Jon Browning (UG) and Helen Potts successfully presented their presentation Cybercrimes: Cryptocurrency, NFTs, & Generative AI on March 18^th at the International Organization of Social Sciences and Behavioral Research Conference in New Orleans, LA.

Jon Browning's project won the "Best Paper" award at this conference. 

Pictured above: undergraduate Sociology major, McKensi Bryce, presenting her work for UNT Scholar's Day (04/04/2023).

Bryce's presentation for UNT Scholar's Day, titled "What is your sex? Reaction to Conventional Sex/Gender Questions among Non-Binary Respondents," was based on her analysis of interviews with non-binary individuals in the Midwest, West, and South regions of the United States. This project sought to examine how nonbinary individuals responded to questions about sex and gender in a binary fashion. Interviewers gathered 123 participants from the aformentioned regions. Most respondents hesitated or indicated confusion to these questions, noting that a more inclusive set of questions would provide a more accurate result in many surveys.

Jackson did a Special Problems course with Dr. Potts applying sociological theory and research to current politics while he was interning at the Capitol in Washington, DC. He worked for U.S. Senator John Cornyn, one of two Senators who represent the state of Texas. Examining the Senate from his perspective revealed some sociological themes and dynamics at play in Washington D.C. and nationally. The main sociological themes he observed firsthand were the power dynamics of our political system, racial inequalities inside and outside Congress, and the pivotal factor of class division. 

Alexis researched and explored the minds of superheroes and villains. This research reviewed information from comics, movies, and tv shows to illustrate the common threads tying mental health issues and similarities between villains and superheroes. Though heroes and villains are portrayed as polar opposites, both are demonstrated to struggle with mental health issues, which can be a result of their social interactions, social standings, relationships, etc. The representation of mental health in these characters, while sometimes flawed, draws attention to the multiple disorders that everyday people face and can
even encourage people to talk to someone, seek help, or gather more information.

River researched the role of trust and social capital on forming attachments in varying cultures. From a psychological understanding to a sociological one, thier paper attempts to outline the main frameworks used to understand the impact of the economy and culture on the quality of one’s relationships and the dynamics of such relationships.

Marley researched the mental health resources in the United States penal system. This research will focus on the tie between mental health resources and their impact on recidivism rates.

Xavier Richmond researched the social perceptions and treatments of schizophrenia. They found that Schizophrenia is a disorder that affects the way people think, feel, and act/behave. The disorder is usually caught and diagnosed around 16 to 30 years old with males being seen earlier than females. The disorder is persistent and can affect daily life as it targets and changes things like cognition, social relationships, motor impairment, and expression of emotions. Overall schizophrenia is a major mental illness disorder that affects
every aspect of an individual's life.