Candan Duran-Aydintug will be honored by the Turkish Sociological Association in collaboration with the Middle Eastern Sociological Association Sept. 19-22 at the V. National Meeting in Turkey. "The Turkish Sociological Association looks at scholars in the United States of Turkish origin," Duran-Aydintug explains of the award. "I’ve been asked to be the keynote speaker at the meeting."

Duran-Aydintug said the association has asked her to answer 10 questions about herself as well as evaluate specialized areas in sociology and how they’re faring in the United States. "They also wanted to know about the Department of Sociology at UCD, means of collaboration and opportunities for international students," she said. "I realized there are all these wonderful potentials to establish connections."

Duran-Aydintug will speak on the future of sociology, focusing on methods and directions she foresees in the future of sociology. Chair of the sociology department for the past 7.5 years, she recently finished a research project on adolescent fathers and is in the process of writing her findings.

Being honored by the association will not only benefit her personally, but the department and the university. "Our faculty and students are very vibrant and diverse–students from Germany, Iran, Venezuela, China, Nepal and faculty from Turkey, China and Russia. This offers us a new energy, good ties, new students and experiences for us.

"Needless to say, I am very much honored," she says.