Angela Smith, assistant professor and public history director, has received the New Scholar Award from the Western Social Science Association. The award, which was presented for the first time, was announced at the association’s annual meeting in Denver April 4.
The New Scholar Award honors a scholar new to the academic profession who demonstrates strong promise of contributions to social science. Smith also received a cash stipend for travel and made a feature presentation in the History Section of the meeting.
Smith is a scholar of public history, the fastest-growing branch of the historical profession, and has expertise in digital applications of history. Her presentation to the association featured research by her and her students on the life of Melvina Massey, a notable and successful brothel operator during the pioneering railroad days of Fargo.
“Dr. Smith is a scholar with outstanding skills in a burgeoning field of the discipline,” said association past president Tom Isern, who presented the award. “We hope that she will make the Western Social Science Association one of her professional affiliations and will make contributions to it for many years to come.”
The Western Social Science Association is an international, multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to the advancement of scholarship, teaching, service and professional exchange. The association publishes a scholarly journal, the Social Science Journal, and holds an annual conference each April in a city of western North America.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.