By ALISA THOMAS

Staff Writer

After a year of study and research on the dynamics of neighborhood-level poverty, Dr. John Strait, an assistant professor of social sciences, will have two papers published in two American journals.

One paper is titled "The Epidemiology of Neighborhood Poverty: The Impact of Poverty Concentration on Infant Mortality among African-Americans and Whites."

"It reports an investigation of the relationships between poverty concentration and the racial gap in infant mortality within urban areas in the U.S.," Strait said.

The paper will be published in the "Professional Geographer," a journal by the American Association of Geographers, located in Washington, D.C.

Strait's other paper is titled, "Poverty Concentration within the Prismatic City: Neighborhood-level poverty among racial and ethnic groups within Los Angeles, California."

"This study strictly focused on the degree to which poverty was spatially concentrated in Los Angeles County, California," Strait said.

His second paper will be published in the "Urban Affairs Review," a journal by SAGE Publications, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Dr. Robert K. Toburen, head of the department of social sciences, said he considers Strait beneficial to the department.

"As [he is] the only geographer at Tech, we put a lot of work on Dr. Strait such as offering a major by himself, advising geography majors and at the same time teaching large introduction classes for students needing geography for general education requirements or as electives," Toburen said.

As far as his recognition is concerned, Toburen said he considers Strait notable to Tech, and he said he is glad he hired him for the geographer's position.

"To be able to be active professionally in research is even more impressive under these circumstances," Toburen said. "I am very proud of Dr. Strait; he is a great addition to the department."

Strait said the papers were reviewed anonymously and accepted by a panel. Acceptance of work is based on a review that the research efforts make significant contributions to the field.

Some of Strait's students consider his recognition as a live example of how hard work, determination and dedication can pay off.

"I can appreciate his classroom lessons more since we have visible evidence that he has researched his subject matter before presenting it to us," Stephen Howard, a senior geography major, said.

"Dr. Strait's research efforts and recognition validate his dedication toward his students and field."

Strait considers his work beneficial to Tech as an institution of higher learning in that it is good publicity for the university and can potentially bring grant revenue.

"I feel that the major benefit of engaging in research is that it keeps faculty 'fresh' and 'current', thus increasing one's knowledge base," Strait said. "In that sense, it also indirectly helps students."

Strait said he tries to bring his research experiences, both mundane and professional, into the classroom as much as possible.

"The best way to learn something is to teach it."