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About

Education:

Ph.D., Sociology (2011) University of New Hampshire
M.A., Sociology (2008) University of New Hampshire
B.A., Sociology (2005) New England College

Kate's current research projects include a study of subsistence and wage work patterns among the Iñupiat and Yup'ik living in Northwest Alaska. A recent paper, Boys Aren't Taught Anything Anymore! An Examination of the Gendered Nature of Subsistence and Work among Alaska Natives is included in an anthology comprised of studies conducted in the circumpolar North due to be published in late 2012 (Springer). She has presented her work on Alaska Native societies extensively on both a national and international level, traveling to Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Canada. Additionally, she recently completed work in Roskilde, Denmark as part of a collaborative, international team working to publish peer-reviewed articles in the arena of Arctic Social Science.

Previous research projects have also resulted in publications including an examination of anger management and the intergenerational transmission of violence (pdf) as well as an exploration of child poverty in the Southern U.S. (pdf).

Kate was awarded a UMA Presidential Mini-Grant for her most recent project, Recession Dimensions: Stories from Maine Communities. With funds from this grant Kate has provided materials and equipment to students enrolled in her Social Problems courses, enabling them to gather data on individuals living in rural towns and larger cities throughout the state of Maine. Through interviews and surveys UMA students are examining levels of individual well-being and how this may be affected by factors such as the ability for residents to heat their homes adequately during the winter months and access to quality medical and dental care. Forthcoming papers will look at these relationships using this student-generated, longitudinal data.