FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- June 18, 2007 Contact: Dr. Mark D. Johns, Executive Director Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research c/o Department of Communication Studies Luther College Decorah, Iowa Tel: (563) 387-1347 or (319) 268-1902 email: mjohns@luther.edu Boostrom Winner of Couch Award CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research (www.cccsir.org) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2007 Carl J. Couch Internet Research Award. Robert E. Boostrom, Jr., a doctoral student in Department of Marketing, College of Business and Administration at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is the First Place winner for his paper, “The Social Construction of Virtual Reality and the Stigmatized Identity of the Newbie.” Jijesh Devan and Dany DiTullio, doctoral degree candidates in management information systems at Queen's Business School in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, are Second Place winners for their paper, “Socialization in Open Source Software Communities: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective.” The Third Place award winner is Alvin S. Concha, a master’s degree candidate in gender studies at the Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City, Philippines, for his paper, “Filipino cyborg sexualities: Chatroom masculinities, self-ascribed identities, ephemeral selves.” The Couch Award is presented annually and recognizes excellent student-authored papers. Winning papers apply symbolic interactionist approaches to internet studies as advocated by the late Dr. Carl J. Couch, long-time professor of sociology at the University of Iowa. The Couch Center established the Couch Award in 2002 as the centerpiece of an extensive awards program. Competition is open to graduate or undergraduate students of all disciplines, and winners are selected by a committee of university professors in communication studies and sociology from across the U.S. This year’s competition was rigorous, with a record number of entries. Papers were received from students from undergraduates through Ph.D. candidates, and were submitted by students from a half dozen nations, studying in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, as well as North America. Winners receive a cash award as well as the opportunity to present their papers at a national or international conference. This year’s awards will be presented at the annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers in Vancouver, Canada, October 17-20. The Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research is a non-profit organization established to promote the scholarship of the late Carl J. Couch and his academic associates. Couch is recognized as the founder of The New Iowa School in sociological and communication inquiry, and was a pioneer in the qualitative research of information technologies. The Center provides networking opportunities for students and scholars who conduct social and Internet research, inspired by Couch's work. - 30 -