Faculty Highlights
February 2006: Bruce Wilson, an associate professor of Political Science, will serve as an official observer of the Costa Rican presidential election on Feb. 5.
January 2006: Bruce M. Wilson was invited to join an international group of scholars examining the impact of judicial reform on the lives of marginalized groups in less developed countries. The most recent meeting was in Santiago, Chile in December 2005. Dr. Wilson's paper, entitled "What Happens when Marginalized Groups Win Constitutional Decisions Evidence from Costa Rica," was presented at the "Courts and the Marginalized: Comparative Experiences" workshop, December 1-2, 2005, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago de Chile.
November 2005: Associate Professor Bruce M. Wilson was recently invited to give a presentation at Costa Rica's leading research think tank, Programa de la Nacion, on November 4, 2005. His presentation was entitled "el acceso de los grupos minoritarios al sistema de justicia costarricense" [Minority group access to Costa Rica's judicial system].
May 2005: Dr. Kerstin Hamann and Philip Pollock have each been honored with a 2005 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) can be defined as research into teaching methods and effectiveness, with the ultimate goal of evaluating student learning. Each year, UCF sponsors 10 SoTL awards funded by the Office of Academic Affairs. Award recipients are chosen for the value and impact of their scholarship and creative efforts on the teaching and learning community.
May 2005: Instructor Cindy Benson won the first annual Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award given by the LINK First-Year Experience Program. The award is based on student nominations.
April 2005: Associate Professor Kerstin Hamann received the CAS College Excellence in Professional Service Award and the University Excellence in Professional Service Award. Dr. Hamann also was also awarded a University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award in April 2005.
April 2005: Professor Philip H. Pollock received a University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award in April 2005.
March 2005: Assistant Professor Annabelle Conroy received an in-house Research Grant from UCF's Office of Research and Commercialization. The title of her project is "Latino Political Participation in Central Florida."
March 2005: Assistant Professor Barbara Kinsey received an in-house Research Grant from UCF's Office of Research and Commercialization. Her project title is "Casting the Anti-Immigrant Vote in Fortress Europe: Power Theory of Inter-group Relations."
March 2005: Jonathan Knuckey was awarded tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor.
February 2005: Kerstin Hamann and Bruce Wilson helped set up a new journal, Journal of Political Science Education (JPSE), and they are part of that journal's editoral board. The first issue of the JPSE was published in February 2005, and it also contains an article by these two faculty members and fellow professor Philip Pollock. [ Journal ]
February 2005: Bruce M. Wilson was invited to present his research on Judicial Reform in Latin America to the faculty and students at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia in San Jose, Costa Rica. The invited presentation took place February 10, 2005.
January 2005: Associate Professor Bruce Wilson, Professor Philip H. Pollock and Associate Professor Kerstin Hamann received the American Political Science Association Undergraduate Education section's Best Paper Award presented at the 2004 APSA meeting (The award was announced in March 2005 and will be presented in September 2005 at the APSA meeting). The paper title was "Teaching and Learning Online: Assessing the Effect of Gender Context on Active Learning". A revised version was subsequently published as Teaching and Learning Online: Assessing the Effects of Gender Context on Active Learning in the Journal of Political Science Education in January 2005.
