In what looked like a scene out of the C.S.I. television franchise, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Tony LaRose turned Plant Park into a crime scene with fake blood stains, a dead body, and plenty of evidence left behind. What started out a decade ago as a BAC 100 - First Year Seminar class exercise has grown into a full day’s affair with local C.S.I. technicians providing crime scene analysis in the morning and international forensics experts lecturing in the afternoon. This year’s event was also covered on Fox 13’s morning show Good Day Tampa Bay with Charley Belcher and featured Spartan grad Danielle Dixon of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and UT’s own forensic moulage expert Shelby Lewis, who turned Nick Baldassare from an average college student into a week old corpse. “Each year this event has gotten a little bigger and I was very fortunate to get a generous grant from the UT Board of Fellows which really helped take it to another level,” LaRose said.

Watch the Fox 13 coverage here https://www.fox13news.com/video/922415

Mathematics major Haley Ruggles passed the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Probability Exam (P/1), a requirement in the path for attaining the Associate of the Society of Actuaries designation.

Mathematics and actuarial science majors Abbey Hill and Noah S. Segal have been accepted to the 2021 Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) Student Central Summer Program. The CAS Student Central Summer Program is an eight-week interactive professional and educational experience for university students. The program supports students’ career growth by providing technical and soft skill development, as well as mentorships and networking opportunities.

Megan Arnold will complete a financial analysis internship this summer at Raymond James Financial.

On Friday, April 16 the Sociology Department and Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD) co-sponsored a research talk given by Jill Viglione, assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Central Florida. Viglione presented "Contemporary Challenges in Community Corrections: Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic." Her talk focused on contemporary challenges in community corrections with special attention to responses to COVID-19. Over 60 students and faculty attended the virtual event.

Funding for this symposium was made possible [in part] by a Sociological Research Grant from Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honor Society.

On March 27, political science major Alayna Alaras and Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies Liv Coleman presented "Southern Strategy in the Sunshine State: Race-Based Political Appeals in the Rick Scott and Donald Trump Campaigns" at the Florida Political Science Association's Annual Conference (FPSA), which was held virtually.

Assistant Professor Ryan Welch presented "The Strength of Human Rights Institutions."

Assistant Professor Kathryn VanderMolen, who also serves on the Executive Council for FPSA, presented "State Legislators and Bill Drafting Error."

On February 10, the following students were inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), the international sociology honor society.

Alpha Kappa Delta created a virtual induction ceremony video to share with new inductees.

On Wednesday, April 14, UT's sociology department held their virtual Sociology Award and Alpha Kappa Delta Induction Ceremony. The Student of the Year Award recipient was senior Christina Pasca. In addition, 6 new members were inducted into AKD.