by Christian Steinmetz
May 11th 2021
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Dora M. Raymaker and Amie Thurber
Two faculty at the School of Social Work have been recognized by Portland State University for their 2021 research awards. Dora M. Raymaker received the 2021 Research Faculty Award as a part of the May 7 Research Awards Ceremony. Additionally, Amie Thurber received the 2021 College/School Research Award from Research & Graduate Studies after the School of Social Work named her researcher of the year. These awards are among the university’s highest honors, recognizing and incentivizing PSU faculty and staff excellence in research scholarship, artistry and dedication to PSU students.
Dora M. Raymaker – 2021 Research Faculty Award
For Dora M. Raymaker’s Research Faculty Award, colleagues submitted their nomination and a jury of peers selected the awardees based on the significance and quality of their research achievements. Raymaker is a systems scientist and research assistant professor at the Regional Research Institute for Human Services. They are also co-director of the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) and associate editor of the academic journal Autism in Adulthood.
Raymaker conducts intervention services research in collaboration with the Autistic and mental health communities to improve employment outcomes and reduce discrimination and stigma. For more detail on Raymaker’s work, Science published an article last year about a study co-authored with fellow School of Social Work faculty member Christina Nicolaidis and their Autistic community partners in AASPIRE.
Amie Thurber – 2021 College/School Research Award
Amie Thurber was chosen by the School of Social Work as researcher of the year. She is currently the Principal Investigator on a multi-year study evaluating the effects of Portland's North/Northeast (N/NE) Preference Policy, which recreates housing access in a historical community of color to those displaced by urban renewal and gentrification.
Thurber was also awarded the 2019 Award for the Best Dissertation by the Society for Community Research and Action. She is co-editor of the recently published book I’ll Take You There: Exploring Nashville’s Social Justice Sites, where she led a collaborative process engaging 125 Nashville residents in writing place-stories to counter the dominant narrative of the city and to surface historic and ongoing efforts to advance justice. An excerpt from the book’s introduction is available to read via Chapter 16.
Congratulations to Dora M. Raymaker and Amie Thurber for receiving these awards!