Andrea Tapia, an associate professor at Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, was recently elected president of the American Sociological Association’s section on communication and information technologies.
As president, she hopes to promote the use of new technologies in the field.
“I would really like to increase the section’s social media presence and connection with other sociologists,” says Tapia, who will serve as the group’s president for the 2014-15 academic year.
The American Sociological Association, a nonprofit membership association based in Washington, D.C., is “dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good,” according to its website. Founded in 1905, the ASA now has more than 13,000 members and is home to 52 special interest sections with more than 21,000 members.
The different sections are constituent parts of the American Sociological Association, according to the ASA website. The purpose of those sections is to promote the common interest of ASA members in specified areas of sociology.
The section on communications and information technologies is designed to support, enhance and promote research, teaching and other professional activities related to the social aspects of computing, the Internet, new media, computer networks, and other communication and information technologies; the sociology of communications; and the design and use of technology in teaching and research, including research on the properties of big data.
Tapia has expertise in social research methods and social theory, applying those to the study of information and communication technologies and their context of development, implementation and use.
Her work has been funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the United Nations and Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College.
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