Two MTSU professors recently were honored by their peers at a regional academic association for excellence in research and service to students.

• Ben Stickle, an associate professor of criminal justice administration, received the Stanford M. Lyman Distinguished Book Award during the 2019 Mid-South Sociological Association’s annual conference, which was held Oct. 24-26 in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dr. Ben Stickle

Dr. Jackie Eller

“Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit” was Stickle’s doctoral dissertation. It was published in 2017 by Palgrave Macmillan and was the subject of an interview with Stickle on the March 26, 2019, edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5. The interview can be heard at https://mtsunews.com/stickle-scrappers-march2019/.

Stickle’s research chronicles both legal and illegal collection of scrap metal for profit. He spent a considerable amount of time with scrappers to gain credibility with them in order to acquire information about where to obtain scrap metal, where to sell it, how lucrative it can be and the risks involved.

• Jackie Eller, a professor of sociology, received the Thomas C. Calhoun Excellence in Mentoring Award at the conference. Her areas of academic expertise include deviant behavior/social disorganization, emotions and sex and gender.

A prior chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Eller also is a past recipient of the MSSA Career Award in Sociology, the MTSU Outstanding Teacher Award and MTSU’s Ayne Cantrell Award for Outstanding Leadership in Women’s Studies.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)