Center for Applied Social Sciences Presents Faculty Research Thursday, March 14

VALDOSTA – A year after embarking on projects that address various social issues, four Valdosta State University faculty members are ready to present their research to the public. The Center for Applied Social Sciences will host faculty research presentations in the University Center Theater Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m.

“Each of the faculty members’ funded research underscores the operating mission of the center,” said Dr. Darrell L. Ross, center director. “The research is diverse in nature and demonstrates an important commitment to performing ongoing research and scholarly activity by each faculty member. The findings of each project are making an important contribution to each discipline represented.”

The center awarded faculty members $900 for each project.  

Presentations include the following:

Dr. Catherine Oglesby, History

Georgia Senior Women Oral History Project

This project is a collaboration between Oglesby, professor of history, and Dr. Kate Warner and Dr. Martha Laughlin, professors of marriage and family therapy. It is an oral history project that provides the historical and sociological perspectives of women who were raised in the middle decades of the 20th century (1930s to 1960s). The perspectives are examined to understand the role cultural factors (regional, racial, sexual, class, etc.) have played in shaping these women. Additional funding for this project was provided by the Georgia Humanities Council, the Leona Hudson Estate and several internal grants.

Dr. Joyce Chan, Anthropology

Taphonomic Assessment of Pig Carrion in South Georgia

This project establishes a decomposition timeline to estimate the time of death and reconstruct events leading to a person's death. A decomposition timeline is used for determining a postmortem interval (PMI) for bodies found. Pigs were used as human analogs to determine a decomposition and decay rate at the outdoor Lake Louise site. Entomological and decay data is important for local law enforcement officials working with PMI estimation in forensic cases.

Dr. Wilson Huang, Criminal Justice

A Global Perspective on the Relationship between Technology and Internet Crimes

This project provides a macro-perspective to theoretical explanations of cybercrime. The study concentrates on phishing attacks and their associations with global indicators such as computer usage, Internet accessibility, secure server provision, mobile phone density, etc. This applied research sheds light on certain causes of cyberspace crimes and offers suggestions to manage this growing problem.

Dr. Chris Meyers, History

Historical Land Use Analysis: Richmond County Georgia

This project provides an examination of an important 365-acre tract of land in Richmond County (Augusta). It documents how the land was used, with a focus on the operations of the nursery. The property was originally possessed and occupied by Native Americans, who eventually lost the land to European settlers. In the late 1850s a family of Belgian immigrants purchased the land and turned it into one of the most famous nurseries in America, Fruitlands Nursery. The nursery introduced many new species of flowers and plants to the United States and the owner, Prosper Julius Alphonse Berckmans, was the most noted horticulturalist in Georgia. Three decades into the 20th century, the nursery deteriorated and the land was sold to become a golf course.

All projects funded through the Center for Applied Social Sciences are consistent with the center’s goal to expand human knowledge through innovation, research and creative activities. The center was established in September 2011 by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice and the Marriage and Family Therapy Program. The center assists agencies and communities by providing policy and problems analysis, problem-solving techniques and educational/training services to community, private and governmental agencies.

For more information about the research presentations, call (229) 333-5492.