We are pleased to announce the recipient of AoIR’s first annual Dissertation Award. The author of the award-winning dissertation, titled “Youth and the Generation of Political Consciousness Online,” is Jessica L. Beyer. Beyer received her PhD from the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington in 2011 and is currently a post-doc in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Her dissertation examines political mobilization occurring on non-political websites and defines three attributes important to such mobilization: degree of anonymity, formality of site regulation, and opportunities for small-group interaction.

The Dissertation Award committee consisted of Lori Kendall (chair), Soraj Hongladarom, and Irina Shklovski. We received twenty dissertations, all of high quality, demonstrating the vibrancy of our field.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Beyer!