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Meet the Carsey Research Assistants

Allison Churilla
Doctoral candidate, Sociology

"My work at Carsey focuses on family income and economic well-being. For one of my current projects, I am using Census data to profile low-income families in New Hampshire and draw attention to economic instabilities they face. The information can be used to inform policy discussion focused on improving the well-being of New Hampshire’s families. This project allows me to integrate my empirical interest in families, work, and employment and my applied interest in policy."

Chris Colocousis
Doctoral candidate, Sociology

"I'm working with the Carsey Institute on a project to study the ways in which community development organizations are addressing the related concerns of economic development, environmental health, and social equity in the rural US. We're interviewing policy practitioners and studying communities in which various types of development strategies have been applied to see how well these three "Es" of community development have been translated into real-world change. This project is great for me because I can apply my own interest in social inequality and community change in a very applied, concrete way."

Sarah Gibb
Doctoral candidate, Sociology

“The major part of my work at the Carsey Institute involves working with other researchers to understand the economic, demographic, and environmental forces impacting rural communities and how this differs by community type. My other projects include research on how women balance caregiving and work responsibilities, and compiling census data for the rural indicators website which provides statistics on Northern New England and the country. These different projects allow me to apply my broader sociological interests in ways that can help to inform social policy. "

Patty Jarema
Master’s degree candidate, Resource Administration & Management

“At the Carsey Institute I am collaborating with a team of researchers looking at a variety of indicators that reveal elements of social, economic and community well-being in rural regions. By using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map the indicator variables we will be able to see the dispersion of resources and begin to see communities that are or are not achieving sustainability. By participating in this collaborative research I am able to work with researchers from a variety of specialties and I am able to further my research interest by looking at the connection between the built environment and the holistic health of rural communities."

-Patty Jarema

 

Sarah Savage
Doctoral candidate, Sociology

"Because of my interest in community development and local economies, I am conducting research at the Carsey Institute that may ultimately have policy ramifications. Carsey is collaborating with the Northern Forest Center in Concord, NH to identify strategies and recommendations for sustainable working landscapes in the Northern Forest region. As part of a team effort, I have been collaborating to develop an index of sustainability that may help identify the elements of community, environment, and economy that contribute to the most and least sustainable ways of life."