At the ARSTM@NCA Business Meeting, outgoing ARSTM President Zoltan Majdik announced the 2018 winner of the Joanna Ploeger Memorial Essay Award for the top student papers submitted to sponsored ARSTM NCA panels. The winner was Jay Frank, for his paper “Scott Pruitt’s ‘Red Team/Blue Team’ and the cultural politics of scientific debate.”
Frank presented his paper on the ARSTM-sponsored top papers panel at the annual NCA convention, held this year in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition to receiving a plaque and formal recognition at the ARSTM business meeting for his accomplishment, Frank was also elected to the position of ARSTM Web Administrator for 2018-2019.
Frank is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on public science projects and the way they communicate and modify cultural debates about class and labor. His dissertation project looks specifically at the way that different scientific communities are organized around climate change research initiatives. His other main research project focuses on U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East (particularly in Syria) and its role in the “Obama Doctrine.”
Congratulations to Jay, and thank you in advance for your service to the organization!