The SSCRL Team

Arthur Scarritt is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at Boise State University, and served as Chair for six years. He studies how people challenge and reproduce the multiple forms of inequality that make up their daily lives. He has several research streams. With the help of a small grant from the National Science Foundation, he and colleagues investigate how ostensibly inclusive US political liberalism helps mainstream white supremacy. He also employs international comparative analyses to publish on the dynamics of racial inequality and white supremacy. And he researches the intersectional reproduction of inequality driven by the neoliberal privatization of public higher education. Scarritt also serves as Co-Director the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL). With a decade-plus legacy, the lab provides intensive undergraduate research training and publishes widely on the topic of neoliberal higher education. Research from the project has shown how the neoliberal university trains students to embrace the inequalities, limited learning, sexism and racism that undermine the value of their educations, and key ways to fight these trends. He earned his bachelor’s at The Evergreen State College and his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His areas of interest include: Globalization, Colonialism, Race and Ethnicity, Higher Education, Qualitative Methods, Inequality, Gender, Political Sociology

Dr. Michael Kreiter is a sociologist whose work focuses on racial inequality, far right extremism, and the impacts of privatization and business-logic on higher education. He attended Boise State University for his undergraduate degrees and earned his PhD in Sociology at Kent State University. He co-directs the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL), where he mentors undergraduate students through rigorous qualitative research projects. As a founding member of the Syringa State Community Research Lab (SSCRL), Dr. Kreiter helped design the lab’s infrastructure, develop research partnerships, and launch its first community-based projects. His research spans from NSF-funded studies on racism and political ideology to analyses of far-right movements to critiques of systemic inequalities in higher education. He is committed to using research as a tool for social improvement. A former IMSRL student himself, he brings deep experience in guiding students toward both scholarly and applied research that challenges systemic injustice, and he is continually looking for ways to engage more with community partners.

Lauren Sichenze graduated from Boise State University in August of 2024 with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Professional Studies and a minor in Creative Writing. As an undergraduate, she was part of the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL) where she designed and executed a two-semester research project. Her undergraduate research focused on the negative effects the competitive academic environment in higher education has on the perception of disability and academic accommodations. The following year Lauren returned to IMSRL as a mentor. Since then, she’s contributed to multiple research projects including a Nation Science Foundation (NSF) funded pilot study. These research projects have focused on a wide range of topics including political polarization, conspiracy theories, student retention, and K-12 free breakfast program. Lauren aims to attend grad school and study disability studies in the future. Her research interests include disability studies, education, higher education, accessibility, policy, disability rights, and social justice. When not researching, Lauren enjoys working as a disability activist, writing, and spending time with her cat.

Amelia will be graduating in Fall 2025 from Boise State University with degrees in Sociology and Ethnic Studies and minors in Gender Studies and Computer Science. Their research interests include gender, sexuality, technology, AI, labor, and education. For the last three years, Amelia has served as a researcher and mentor for the the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL) where they explored the impact of gender and neoliberal precarity on student experiences in higher education. Amelia has worked on several research projects in the topics of k-12 education, voting, AI, ethics, student recruitment and retention, transportation, and meaning. Outside of Sociology, she enjoys reading, spending time with loved ones, snuggling with her cat, reading, cooking, and baking.

Emily is a recent graduate of Boise State University, where she completed a double major in
Sociology and Ethnic Studies, along with a minor in the History of Law, Justice, and Power.
During her undergraduate studies, she participated in the Intermountain Sociological Research
Lab, where she explored blind nationalism and how it is legitimized in higher education through
religious influences. Currently, Emily works as an Adjunct Professor at Boise State, teaching
Sociological Communication courses. She is passionate about the power of sociology as a tool
for understanding and transforming society and advocates for its application across all areas of
academia. Her work emphasizes the importance of critical inquiry, equity, and social
responsibility in education. Looking ahead, Emily plans to attend law school to study social
justice and constitutional law, with the goal of combining research, teaching, and legal advocacy
to drive meaningful change.

Victoria is an Undergraduate student at Boise State University. She is studying Sociology, Political Science and Gender Studies. Her research interests align with these subjects as well. Last year, Victoria completed her training through the InterMountain Social Research Lab in which she explored gender experiences in relations to meritocracy in Higher Education, which she presented in San Francisco at the Pacific Sociological Association. She is now mentoring a new cohort of undergraduate students. Victoria is excited for all the projects she will work on through the Syringa State Community Research Lab.Victoria believes that qualitative research is important as it can reveal specific truths and in-depth themes, which is why she is also the Vice President of the Qualitative Research Association (QRA) at Boise State and is committed to helping others understand the value of Qualitative research. She is also involved in other clubs, serving as the Social Media and Outreach officer of Black Student Association at Boise State, and going into her fourth year of membership in the National Residence Hall Honorary, a student organization focused on community service. Outside of academics she can be found playing Minecraft, walking her dog, and enjoying Boise’s outdoors.

Regan Williams is an undergraduate student completing a double major in Sociology and Criminal Justice. Regan participated in the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL) last year where she was trained in qualitative research. She explored topics surrounding the corporatization of higher education and food insecurity in college students. She presented her research at the Pacific Sociological Conference as well as accepted a nomination to speak at the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research. This year she returns to IMSRL as a mentor and to continue her research on the topic as well as act as the current president of the Qualitative Research Association at Boise State. Regan’s goals are to attend law school and bring her sociological perspective into the criminal justice field. Outside of work and school Regan likes to ski, bake, and spend time with friends and family.

Niamh recently earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Boise State University, with an emphasis in Sociology and Psychology and a minor in Gender Studies. As an undergraduate, she participated in the Intermountain Social Research Lab (IMSRL) for two years. In her first year, she focused on the presence of neoliberal feminism in higher education, examining how language used to describe women in academic settings reinforced perceptions of women being less motivated and ambitious than men– framing these traits as explanations for their perceived lack of success. Returning as an IMSRL mentor in her second year, she continued her research with a shift toward exploring the role of meritocracy in shaping women’s experiences in academia. Her work highlighted how merit-based narratives are often deeply gendered and biased against women and people of color, ultimately diminishing recognition of their accomplishments. In Fall of 2025, she began a PhD program at Washington University in St. Louis, where her research will focus on gender, class, and racial inequalities, with particular emphasis on reproductive health and broader health disparities affecting marginalized communities.”

Danilla Kowalczuk graduated from Boise State University, as a Top 10 scholar, with a B.S in Sociology in Spring of 2025. Undertaking two years at the Intermountain Social Research Lab, taking on the role of a mentor during the second year, Danilla produced novel research looking at the intersection of race and class. As a research assistant for the Global Gardens project, a partnership with the City of Boise and Boise State, she assisted with understanding the challenges farmers from refugee backgrounds face. In another research assistant role, she helped establish the infrastructure for the Sociology Community Research Lab, designed protocol for a project with the Boise School District and worked on a research project funded by the National Science Foundation. In the Fall of 2025, Danilla will begin a PhD program of Sociology at SUNY Binghamton where she aims to combine her research interests of class and race with her experiences with grassroots organizing.