Sociologist Testifies at House Hearing on Disasters

The House Committee on Science’s Basic Research Subcommittee held a hearing on November 10 on “The Role of Social Science Research in Disaster Preparedness and Response.” The purpose of the Capitol Hill hearing, which included witness Shirley Laska, Professor of Environmental Sociology and Director of the Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology (CHART) at the University of New Orleans, was to help policymakers better understand how the social sciences can inform planning for, response to, and recovery from natural hazards and disasters. Laska was one of four social scientists to testify at the hearing.

In recent years, the American Sociological Review (ASR) has featured papers based exclusively on ethnographic research (e.g., Timmermans, 2005), interview data (e.g., Tyson et al., 2005), and sociological theory (e.g., Frickel and Gross, 2005). However, a series of papers that combine different types of data and approaches in the same study are especially noteworthy.

The American Sociological Association is pleased to announce the slate of candidates for ASA Offices, Council, the Committee on Committees, Committee on Nominations, and Committee on Publications. Ballots for the 2006 ASA election will be mailed in early May 2006.