December 2025
Congratulations to Dr. KuoRay Mao who has been awarded the prestigious Rosa del Olmo Prize!
KuoRay and co-author Zhong Zhao received this award for their article "Authoritarian Environmentalism and Epistemological Violence: A Southern Green Criminology Analysis of the 2014 Lanzhou Water Crisis and the Belt and Road Initiative Expansion into the Global Water Sector" published in the International Journal for Crime, Justice, and Social Democracy.
The Rosa del Olmo Prize recognizes innovative contributions to criminology that challenge Western-centric viewpoints, address epistemological injustices, and advance global knowledge.
Ph.D. student Azmal Hossan has once again had an impressive semester!
- Accepted for a Boards and Commissions Fellowship at the Climate Justice Leadership Academy of Conservation Colorado
- Published a series of five blog posts on LinkedIn through his 2025 Water and Society Fellowship at the American Geophysical Union
- Invited to give the inaugural talk, "Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation in the Missouri River Basin: A Decolonizing Approach,” of the Indigenous Learning Forum for the American Philosophical Society
- Published a reflective article, "Dismantling Climate Coloniality: Reflections from a Bangladeshi Diaspora Researcher in the United States,” in a special issue of Routed magazine
- Joined Larimer County’s Environmental and Science Advisory Board
CSU alumna Elaina Sutley has been awarded the 2025 Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists, one of the most prestigious national awards for early-career researchers.
Growing up in Alabama, Elaina was a first-generation college student planning to be a lawyer. The course of her career changed after the 2011 superstorm of tornadoes and a chance encounter with CSU Professor John van de Lindt who later introduced her to Dr. Lori Peek.
"I cannot express enough gratitude to him and Lori for their guidance and the time they invested in me. You couldn’t ask for two nicer, smarter, or more accomplished humans to be your mentors,” said Elaina.
Mary Taryn Moran was nominated as a College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Grad by the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) program. Last December she earned her bachelor's in Sociology and a minor in Leadership Interdisciplinary Studies.
"I am currently a Fellow with the City of Fort Collins and I intend to stay in local government work," said Mary. "I love the community development and impact of this job and want to stay in Colorado serving in a local government position."
Congratulations to CSU SOC students and faculty for finishing Fall 2025 strong! Many thanks to Drs. Sbicca, Nowacki, Hempel, O'Callaghan, Hogan, Windsong, Mahoney, and Malin and their students for allowing visitors to their final presentations.
Additionally, these impactful in-class traditions continued:
- SOC 357 students and Erin O'Callaghan write letters to incarcerated criminalized survivors to let them know people on the outside are thinking of them and care about their stories. Ask her about the inspiration behind this project – and to show you photos!
- SOC 334 students think critically about the term "ally," then respond to Elena Windsong's prompts "I wish I had an ally who..." and "Direct actions you can take to be an ally..." Stop by her office if you'd like to see students' responses and ideas.
- Inspired by semester-long discussions around equality and poverty, Jason Downing’s SOC 100 and 220 students come together each semester to help fill food pantry shelves. Pop quiz: how many years (decades actually) has Jason been facilitating this service learning project?
Please continue to submit your news and events to Sociology's Communications Coordinator. Thank you!