Shaun is a PhD student at the University of Maryland interested in social psychology, racial attitudes, and survey methods; his current research uses survey and experimental methods to examine perceptions of discrimination among white people. Shaun holds a BA in sociology from Michigan State University and an MA from Washington State University, where he studied the employment impacts of prisons on rural counties. Before joining the graduate program at Maryland, he taught introductory sociology, the sociology of deviance, and race and ethnicity at Tacoma Community College and Cascadia College in Washington State.

Connor Powelson M.A. is a Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Assistant to his advisor, Dr. Rashawn Ray, in the Sociology Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. His research and teaching interests include sociological social psychology, race/class/gender, emotions, and mixed methodology. Connor’s current research applies affect control theory to evaluate sub-cultural sentiment expression in groups of varying race and gender composition. He is also currently in collaboration with Dr. Ray in an ongoing survey of police and civilian attitudes towards police body-worn cameras in Prince George’s county. In his department, Connor works as Research Assistant for the Lab for Applied Social Science Research (LASSR) and participates in the Critical Race Initiative and Group Processes Laboratory.

Genesis Fuentes is a doctoral student in the Sociology Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. Fuentes is the Graduate Student Coordinator for the Lab for Applied Social Science Research. She has worked with over 300 police officers to coordinate training modules and participation in research studies. She is also working with Dr. Ray to create a cyberbullying prevention program for high schools students. Fuentes helps to coordinate the research projects within LASSR, organize the graduate and undergraduate research assistants, and scheduling all LASSR events. Her research interests are social psychology, race/ethnicity, and sociology of law. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from The College of William and Mary.

Rebecca Shankman is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park double majoring in Sociology and Criminology/ Criminal Justice. After growing up in a suburb of Cleveland that showed her that even when people are equal on paper, the real world can be quite different, she decided to pursue working in the fields of criminal justice reform and race relations. She now works as a research assistant in the Sociology Group Processes lab and the Lab for Applied Social Science Research improving her understanding of academic research and research for policy change. This year, she will be completing an honors thesis in criminology. She plans to go to grad school for a PhD after graduating from University of Maryland.