Michael Irwin, Ph.D.

Michael IrwinChair and Associate Professor
Sociology Department

Office: 504A College Hall
412.396.6488
irwinm@duq.edu

Dr. Irwin joined Duquesne University's Sociology Department in 1995. His research interests center on spatial processes, urban and community studies, demography, and social ecology.

Education

B.A., University of Alaska, cum laude, Sociology, 1981
M.A., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sociology, 1985
Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sociology, 1988

Research, Publications and Service

Recent Publications include:

  • "Human Ecology.", "Amos Hawley." and "Factorial Ecology" 2010. Three chapters in The Encyclopedia of Urban Studies.  Ray Hutchison, editor, Sage Publications. Irwin, MD.
  • "Measuring Migration Profiling Residential Mobility across Two Decades." 2009 in Journal of Applied Social Science. Tolbert, CM., Blanchard, TC., Irwin, MD.
  • “Territories of Inequality: An Essay on the Measurement and Analysis of Inequality in Grounded Place Settings” 2007, in The Sociology of Spatial Inequality. SUNY Press. Irwin, MD.
  • “Why People Stay: The Impact of Community Context on Non-migration in the USA” 2004 in Population. Irwin, MD., Blanchard, TC., Tolbert, CM., Nucci A., Lyson, TA.
  • “Suburban Sprawl, Regional Diffusion, and the Fate of Small Retailers in a Large Retail Environment, 1977-1996” 2004, in Sociological Focus. Blanchard, TC., Irwin, MD.,  Tolbert, CM., Nucci A., Lyson, TA.
  • “Geo-referenced School-Age Population Projections: Methodology for a Rapidly Growing District” 2004, in Journal of Applied Sociology/Sociological Practice. Trouteaud, A., Tolbert, CM., Irwin, MD.

Recent grant research includes:

  • Interactive Planning Tool for Sustainable Urban Planning in a Built, Urban Community, EPA Built Environment, P3 Award
  • Rural Civic Community and Population Stability: Linking Civic Structure and Individual Migration Behavior, USDA National Research Initiative
  • Civic Community and Civic Welfare: A Study Based on Economic Census Micro-data” National Science Foundation

Recent Professional Activities Include:

  • President (2008) of The Southern Demographic Association
  • Program Chair (2007) Annual Meetings of the Southern Demographic Association
  • Program Co-chair for the Southern Sociological Society's 2004 Annual Meeting.

Recent presentations (with co-authors) include:

  • "Demographic Variation in the Environmental Impacts of the Marcellus Natural Gas Boom" Annual Meeting of the Southern Demographic Association.  October 11, 2010, Knoxville, TN.
  • "Common Lands and Common Problems:  Community Approaches to Ecotourism in Belize."  Second Annual Philosophy of the Environment Roundtable, Duquesne University.  April 24, 2009.
  • The Demographics of Nature:  A Student Service Learning Project Evaluating Demographics of Green Space Use in an Urban Setting, Poster. Annual Meeting of the Southern Demographic Association.  Galveston, TX.  October 31, 2009.
  • "Re-Zoning for Sustainable Development in a Built Urban Environment:  Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches for Urban Planning."  Annual Meeting of the Southern Demographic Association.  Greenville, SC.  October 31, 2008.
  • Strata in the Social Landscape: Identifying Patterns of Inequality Using Spatial Models. Southwest Social Science Association Las Vegas NV, 2008
  • Workforce Development, Youth, Migrant Labor and Education panel National Research Initiative Rural Development Project Director’s Meeting, Santa Clara, CA. 2007
  • Spatial Inequality: Poverty and Prosperity across Spaces, Places, and Scales, Rural Poverty Interest Group, Annual Meetings of the Rural Sociological Society. Santa Clara, CA. 2007
  • Census Bureau's Longitudinal Employment and Household Dynamics Products: 21st Century Statistical Data for Demographers, Annual Meetings of the Southern Demographic Association, Birmingham AL. 2007
  • Interactive Planning Tool for Sustainable Urban Planning in a Built, Urban Community, National Sustainable Design Expo, US Environmental Protection Agency (Washington DC 2007) and the Annual Meetings of the Population Association of America (New Orleans 2008).

 

Statement

My approach to graduate education in Social and Public Policy is to integrate academic research and community involvement towards a scholarship of engagement. Such engagement applies academic principles to pragmatic issues affecting the public good. This complex of academics, application, and education forms a holistic approach to social policy that is reflected in my philosophy of research, teaching and supervision.