PhD alum Kemi George '11 has just received the 2012 Virginia M. Walsh Dissertation Award from the American Political Science Association's Science, Technology and Environmental Politics section. The award recognizes the best dissertation in science, technology, and environmental politics finished within the past two years. 

The most critical skill developed abroad is the ability to adapt, says Brent Ramsey ’13, a political science major who spent his Spring 2012 semester at the University of Torino in Italy. Indeed, being flexible with new cultures, learning environments, political settings, and languages opens doors to new experiences; living away from family and friends in an unfamiliar environment forces students to act, to become problem-solvers, and to appreciate the differences and similarities between the US and the new culture in which they find themselves. “After immersing myself in an entirely new environment for a semester, I now feel like I can live and work anywhere and for however long as I want or need to,” Ramsey says.

Lauren McCarthy, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies, has received the Edwin S. Corwin Award for the best dissertation in the field of public law.

Her dissertation, "Trafficking (In)justice: Law Enforcement's Response to Human Trafficking in Russia" looks at the implementation of laws against human trafficking in Russia by law enforcement officials. It finds that "Russian law enforcement agents are prosecuting human traffickers, but not human trafficking."

Professor Jesse Rhodes was a featured guest on 22 News inFocus. The episode explored the three ballot questions Massachusetts voters will face in the upcoming November 2012 election: the legalization of medical marijuana, allowing terminally ill adults to obtain drugs to end their lives, and the Right to Repair auto repair bill.