Tribute to a Colleague

A good friend, great teacher, and a wonderful colleague passed away on her 55th birthday in October. Becky Trigg was a Teaching Assistant Professor in my department. Below is the obituary written by the Chair of my department.

Becky Marie Trigg died on her 55th birthday, Oct. 28, 2010, surrounded by friends and family. Becky was loved and respected by many for her honesty and courage, her faithfulness to friends and family, and her dedication to the profession of sociology through the scholarship of teaching. Becky was an outstanding scholar... who received numerous awards for her teaching and mentoring of students, including the Dean's Career Award for Outstanding Teaching from the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Teaching for her was not just about preparing and delivering good lectures or utilizing cutting edge methodologies and technologies for her classes. Teaching and mentoring students was life work for her, a vocation. We will sorely miss her.

Here are a few of my own reflections on Becky...
I remember when I came to UAB for my interview. Becky, Jeff Hall, and some grad students took me out to lunch at Sabor Latino (one of Becky’s favorite places she told me). During this lunch, she wasn’t interested in how many grants I had gotten or what grants I might get in the future. She was very direct in her questioning of me. She wanted to know what undergraduate courses I could teach; and, whether I could teach undergrad social psychology and symbolic interactionism. She said that the undergrads here at UAB needed these courses and she wanted to find someone who could teach them. I respected her a great deal for her commitment to undergraduates at UAB. She always put them first, in trying to think about ways to enhance the department and the university.


Becky was always someone you could go to if you had a class-related issue. I can’t tell you the number of times that I dropped by her office or emailed her to ask her about some issue I was having with getting a student registered for an independent study, setting up my Blackboard and WebCT materials, or some other course-related issue. She immediately knew just how to resolve the problem or perhaps more importantly WHO TO CALL OR EMAIL to get the issue resolved. She was a resource that I knew I could always turn to. I’m not sure we have someone who can fill those shoes in this area…

The last thing I want to mention (though I could mention many more) is Becky’s desire to help those students who were disadvantaged in some way. I remember many early morning conversations with Becky about particular students. We would often arrive around 7:30 or so – well before many other faculty members came into the dept. Becky would note how some students had come from lower SES backgrounds, didn’t have family members who had gone to college, were not as polished as other students, and lacked the social and cultural capital that many other students had who came from higher SES backgrounds. She talked about how it was up to us to mentor these students to help them succeed. Becky and I were definitely on the same page in this area, as I to came from such a background. She continued to encourage me to help ‘polish’ certain students and to believe in them, even when students’ actions at times made that hard to do. She was always a strong advocate for students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. And, her belief in these students helped many of them achieve great things; it has also helped me to be a better faculty member.

You are already missed Becky. I hope that your spirit continues to guide our department as we strive to move forward.

Memorial Service Friday, November 12, 4:00 Heritage Hall 102, UAB Campus.


Donations can be made to the Dr. Mike Wilson and Professor Becky Trigg Support Fund. All proceeds from the support fund will benefit the UAB Women's Studies Program. You can direct donations to the attention of Mary Balfour VanZandt:
College of Arts and Sciences Development Office
HB 302
1530 3rd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-1260
975-9644

Kissing Bandit?

I took Callen to a birthday party last Saturday afternoon. When we walked into the place, one of her little classmates walked up to her and kissed her on the lips! Then, he was chasing her around and kissing her on the arms, neck, etc. I wish I had taken my camera as it was very cute.

I picked her up from school Tuesday afternoon and the little boy's mother and he were leaving about the same time. He was trying to kiss her on the arms again and playing with her. His mother said that she is all he talks about, especially the first two weeks after she started at this school.

I asked Callen what she thought about this when we got in the car. She said she liked it. Not sure I'm ready for her to like getting kisses, except from mommy and daddy!

I think I'll keep an eye on the cute little kissing bandit in her class!

You're So Birmingham If ...

Saw this on Facebook today. Even though I'm not originally from B'ham several of these resonate. Enjoy!

http://wadeonbirmingham.com/2010/08/27/wades-101-youre-so-birmingham-if-2010-twitter-version/

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Impacts of Technology at UAB

Please pass along this info to those who may be interested. Thanks!

Dr. Shelia Cotten, a professor in the Sociology and Social Work department at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), is seeking to hire a Postdoctoral Fellow for a 1-2 year postdoc position. The position is available immediately but the start date is somewhat negotiable. The postdoc will work with Dr. Cotten to analyze data from existing research projects and to collect survey, interview, and observational data on upcoming research projects. Projects focus on technology usage across the life course and the social impacts of this usage, thus experience studying either specific age groups, and/or the impacts of technology use, would be preferable but is not required. Dr. Cotten, with funding from the National Science Foundation, is leading the largest study of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) XO laptop dissemination in the United States. She also has a large NIA grant studying the impacts on quality of life of training older adults in assisted and independent living communities to use computers and the Internet.


A doctoral degree in Sociology, Psychology, Communication, New Media, or a related field is required before beginning the postdoctoral fellowship. Candidates must have (1) strong quantitative and/or qualitative analysis skills, (2) experience writing manuscripts, and (3) good organizational and time management skills. Prior publication and grant writing experience will enhance the application.

The Postdoctoral Fellow is a 12 month, full-time appointment, with salary up to $45,000 depending upon qualifications. Benefits are also provided. See http://www.postdocs.uab.edu/ for more information on postdoc benefits at UAB. Funding may be available to support travel for conference presentations.

Submit the following application materials as attachments via email to Dr. Shelia Cotten - cotten@uab.edu. Please use the following email subject line: Technology Postdoc Position.

- Cover letter describing training, skills, research interests and how they fit with those described in the position advertisement, and why you’re interested in this position.

- Names and contact information for three references

- An up to date curriculum vitae

For those candidates who apply before August 12, 2010, please note whether you will be attending the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Atlanta in case Dr. Cotten would like to meet with you there.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until a suitable candidate is selected.

UAB is a Carnegie designated RU/VH: Research University institution with a population of approximately 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students. UAB’s Medical School is in the top 25 in the U.S. The Department of Sociology and Social Work houses the Center for Social Medicine and is affiliated with the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy, the Center for Aging, and others. The Department offers Bachelor’s degrees in Sociology, Social Work, and Social Psychology, the MA in Sociology, and the Ph.D. in Medical Sociology. Metropolitan Birmingham is home to over 1 million people and is at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, with plentiful cultural and recreational opportunities.

Mana From Heaven

My mother and my grandmother could both make the best homemade biscuits. It was typical at many points when I was growing up that once a day my mother would make homemade biscuits, usually for supper. She could whip out a pan of biscuits in no time! It was amazing to see.

I had my mother give me her 'recipe' for how she made the biscuits when we moved to Boston for my postdoc. Of course, her 'recipe' was not specific (i.e., pour in some milk) so my biscuits have never turned out as well as hers did. In fact, I've only tried making them a few times and they've never been very edible in my opinion.

I guess it had been a few years since I had last tried to make biscuits. It is too easy to buy the frozen Pillsbury kind, that are tasty though they don't compare to those my mother and grandmother made. One day last week I bought some Bisquick mix at the store. I know, it in no way compares to what my mother and grandmother used to make. However, the biscuits I made with it were much better than the old Bisquick biscuits I remember making years ago. Bo and Callen seemed to like them too.

I wish I had spent more time with my mother, learning how she made certain things. Although I have a few of her recipes, most she only had in her head and now it is too late. Maybe one day I'll find the right balance of ingredients from my mother's 'recipe' and have homemade biscuits that are half as good as hers.

The Mobile Wedge - Digital Citizen Pulse

Blog posting that reports on research on the digital divide - importance of mobile phones and whether they level the playing field (so to speak) for minority youth.

The Mobile Wedge - Digital Citizen Pulse

Silence is Golden

A colleague of mine told me yesterday that she had just returned from a Silent Retreat. I had never heard of a retreat such as this. As she was telling me about it though, it sounded more and more like a wonderful experience! She spent 5 days at a nearby monastery, where she could only talk with a spiritual leader for one hour per day. The other time she spent sleeping, reading, thinking, and whatever else she wanted to do that did not involve talking to others. While she had her cell phone for emergencies, she did not call others and she did not have a computer or Internet access. She said it took her about a day and a half to start to unwind. Initially she wanted to check email, etc. but after a day or so she began to feel her sense of inner peace returning. What a neat experience!

I'm one of those people that does NOT get my energy from other people. I have numerous friends that would go insane if they couldn't talk to others most of the time. I find it exhausting to be constantly around others all the time. That is one reason I so relish the few days that I can actually work at home anymore and those rare times when I can get away on a mini writing trip - I don't have to talk to anyone during those sweet, quiet hours! My mind can rest and I end up being more productive and creative than during other times.

With the work loads that many of us carry and the constant cacophony of technological devices and people surrounding us, it is hard to have time to just 'be' anymore. Some people might not understand this. But, it so resonates with me. I used to take yoga; it helped me to center myself and live more in the moment. I've been thinking recently that I need to do it again. I think it may help with just 'being', rather than constantly being in motion (whether physical or mental).

I'm so glad my colleague told me about this retreat. It is something that I may try for myself sometime. Here's to quiet, peace, and time for oneself!