The department welcomed four first-year graduate students into the program for 2023-2024. Within that group, Jillian Mitchell and Aseret Hesse were awarded College Recruitment Fellowships. There was a strong group of applicants for the Ph.D. program this year and we are excited about the incoming cohort of five students joining the program in the fall!
John Gonsler successfully defended his dissertation titled “The Stories They are Dying to Tell You: A Study of News Media Coverage of Gun Violence” in April. Dr. Gonsler is currently a Visiting Instructor of Criminology and Sociology at Manchester University.
Congratulations, Dr. Gonsler!
Katie Barrus presented "Police Understanding and Perception of African American English" at the Three Minute Thesis competition hosted on the IU campus on February 15, 2024. Katie earned 2nd place for her presentation.
Katie also received the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Division of Policing Student Travel Award to attend the ASC conference in Philadelphia, PA in November, 2023.
Carmen Diaz was awarded the Forensics Studies Hue & Cry Award. The annual department award recognizes academic merit, teaching skills, and concern for the welfare of the department and its students. Carmen is a fourth-year graduate student who served as the graduate student representative on the Committee for Graduate Studies. She also works on several grants that address racial disparities in prosecution.
Allison Pierce presented “The Smoking Gun: Spatial Network Analysis of Evidence-Linked Firearms.” at the Three Minute Thesis competition hosted on the IU campus on February 15, 2024.
Allison was also awarded the Dissertation Research Fellowship from the College of Arts & Sciences for the 2024-2025 academic year. The 10-month fellowship provides support while she conducts research and writes her dissertation.
Hannah Ridner was awarded the Robert F. Borkenstein Graduate Award. The annual department award honors former Professor Emeritus Borkenstein and is awarded to a student who exemplifies superior work at the graduate level. Hannah is a fourth-year graduate student and in the past year authored a report for the Association of Doctoral Program in Crime and Criminal Justice, presented her research at the ASC conference on creating a storymap on convict leasing in the south, and worked with other units on campus to create a data sharing center.
The College of Arts