title, a donation has been made in Suchyta's name with the Bay Area Animal Place charity.

Mark Suchyta joined the Department of Sociology in 2015 after earning degrees at the University of Michigan (BA, 2011) and the Pennsylvania State University (MS, 2016). He also had a brief career in social work. He is a dual-PhD student studying Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy. As an environmental sociologist, he is interested in how humans and the natural world can thrive together. Mark’s dissertation research explores how human well-being is related to environmental quality, experiences with nature, and non-human animals. This consists of bringing together both social and natural science data. He is also working on publications from past research on natural resource management and perceptions of animal agricultural industries. As a passionate instructor, Mark strives to develop effective ways to share everyday applications of sociology and the environmental sciences with others from all backgrounds. When not working on his research and teaching, he spends most of his time with his spouse and three adopted birds at home

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Also winning an ASA award is MSU Sociology alumnus Cameron Whitley. Dr. Whitley received the Clifton Bryant Animals & Society Course Award for "Animals, People, and Nature" which he teaches at Western Washington University. Dr. Whitley, now an assistant professor of Sociology, graduated with dual doctoral degrees in Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy.  His thesis was titled Human-environment interactions in urban environment and sustainable development: Spatial modeling and landscape prediction in northeast Thailand

Congratulations to both Mark and Cameron!