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The book features a collection of conversations from a radio program hosted by RTI social scientist Brian Southwell
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, today announced the availability of “Measuring Everyday Life: Talking About Research and Why It Matters,” a new book published by RTI Press and edited by RTI researcher Brian Southwell, Ph.D., and North Carolina Central University’s Karen Keaton Jackson, Ph.D., and Bridget Pittman-Blackwell.
The book comprises interviews featured on the public radio show “The Measure of Everyday Life,” hosted by Southwell and aired on WNCU. The conversations were curated to include those that deal with society’s most pressing issues, including health, equity, and the environment. More broadly, the collection demonstrates how research can help address important questions and acknowledges that finding answers can often be a challenging — and sometimes adventurous — journey.
“Anyone interested in applying academic research to practical projects should find value in this book,” said Southwell, a social scientist and senior director of the Science in the Public Sphere program at RTI. “I’ve had the great fortune of speaking to people from all walks of life about a variety of topics in my role as a radio show host. This is a collection of conversations from the show that are informative and thought-provoking, both as separate conversations as well as together as a look at research across various disciplines.”
In addition to documenting a variety of conversations between Southwell and his guests, the book offers insights from behind the scenes of social science research, communication campaigns and interventions, and community engagement projects.
“’Measuring Everyday Life’ demonstrates for students that the topics they explore and the research skills they cultivate in the classroom have relevance in real life,” said Jackson, a professor of English and director of the University Honors Program at NCCU. “They know that their voices matter and now they can see avenues for giving life to those voices and making real change in society.”
Pittman-Blackwell, who edited the book with Southwell and Jackson, is a psychology graduate student at NCCU and soldier in the Army National Guard.
RTI Press is a global publisher of peer-reviewed, open-access publications.
