Inside 21St Century Trends E
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Volume 41 • Number 7 • November 2013 Congressional Briefing on Aging in Rural America: inside 21st Century Trends E. Helen Berry, Utah State University and when one in Nina Glasgow, Cornell University five Americans STEM at the Mall 3 nce rural America was young; are expected to ASA participated in the Onow it is a lot older, result- be of retire- grown-up version of a ing in opportunities and chal- ment age. A science fair hoping to spark lenges for nonmetropolitan majority of the young people’s interest in areas. The Consortium of Social retirees will be science. Science Associations (COSSA) women. Rural hosted a congressional briefing in places will be Public Engagement: Washington, DC, on June 20, 2013, more affected 4 by aging than U.S. vs. UK that addressed those prospects. In an overview at the briefing, urban areas, not The United States is better at only because Nina Glasgow (Cornell University) (From left to right) E. Helen Berry, Joachim Singelmann, Nina Glasgow, writing for audiences other rural areas are than peer reviewers. observed that, in 2012, nearly 17 Douglas Gurak, Howard Silver, Kenneth Johnson percent of the nonmetropolitan demographi- population was age 65 or older com- cally older rural counties, primarily in the 5 Rural Sociology’s pared with only 13 percent in met- but because rural older residents South and West, receive internal in- Historian ropolitan areas. The last of the baby receive lower Social Security and migration from well-to-do retirees At the age of 103, Olaf boomers will reach age 65 by 2030 pension benefits than urban elders. Larson is still busy in the Concurrently, some high amenity Continued on page 6 field. 6 The Sorokin Lecture Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Manuscript Review Strategies Major ASA lectured for a different type David Brunsma, Virginia Tech; counting only time actually spent Award Recipients of audience at a community Monica Prasad, Northwestern University; reviewing the manuscript (i.e., college. Ezra Zuckerman, MIT only the net work time)? Honored in New n August 2011 the ASA Council 2. Are there standard things that Nominate Your Iappointed an ad hoc committee you look for, or standard issues York City 7 Colleagues to investigate manuscript review that crop up with manuscripts? he American Sociological Know a great teacher, times in journals. The subcommit- 3. What are your strategies for TAssociation (ASA) presented the researcher, writer, tee identified several areas in need reviewing the manuscript 2013 major awards at this year’s dissertation? Nominate of improvement, such as presenting quickly? Annual Meeting on August 12 in New them for an ASA award. more accurate measures of editorial 4. What are your strategies for York City. The Awards Ceremony, lag statistics. Another recommen- reviewing the manuscript followed by the Presidential Address, dation was that ASA interview thoroughly? was well attended. These awards are reviewers nominated by editors as We note that, because we did not given to sociologists for their outstand- unusually skilled and then create attempt to identify average or poor ing publications, achievements in the and publicize a document summa- reviewers and compare them with scholarship, teaching, and practice of rizing these reviewers’ strategies for these good reviewers, we have no sociology, as well as for their overall reviewing articles thoroughly and way of knowing whether these good advancement of the discipline. Below in a timely manner. The subcom- reviewers’ stated strategies actually are the profiles of the awardees. The mittee’s full report on “best reviewer contributed to their reputation for profiles of the Dissertation co-winners From the Executive Officer .................2 practices” is available at <www. providing high-quality, fast reviews. will appear in the December issue. Science Policy .........................................3 asanet.org/about/Council_Reports. Our aim in this project was not to ASA Forum ............................................ 14 cfm>. After identifying the standout W.E.B. DuBois Career of assess causation, so much as to start reviewers of ASA and non-ASA Distinguished Scholarship Award Announcements ................................. 15 a conversation on this central but journals, the three of us conducted Joe R. Feagin, Texas A&M Obituaries .............................................. 18 invisible task of our profession. As these “interviews” over email with a University one respondent noted, “Manuscript total of 26 reviewers. We asked: W.E.B. DuBois is one of Joe reviewing must be one of the most Feagin’s sociological heroes. Feagin’s 1. How long does it take you to important, least formally trained review a manuscript on average, Continued on page 14 Continued on page 8 footnotes • November 2013 To view the online version, visit <www.asanet.org/footnotes/nov13/index.html> 1 American Sociological Association footnotes.asanet.org from the executive officer Congressional Impasse and Government Shutdown Hurts Science and the Nation he Science, Technology, Reaches into the Classroom,” of its employees furloughed. federal service—civil service, TEngineering and Mathematics October 4, 2013, The Chronicle of The approximately 30 percent of appointed or elected—is eroding (STEM) Career Fair (see page Higher Education); and, middle employees who continued to work so quickly one wonders who will 3 for ASA’s participation) was school-age children saw class at NIH maintained intramural fill these vital roles on behalf of our one of the last public trips to Washington, experiments, cared for patients, nation in the coming years. I know engagement programs DC, cancelled because provided security and other tasks. this personally; I and many of my the National Science our National Mall, NSF had even fewer staff on hand. professional colleagues have served Foundation (NSF) Smithsonian Museums, Because of this, research money one or more of these roles. participated in prior to and historic monu- did not make its way to investiga- Not the Way to Govern or the October 1, 2013, ments were closed and tors—closing facilities and putting Advance Science federal government shutdown, barricaded. research on hold. which lasted 16 days. While this It is now apparent that shut- Not just kids, but sociological And the future of public ser- STEM Career Fair occurred in ting the federal government (and science impacted vice too a suburban Washington, DC, holding the debt default hostage) shopping mall with thousands Obviously, students were not the The shutdown took a personal was an attempt to achieve a narrow of eager children participating, only ones hurt from the govern- toll on the more than 800,000 political objective. This type of gov- events like this occur throughout ment shutdown, but the younger furloughed employees. While erning is short-sighted and deeply the country most weekends of the among them are newer to science federal employees will receive damaging, especially to long-term year. Federal agencies like the U.S. and politics. ASA members and retroactive pay, they did not national commitments such as our Census Bureau, NASA, NOAA, other researchers faced significant receive full paychecks until after investment in science. This past Department of Energy, EPA, difficulties as well. With only 40 the shutdown ended. The many several weeks has done damage, and National Institutes of Health federal employees at the Census more federal contractors are some of which is not repairable, (NIH) sponsor and participate in Bureau headquarters, the Bureau’s unlikely to see any retroactive pay. but it is also a scary precedent. these events regularly to help the work stopped. Sociologists Federal employees scrambled to Shutting down the nation’s gov- public, especially younger students and other data users across the find money to pay mortgages, col- ernment by a few elected leaders is and teens, gain an appreciation for country could not access the lege tuition, and other debts. The difficult to reconcile with a modern science and a better understanding Census Bureau’s demographic and national newspapers reported on democratic society. When they of the numerous science careers socioeconomic data. Federal data- the many workers who dipped into caused the shutdown, they failed to available to them. Students may collection was halted, including their retirement or leveraged their act in the best interest of our nation be inspired by these events and the American Community Survey home equity to cover expenses, or and the American people. (ACS) and Current Population missed a rent payment and had to among them are our nation’s future Share Your Shutdown Story innovators. Survey (CPS), which means that take their kids and move in with The federal government shut- Because of the federal govern- unemployment and other labor parents. The press also reported down affected all of us. At first ment shutdown, these worthwhile force reports will be delayed or on those Americans who believe the shutdown did not appear to events were diminished in scope cancelled. Analysis for widely the shutdown had no negative have a lasting negative impact, and impact and even cancelled. used data products, including consequences. I guess these folks but its ripples soon became waves. Will some children choose a differ- ACS estimates for 2012, was put didn’t notice that preparation for Share your story with us so that ent career path because they were on hold, delaying the availability the flu season by the Centers for we can help Congress understand not exposed to science outside the of this information for months. Disease Control is significantly that forcing a shutdown of the classroom or could not sustain The resulting gaps in social data behind schedule; many die from government is not an appropriate their initial interest? and other scientific data (e.g., the flu each year in the United legislative choice. Comment on During the shutdown, stu- Antarctic research because the States, especially children and the our Facebook page, via Twitter at dents from elementary school to U.S.