Sociologist Network 2024
Welcome back to another exciting year at the University of Utah! We wanted to spotlight some of the accomplishments that our Sociology family has brought to us this last year. Go Utes!
HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
Frank Page: 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award. Congrats Frank!
Rebecca Owen: 2024 Superior Teaching Award. Congrats Rebecca!
Akiko Kamimura: 2024 Public Service Professorship Award. Akiko also received the 2023 John G. Francis Prize for Undergraduate Student Mentoring. Congrats Akiko!
Guangzhen Wu: 2024 Superior Teaching Award. Guangzhen also received the 2023 Junior Scholar Award for the ASA Section on Drugs and Society. Congrats Guagnzhen!
Samuel Owens: 2024 Staff Excellence Award. Congrats Samuel!
Brett Clark: 2023 University of Utah Distinguished Research Award. Congrats Brett!
Katie Durante: is this year’s recipient of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences William L. Simon/Routledge Outstanding Paper Award for her paper, “Supportive communication skills as a protective factor among couples experiencing incarceration,” which appears in the November 2023 issue of Criminal Justice and Behavior. Congrats Katie!
Sara Elizabeth Grineski: 2023 Recipient of the CSBS Award for Advancing Equity and Connecting Communities. Sara Grineski also recieved the 2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. Congrats Sara!
Frank Page is the 2023-2024 University of 
Utah Distinguished Teaching Award Recipient!
This award recognizes a consistent record of outstanding teaching performance and the implementation of effective and innovative teaching methods which demonstrate exceptional abilities to motivate student learning. Recipients must show a concern for students and their wider education as well as their career preparation and must also contribute to the educational process outside of the classroom. This is a tremendous honor – only five such awards, at most, are bestowed across the entire university each year – and it is very richly deserved.
Students praise Frank for creating a safe and respectful environment in which to discuss controversial issues such as inequality and religion. They further describe him as empathetic, engaged, and deeply engaging. Two nuggets from student evaluations, in particular, stood out. According to one student, “I’ve been re-watching the lectures from this class during winter break just because they’re so informative.” I repeat: Frank’s lectures are so good that a student willingly watched them a second time after the class had concluded, during a break. Another student was similarly effusive: “Dr. Page is so great at making lectures enjoyable to watch/listen to. People in my house would often gather around to listen to him speak when I pulled up his videos.” This is high praise, indeed.
Frank is a consummate sociologist—an deep thinker and gifted teacher with a preternatural knack for imparting complex knowledge to students. He is, in the words of his many students, knowledgeable and inspirational, passionate and compassionate, responsive and accommodating, kind and humble.
Congratualtions Frank!
WELCOME NEW FACULTY!
We are so lucky to add a new faculty member to our Sociology family! Congratulations Max Coleman, we are so excited to have you on campus with us! See below a small snippet about Max.
Max Coleman
Max Coleman, Ph.D., is an incoming Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Utah. His research examines inequalities in mental health and their structural and cultural determinants. He is especially interested in "health paradoxes" that existing theories of inequality can't easily explain. Before coming to the University of Utah, Max received training from Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin, and Oberlin College—all midwestern universities; and is looking forward to being closer to his hometown in Northern California.
Max recently pulished "Mental Health in the College Classroom: Best Practices for Instructors." Teaching Sociology 50(20):168-82. It was in the top 5% of all publications scored by Altmetric, a measure of the "attention surrounding scholarly content." Top-scoring of all publications in Teaching Sociology (#1 of 483 as of July 2022).
While not teaching or conducting research, Max enjoys listening to jazz, drinking tea, hiking, and playing piano.
Graduate and Undergraduate Student Accomplishments
The Sociology Department is proud to announce some awards our impressive graduate and undergraduate students received.
Andee Devore was the recipient of the very competitive U of U Graduate Research Fellowship for
Academic Year 2024-2025. 
Andee DeVore is a fourth-year sociology Ph.D. student at the University of Utah. Her
dissertation research explores the association of female adult illiteracy with various
markers of [dis]empowerment in developing nation contexts. She holds a J.D. and B.S.
from Brigham Young University and is a member of the Utah State Bar and the Utah Court
Roster of Mediators. In her spare time, Andee loves adventuring with her husband and
children, reading bestseller books, and taking her three-legged dog on walks. Way
to go, Andee!
Callie Lynne Avondet was the recipient of the 2023-2024 Dr. Henry Frost Memorial
Award. Callie is graduating with an honors BS in Sociology and honors BA in History. She is the founder and president of the Sociology and Criminology Student Association.
For the past two years, she has conducted research with Sara Grineski and Tim Collins
on mentoring in undergraduate research. She is planning to start a PhD in Education
Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
in Fall 2024.
Camden Alexander was the recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award and the
2023-2024 Dr. George M. Coray Memorial
Award. She is a graduating senior double majoring in Sociology and Criminology. While
at the U, she has dedicated her time to the Daily Utah Chronicle and to student research
at the Center for Natural & Technological Hazards. Her other accomplishments include
a Union Student Leader Scholarship Award, the Matheson Scholarship Award, and other
academic scholarships. For all four years, she has remained on the Dean's List while
simultaneously participating in Solutions Scholars and the Justice Advocacy Fellowship.
She also has a few local journalism awards for her opinion and news writing.
Callie and Camden were mentored by Sara Grineski. Congrats Callie and Camden!