Dave Young, a senior majoring in philosophy, was accepted to present his paper on domestic politics and policy, “Inevitable City, Inexorable Storm: How the Failure of Communication, Courage and Common Sense Doomed New Orleans.” The regional conference will be held in January 2009 in New Orleans.

Formerly of State College, Pa., Young is the son of Lynn and Glenna Young of Waynesville. His paper examined how federal, state and local officials were ill-prepared to deal with significant problems before and after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

“Dave’s paper was thoroughly researched and extremely well-written. There is much to be learned from his research,” said C. Don Livingston, professor of political science and public affairs who serves as Young’s faculty adviser. “The acceptance of Dave’s paper for presentation by the Southern Political Science Association serves as an indication of the quality of his work. This is the first time that I can recall that one of our students in the political science department has had a research paper accepted for presentation at a Southern Political Science Association meeting.”

This spring, Young’s paper on Hurricane Katrina also received applause from the North Carolina Political Science Association, which recognized his paper as the best research paper written by an undergraduate.

For more information about Western’s department of political science and public affairs, call (828) 227-7475.

Maintained by the Office of Public Relations.
Last modified Friday, Sept. 26, 2008.