The Center for Social Science Scholarship at UMBC

Spring 2026 SSFs The Distinguished Lecture in Psychology Thursday, February 26, 2026 4pm AOK Library Gallery Melanie Killen, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor, Department of Human Development and Quantitative M...

Next in the SSF:

Psychology Distinguished Lecture

Thurs, 2/26
4pm
AOK Library Gallery

“Creating Inclusive Classrooms in Childhood: Theory, Research, and Applications”

Featuring Melanie Killen, Ph.D.
UMD

Learn more and see the full line up here: socialscience.umbc.edu/spring-2026-...

Coming up this Wednesday:

CAHSS New Faculty Microtalks
Meet recently hired faculty and learn about their research!

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 · 4:30 - 6 PM
Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn : Gallery

Learn more: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

CS3 Associate Director and sociology professor Aubrey Jackson Soller has a new opinion piece in @baltimoresun.bsky.social. The op-ed also cites research by UMBC sociologist Brian Soller.

www.baltimoresun.com/2026/02/03/i...

Computational Social Science Series The Center for Social Science Scholarship is pleased to continue our workshop series on generative AI, LLMs, and computational social science methods. This series began with the basics of computing in...

Social Network Analysis:
Building Web-Based Applications for Experiential Learning

Feat. Dr. Steve McDonald, Professor of Sociology, NC State University

February 20, 2026 | 12-1:30pm | PUP 438

Learn more about the whole series and register: socialscience.umbc.edu/computationa...

Advancing Social Science Research:
A Workshop Series on AI, LLMs, and Computational Methods
Register now for spring sessions!
forms.gle/JffSXhchZWdh...

Due to the campus closure, please join us on Webex for Dr. Albertini's talk tomorrow at noon: umbc.webex.com/umbc/j.php?M...

Snow? What snow? We're still on!

A Decade of E-Administration Utilization in Europe: A Tale of Income, Education, and Age-Related Digital Divides
with Dr. Marco Albertini, University of Bologna

TOMORROW, Wednesday, January 28, 2026
12 - 1 PM
Public Policy : 204

CAHSS New Faculty Microtalks - 2/25

Meet recently hired faculty and learn about their research!

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 · 4:30 - 6 PM

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn : Gallery

Learn more about the new faculty and event here: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

New article alert!

From CS3 Director and Political Science Professor Eric Stokan, a new article published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory:

doi.org/10.1093/jopa...

Chaotic Economies of Confinement: Profit, Dependency, and Extraction in U.S. Immigration Detention Speaker:  Nancy Hiemstra Stony Brook University Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Abstract: Drawing on two decades of research, this presentation examines how the U.S. detention system...

This Thursday!

Chaotic Economies of Confinement: Profit, Dependency, and Extraction in U.S. Immigration Detention

Disrupting the financial logics of U.S. detention growth

Thurs, 11/20 4 - 6 PM

Learn more: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/ges/e...

Inferring the value of short‐staffed public sector jobs: Federal budgets and military fighter pilots This study uses a novel framework based on the “negotiated staffing equilibrium” between governmental agencies and governing bodies to estimate the net benefits of increasing employment in public sec....

Econ Prof. Emeritus R. Scott Farrow has published a new article in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM). The article provides a new method to estimate the monetary value of public sector employees in short supply.

doi.org/10.1002/pam....

Coming up this month:

Can Bipartisanship still occur in US foreign policy?

Thursday, November 20, 11am, UMBC Library Gallery

A special talk hosted by
University of Maryland Baltimore County Political Science

Featuring Professor Jordan Tama, American University

Coming up Monday, November 10:

The 47th Annual W.E.B. DuBois Lecture

11/10, 6pm, UC Ballroom

Featuring Ousseina Alidou, Ph.D.,
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

“Ecological Thoughts in Sahel West African Women’s Literary and Cultural Narratives”

Read it here: www.baltimoresun.com/2025/10/13/m...

Talking Past Each Other: Connections and Disconnections Between States and Social Scientists While social science research can and does influence state governments, too often the process is indirect, the science is misinterpreted, and the impacts are unclear. What's more, it's not clear...

Tomorrow -

Talking Past Each Other: Connections and Disconnections Between States and Social Scientists

A Web Series - Demonstrating your Impact Beyond Academia

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 · 12 - 1 PM

Learn more and join: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

Congratulations, Dr. Mair!

Join us today at 4!

2025 Eric Stokan AI Address Barriers And Promotes AI Equity For Students And Faculty With Elkins Professorship For Academic Transformation Eric Stokan is the recipient of AI Elkins Professorship for Academic Transformation from USM to address this gap with his project "Computational Social...

CS3 Director Eric Stokan recieves USM Professorship to address barriers and promote AI equity for students and faculty - read more about his award of the Elkins Professorship for Academic Transformation.

William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation

umbc.edu/stories/eric...

Who Is “Fulbright Material”? UMBC's Six 2025 – 2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Recipients Share Their Not-so-secret Recipe For Success With three UMBC 2025 – 2026 Fulbrights already settled in Taiwan, Norway, and Indonesia, and three preparing to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Belgium,...

Meet UMBC's six 2025 – 2026 Fulbright U.S. Student Program recipients, including Public Policy's own Ph.D. student Daniel Douglas (M.P.P. '24), who is studying flood mitigation in Antwerp, Belgium.

umbc.edu/stories/2025...

Inductive Analysis of Texts with Embeddings Advancing Social Science Research: A Workshop Series on AI, LLMs, and Computational Methods Inductive Analysis of Texts with Embeddings  REGISTER Lunch will be provided for registered...

On November 5, we have the next in the workshop series:

Inductive Analysis of Texts with Embeddings
with Dr. Dustin Stoltz, Lehigh University

Learn more and register: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

Last week, CS3 Director Eric Stokan hosted a workshop where students and faculty across each of the University of Maryland Baltimore County colleges joined to learn more about computational social science and use R to call Large Language Models.

Next week:
Social Science Forum- Korenman Lecture
10/16 - 4pm
AOK Library Gallery
"Migrant Ecologies: Plant Worlds and the Afterlives of Empire"
Featuring Dr. Banu Subramaniam
Luella LaMer Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies
Wellesley College
Learn more: socialscience.umbc.edu/fall-2025-ss...

Beyond the Journal: Turning Scholarship into Impact Academic work has the power to shape policy and public dialogue — but only if it reaches beyond traditional audiences.  Join us for a practical conversation on how academics can bring their...

Tomorrow: Wednesday, October 1, 2025 · 12 - 1 PM

Beyond the Journal: Turning Scholarship into Impact

A Web Series - Demonstrating your Impact Beyond Academia

Learn more and join the online event: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

Featuring UMBC Political Science's @ghwinger.bsky.social

Relationships between internal facilitation processes and implementation outcomes among hospitals participating in a quality improvement collaborative to reduce cesarean births: a mixed-methods embedded case study - Implementation Science Communications Background Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) are a common strategy for implementing evidence-based practices; however, there is often variable performance between participating organizations. Few studies of QICs assess the internal facilitation (IF) processes engaged in by participating organizations, which may be key to understanding and enhancing the effectiveness of QICs as an implementation strategy. We examined IF processes among hospitals participating in Maryland’s perinatal QIC to implement national guidelines for reducing primary cesarean births. Methods This study followed a mixed-methods embedded case study design. We conducted qualitative interviews with internal implementation leaders at 21 QIC-participating hospitals using a guide informed by the iPARIHS and CFIR frameworks. Two investigators independently coded transcripts in Dedoose using a modified CFIR codebook including seven IF process codes adapted from published categorizations. The investigators also independently applied the CFIR rating system to rate each IF process as a barrier (-2, -1), facilitator (+ 1, + 2), neutral (0), or mixed (X), for each hospital. Final ratings were established through consensus discussions. Average ratings were calculated by hospital and process and charted alongside implementation outcomes from secondary data sources for identification of patterns. Results Hospital leaders engaged in a variety of activities within each IF process. The average hospital rating across IF processes ranged from -1.1 to + 1.5. The IF process with the highest average rating was project management (average: 1.0; SD: 0.9), the lowest was planning (average: 0.5; SD: 1.0) and the most variable was providing individual support and accountability (average: 0.5; SD: 1.2). Negative ratings resulted from hospital teams not engaging in an IF process or the activities of hospital teams being insufficient to overcome related contextual barriers. Average IF process ratings were significantly higher among hospitals that implemented more than the median number of practice changes. Multiple contextual determinants influenced each IF process; work infrastructure and relational connections were the most frequent influences across IF processes. Conclusions IF processes played an important role in determining implementation success at hospitals participating in a perinatal QIC. Monitoring and strengthening IF processes at participating organizations may enhance the effectiveness of QICs as an implementation strategy.

Public Policy Director/Prof Loren Henderson publ research in the journal Implementation Science Communications examining internal facilitation processes among hospitals participating in perinatal quality improvement collaboratives.

implementationsciencecomms.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

How to Prepare a Social Science/Humanities Literature Review What are some of the best strategies and tips for writing a literature review? Whether you are just starting out with your research or have been involved in your project for a while, this workshop...

Monday:
How to Prepare a Social Science/Humanities Literature Review

Monday, 9/22 12 - 1 PM
Library 259 or Online

my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/libra...

CS3 Brownbag Dear Colleagues, You're invited to our first CS3 Brownbag session: Wednesday, October 8 | 12-1pm | PUP 451 Bring Your Own Lunch Topic: Reviewer Feedback -- The Good, the Bad,...

🎓 CS3 Brownbag Alert!
🗓 Oct 8 | 12–1 PM | PUP 451
🥪 BYO lunch

Let’s talk reviewer feedback—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Open to social sciences faculty, students, & scholars.
my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

#AcademicLife #PeerReview #CS3Brownbag #SocialSciences #GradLife #FacultyChat

Join us Wed, 9/17 at noon in the AOK Library Gallery for the annual Constitution Day lecture:

State Policy, Civil Rights, and the U.S. Constitution
Insights from Senator William C. Smith, Jr., Maryland Senate

Learn more and see the full SSF lineup here: socialscience.umbc.edu/fall-2025-ss...

Q Methodology: Mapping Shared Viewpoints September 9, 2025 | 3:00-4:00pm | Public Policy Building 451 | UMBC Main Campus Campus Map In this talk, I introduce Q methodology as a flexible approach for studying people’s viewpoints....

Coming up Tuesday:

Q Methodology: Mapping Shared Viewpoints

Featuring Adrian Lundberg, Malmö University, Sweden

3-4pm, PUP 451

In this talk, Dr. Lundberg introduces Q methodology as a flexible approach for studying people’s viewpoints.

Learn more and register: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/csss/...

Spirituality: How we define it, defines us UMBC Department of Education Research Seminar Series How we define it, defines us Jennifer Mata-McMahon UMBC Department of Education September 3, 2025 | 12:00-1:00pm | University Center...

Wednesday, 9/3, noon, UC310

UMBC Dept. of Education Research Seminar Series

Feat. Dr. Jennifer Mata-McMahon

“Spirituality: How we define it, defines us”

Learn more and register: my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/educ/...