[Air-l] Boostrom Winner of Couch Award

[Mark D. Johns]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 18, 2007

Contact: Dr. Mark D. Johns, Executive Director
Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research
c/o Department of Communication Studies
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa
Tel: (563) 387-1347 or (319) 268-1902
email: mjohns at luther.edu

Boostrom Winner of Couch Award

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet 
Research (www.cccsir.org) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 
Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award.
	Robert E. Boostrom, Jr., a doctoral student in Department of Marketing, 
College of Business and Administration at Southern Illinois University 
Carbondale, is the First Place winner for his paper, “The Social 
Construction of Virtual Reality and the Stigmatized Identity of the Newbie.”
	Jijesh Devan and Dany DiTullio, doctoral degree candidates in 
management information systems at Queen's Business School in Kingston, 
Ontario, Canada, are Second Place winners for their paper, 
“Socialization in Open Source Software Communities: A Symbolic 
Interactionist Perspective.”
	The Third Place award winner is Alvin S. Concha, a master’s degree 
candidate in gender studies at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao 
City, Philippines, for his paper, “Filipino cyborg sexualities: Chatroom 
masculinities, self-ascribed identities, ephemeral selves.”
	 The Couch Award is presented annually and recognizes excellent 
student-authored papers. Winning papers apply symbolic interactionist 
approaches to internet studies as advocated by the late Dr. Carl J. 
Couch, long-time professor of sociology at the University of Iowa.
	 The Couch Center established the Couch Award in 2002 as the 
centerpiece of an extensive awards program.
	Competition is open to graduate or undergraduate students of all 
disciplines, and winners are selected by a committee of university 
professors in communication studies and sociology from across the U.S.
	This year’s competition was rigorous, with a record number of entries. 
Papers were received from students from undergraduates through Ph.D. 
candidates, and were submitted by students from a half dozen nations, 
studying in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, as well as North America.
	Winners receive a cash award as well as the opportunity to present 
their papers at a national or international conference. This year’s 
awards will be presented at the annual conference of the Association of 
Internet Researchers in Vancouver, Canada, October 17-20.
	 The Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research is a non-profit 
organization established to promote the scholarship of the late Carl J. 
Couch and his academic associates. Couch is recognized as the founder of 
The New Iowa School in sociological and communication inquiry, and was a 
pioneer in the qualitative research of information technologies.
	 The Center provides networking opportunities for students and scholars 
who conduct social and Internet research, inspired by Couch's work.
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