The Academic Minute for 2022.02.21-2022.02.25

The Academic Minute from 02.21 – 02.25

Monday, February 21st
Emily Marshall – Franklin & Marshall College
Parents Worry About School Health Risks During COVID-19
Emily A. Marshall is a sociologist and demographer who studies how social and cultural contexts affect understandings of childbearing. One branch of Dr. Marshall’s research examines how different methods of measuring individual attitudes can shed light on mechanisms by which social and cultural contexts influence individuals’ fertility behavior. Another area of her research examines cross-national variation in concern about low fertility, asking how national contexts affect the construction of low fertility as a social problem. Her newest project uses audio diaries to collect nurses’ accounts of their work experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic (covidnursingstudy.com). Dr. Marshall received her PhD in Sociology from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan’s Population Studies Center.

Tuesday, February 22nd
Harriet Okatch – Franklin & Marshall College
Factors Associated with Perceived Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Harriet Okatch is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. With a PhD in Analytical Chemistry and a Masters in Public Health, her research focuses on environmental health especially lead poisoning prevention and the identification of optimal conditions for iron fortification to address pediatric anemia. Her research interests have expanded to explore the impacts of COVID-19 both to Lancaster residents and to healthcare providers nationwide.

Wednesday, February 23rd
Wei-Teng Yen – Franklin & Marshall College
Does Economic Insecurity Increase People’s Support for More Social Transfers
Wei-Ting Yen is currently Assistant Professor of Government Department at Franklin and Marshall College. She holds her Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University. She studies political economy issues and social policy development in the developing world. One of her research focuses on the political impacts of income instability on populism and social policy demand.

Thursday, February 24th
Jessica Cox – Franklin & Marshall College
Online English Classes for Adults During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Jessica Cox researches relationships between language and cognition in multilinguals, including older adult language learners, aptitude for learning new languages, and how bilingual experiences affect other areas of cognition. She holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics from Georgetown University and a BA in World Languages with a Concentration in Spanish from Gettysburg College.

Friday, February 25th
Stephanie McNulty – Franklin & Marshall College
COVID-19 and its Effects on Undocumented Immigrants
Dr. McNulty is Professor of Government and Latin American and Latinx Studies at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. She has twenty years of experience in higher education as an educator, scholar, and administrator. Her research expertise focuses on local participatory governance, gender, decentralization, citizen engagement, and democracy. She undertook this research project with two student researchers from F&M College and one researcher from CWS.