Contact: Kasia Haupt
A Mississippi State University sociology professor is a new appointee to a National Science Foundation panel that evaluates and recommends funding for a variety of research and educational proposals.
Frank M. Howell is joining the NSF's Review Panel on Human and Social Dynamics. The group works to bring together proposals related to technology--including its impact on society, various technical approaches that enhance its social value, and such specific areas as human-computer interaction and scientific information systems.
William S. Bainbridge, NSF deputy director, said the panel is designed "to encourage cross-disciplinary educational and research activities focused on the causes and effects of technological changes reshaping the world." It will award approximately $18 million for 50 studies during the award year, he added.
Howell's previous work in information technology prompted the NSF appointment. In the 1980s, he pioneered the use of large-scale computer networks for professional interaction by establishing SocNet and PoliNet. He also began at MSU the application of geographical information systems in social research and co-founded the journal Social Science Computer Review, among other activities.
Howell's research focuses on spatial analysis of social data and health outcomes. He has published studies on Southern church burnings, labor market prospects for welfare reform, and the environmental impacts of Mississippi's commercial hog industry.
A former president of the Alabama-Mississippi Sociological Association, he has been honored for his teaching and research by the MSU Alumni Association, Southern Rural Sociological Association and Environmental Systems Research Institute.
Howell is a Georgia College graduate who completed master's and doctoral degrees at MSU. He is the author of more than 80 publications in the social sciences and has been cited in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Weekend magazine, among other national news publications.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information on the work and mission of the NSF Review Panel on Human and Social Dynamics, contact Dr. Howell at (662) 325-7872 or Frank Howell.