Alison Craig, a PhD candidate who studies American Politics, was recently award a prestigious 3 year NSF grant to complete her dissertation research. This grant recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF's mission. The grant provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in research.

Alison gives us a synopsis of her work: “Members of Congress spend a significant amount of time developing relationships with their colleagues in Washington, DC and through those relationships, they share ideas and develop policy initiatives together.  Yet attempts to describe and estimate the impact of this social element of Congress have been limited.  My research uses a unique dataset of Congressional Dear Colleague letters sent between members of Congress over a period of 13 years to study how the social network of Congress affects policy.  I look at which members collaborate more with their colleagues, who they are more likely to work with and how they benefit from these collaborative efforts in terms of legislative effectiveness, institutional positions, and electoral outcomes.  I also look at how the policy collaboration network in Congress changes over time and its effect on the productivity of Congress as a whole.”

Nicky Mack, a second year PhD Student who also studies American Politics, received Honorable Mention in the NSF grant competition. She is interested in race/ethnic politics and political behavior.  She focuses her research on how socioeconomic status influences the racial socialization process and how that in turn influences minority political behavior.  Her current project examines the relationship between the perception of African American group norms and politicized racial attitudes.

Congratulations Alison and Nicky on your fantastic achievements!