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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

*New* Call for UW Student Research Proposals: Parvin E’tesami Student Support Fund (05/05/26)

The Middle East Center announces the 2025-26 competition for the Parvin E’tesami Student Support Fund. We invite applications from undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the University of Washington in all disciplines, including international students, who are engaged in the study of the Middle East and North Africa and who will be enrolled at the University of Washington during the 2025-26 academic year. The application deadline is May 5, 2026. Apply now: https://forms.office.com/r/yYvSmDbfUs

The Parvin E’tesami Student Support Fund was made possible by a generous donation from Mr. Babak Parviz to provide broad-based support for students studying the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the University of Washington. E’tesami was a Persian-language poet whose oeuvre was preoccupied with vulnerable members of Iranian society in the early twentieth century. The fund is administered by the Middle East Center in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.

Awards: Up to $2,000 each

Eligibility: Open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the University of Washington who demonstrate a serious academic interest in the Middle East and North Africa. Funding can support the following activities related to the study of the MENA: conference registration and/or travel; research or fieldwork expenses; language training; study abroad; and general living expenses while studying at UW.

Selection criteria: Selection will be based on the intellectual merit and feasibility of the proposed activity, academic achievement, and the applicant’s demonstrated ability to serve as a professional representative of Middle East and North Africa Studies at the University of Washington.

Apply now: https://forms.office.com/r/yYvSmDbfUs

Questions? Email mecuw@uw.edu

IPUMS Workshops and Events at PAA (05/06/26 – 05/08/26)

IPUMS will be exhibiting at the PAA 2026 Annual Meeting. Stop by their booth to talk with IPUMS research staff. Share any powered by IPUMS work on the PAA program so we can highlight your session and bring some specialty IPUMS swag for you. IPUMS also invites you to connect at these PAA events:

  • Advances and Resources in Linking Full Count Census Data from IPUMS: Wednesday, May 6; 9:00am-2:00pm | America’s Center Room 103
  • Harmonizing Geographic U.S. Census Data Across Time: Resources from IPUMS NHGIS: Thursday, May 7; 6:30-7:30pm | Marriott St. Louis Grand – Room L1
  • The Future of DHS: Supplemental and Alternative Data Sources: Friday, May 8; 6:00-7:30pm | Marriott St. Louis Grand – Room L6

Event Details

  • Advances and Resources in Linking Full Count Census Data from IPUMSWednesday, May 6; 9:00am-2:00pm | America’s Center Room 103

    This PAA workshop will include presentations designed to lower barriers to utilizing linked, full count census data for demographic and health research, with a specific emphasis on data availability and access, linking methods, and analytical considerations when working with linked data. To register for the workshop, add it to your PAA registration.

  • Harmonizing Geographic U.S. Census Data Across Time: Resources from IPUMS NHGISThursday, May 7; 6:30-7:30pm | Marriott St. Louis Grand – Room L1

    This session will introduce participants to two resources from IPUMS NHGIS for investigating change across time in geographic areas. Time series tables link together comparable summary statistics from multiple years for several geographic levels, down to census tracts and block groups. Geographic crosswalks support the allocation of data from one year’s geographic units to another’s, allowing analysts to construct geographically standardized data from 1990 through 2024 for a wide range of subjects and levels.

  • The Future of DHS: Supplemental and Alternative Data SourcesFriday, May 8; 6:00-7:30pm | Marriott St. Louis Grand – Room L6

    Learn about the current status and future prospects for the IPUMS Demographic and Health Surveys, and hear about research opportunities using the IPUMS DHS and other international data from IPUMS, including contextual population and agricultural census data from IPUMS IHGIS (which can be easily linked to IPUMS DHS data) and other resources for combining global microdata from IPUMS DHS, IPUMS MICS, and IPUMS International.

International Migration Review (IMR) Call for Submissions: Migration in the Classroom: Pedagogical Innovations and Student Engagement (06/01/26)

A key theme emerging from the 2026 Academic Symposium of the Center for Migration Studies was the need to invest intentionally in the next generation of migration scholars. Students at all levels, including graduate, tertiary, secondary, and even primary, should benefit from evidence-based, rights-oriented education on human migration and population movements, as well as on the policies and programs that shape these dynamics.

In response, the International Migration Review (IMR) invites submissions that illustrate creative and innovative approaches to teaching and curriculum development on international migration and mobilities, immigrant experiences, displacement, and forced migration. This call seeks critical essays that examine pedagogy, curriculum design, and student learning, with particular attention to how teaching can advance both knowledge generation and meaningful engagement with migration issues and migrant student communities.

We invite essays of 1500-2500 words, excluding supporting materials, that describe the goals of the course, program, or instructional approach; its implementation and evaluation; and its outcomes for students and, where relevant, communities. Submissions may include descriptions of curricula, classroom practices, experiential or community-engaged learning, or interdisciplinary approaches.

Essays should be submitted by June 1, 2026. Interested contributors are invited to send their essays to Dr. Narayani Sritharan (nsritharan@aiddata.wm.edu) and Professor Ellen Percy Kraly (ekraly@colgate.edu). The guest editors will review submissions and invite selected authors to submit their essays for consideration by IMR.

Essays will be considered for publication by the IMR editorial team, based on the originality of the approach and demonstrated outcomes for student learning and engagement.  We welcome contributions spanning the social sciences, health sciences, arts, and humanities.

Please feel free to contact Professor Ellen Percy Kraly at ekraly@colgate.edu with any ideas or questions.