Prof. Brian Mayer
Barbara Starrett
SaddleBrooke Freethinkers is proud to have Brian Mayer, PhD, speak on “Poverty in Tucson” on Sunday, April 3, at 10 a.m. at the MountainView Ballroom, with a coffee social at 9:30 a.m.
Tucson has one of the highest poverty rates in the country for a city of our size. Professor Brian Mayer, working with then Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and local non-profit groups to study how poverty affects the Tucson community and to identify ways to help struggling families, created the Tucson Poverty Project. This unique program combines faculty-guided undergraduate research with policy research to identify root causes and consequences of Tucson’s persistent problem with intergenerational poverty. Dr. Mayer will present these findings and tell the story behind the research.
Dr. Mayer’s research interests focus on questions of community resilience and recovery after disasters. His work has been funded by major agencies, such as the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation.
Professor Mayer is a professor at the School of Sociology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona. He received his PhD and master’s in sociology at Brown University. He is the author of Blue-Green Coalitions: Fighting for Safe Workplaces and Healthy Environments, 2008, Cornell University Press. He has also contributed to chapters in books and multiple journal articles.
SaddleBrooke Freethinkers provides a forum for the responsible search for truth and meaning in understanding and solving human problems by applying science and reason. We believe that tolerance, compassion, equity, and civility should characterize interactions among people and organizations. We strive to achieve these goals through meetings, lectures, and discussions.
SaddleBrooke Freethinkers meetings are held at the MountainView Ballroom on Sunday mornings, with a coffee social starting at 9:30 a.m. The program begins at 10 a.m. For dates and subjects, go to our website SBFreethinkers.wordpress.com.
You can become a member of the SaddleBrooke Freethinkers for $15 per calendar year. This fee includes all lectures and other Freethinkers events, like the book club and social events. The lecture program runs January through April and October through December. Lectures are open to all SaddleBrooke residents and their guests, as space is available. Non-members are encouraged to make a $4 donation to defray costs. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or cash donations for the Tri-Community Food Bank.
For questions or to be added to the email list, send your contact information to [email protected].