August & September 2025
Teaching
José Padin's (Sociology faculty) undergraduate and graduate sociological theory courses motivated students to form an informal SOC Club, with students facilitating activities like a book club, study sessions, a Discord channel, and eventually a SOC blog. One student states: “The first class that I ever took with Jose was Prejudice, Privilege, and Power during winter of 2024, and he ended up being a driving force for me deciding to study sociology at PSU…. For me, it was Jose's teaching style and passion for teaching that really motivated me. I really appreciated how he challenged us to be critical thinkers and to take what we learned from the material off of the page, into real world contexts."
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Andrea Baron (Sociology graduate student), Hall J, Byers J, Cohen D, Linder S. “State Proposed Solutions to Expanding Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder.” Accepted for publication in Health Services Research Oct 2025.
Lindner S, Hall J, Manibusan, B, Byers J, Hart K, Andrea Baron (Sociology graduate student), McCarty D, McConnell J, Cohen D. “How Did Medicaid's 1115 Substance Use Disorder Waivers Increase Medication Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder?” Accepted for publication in The Milbank Quarterly Sept 2025.
Progress on Books and Other Publications
Aaron Roussell (Sociology faculty) authored Don’t panic: An overview of 0click hacks. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Career Progression
Heather Costa (Sociology graduate student) is teaching CHLA 303U Chicana-Latina Experiences for PSU.
Jefferson Cunanan’s (Sociology undergraduate) flash talk titled “Pilipinx American Perspectives on Kapwa and Well-Being” has been accepted for presentation at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) 30th Annual Conference. In addition, the symposium led by Jefferson’s mentor, Dr. Lainey Sevillano, titled “Transforming Mental Health through Cultural Praxis and Communal Healing in Pilipinx American and API Communities,” was also accepted for the same conference. Jefferson states: “Even though this opportunity is rooted in Social Work, it connects closely to my experiences as a senior in the Sociology program and my research involvement in the K.A.P.W.A. Lab under Dr. Lainey Sevillano over the past year… This opportunity feels especially meaningful as it represents a bridge between Sociology and Social Work, highlighting the intersections of culture, well-being, and community-based research. I’m incredibly grateful for the mentorship I’ve received and for the encouragement from my classmates, friends, and faculty/staff in the Sociology program to share this news.”
Iris S. De Lis (Sociology graduate student) was asked to join the leadership team of the national SCIENCE Collaborative Alternative Grading Community of Practice.
" After attending the 2025 Grading Conference, and then spending time with the team in Ohio, I started work on a framework that I intend to focus on for my PhD program. I’ve spent roughly 200 hours on it so far and I’m thrilled that it is already gaining traction, even in its draft form. I’ve had faculty at three different universities reach out to ask if they can incorporate elements of it into their courses this academic year, and I have been invited to write 1 - 3 book chapters on this and other related topics for a planned book on student-centered grading practices.
My draft work is here: www.goalframework.org
Emmanuel Legarreta (Sociology MA from PSU 2025) secured a full-time position as a data manager for two databases (OSECE and OCEACT) in PSU's Regional Research Institute.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) signed a MOU between PSU Institute for Asian Studies and Institute for Social Science Research at Kyungpook National University in Korea.
Public Scholarship
Daniel Jaffee (Sociology faculty) was an invited panelist on a webinar organized by the Plastic Pollution Coalition, where he presented his research on bottled water and social inequality.
Service
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) served as an Invited Panelist at the “AKSA Past Presidents’ Panel” at the AKSA 10-Year Anniversary Conference, Chicago, IL.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) served as a Faculty Mentor, Section of Asian and Asia America, American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) served as a Faculty Mentor, the Association of Korean Sociologists in America, Chicago, IL.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) served as a Member of the Program Committee and Paper Award Committee, The 4th International Conference of Sociology of Korea, Stanford University, CA.
Presentations
Madi Lou Alexander (Sociology graduate student) presented their thesis entitled “I’m strictly t4t”: Trans for Trans Connections in the Contemporary” in a roundtable focused on Transgender Consciousness, Realities, and Activism at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.
Although she was not able to attend, Carla Jimena (Sociology graduate student) was accepted to present “A Critical Appraisal of Poverty in the Context of Nature-Based Communities: Selected Cases from the Philippines” at the roundtable session, Table 10: Frontiers in Inequality, at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) and Yujin Kim presented “Education, Employment, and (Un)Intended First Births: The Case of South Korea” at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL.
Lee, Byung Soo and Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) presented “Korean Americans (Dis)Advantages: Korean Immigrants’ Goals and Strategies for the Children’s Education” at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL.
Awards
Carla Jimena (Sociology graduate student) received a Student Travel Forum Award at the 2025 annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.
Hyeyoung Woo (Sociology faculty) was elected to be a council member for Korean and Korean American Community (2025 – 2028) for the American Sociological Association.