Cynthia Anderson, Ph.D.

With a slipping economy and high unemployment rates, more and more people have to dip into savings or take on additional jobs to support themselves. But for some, that may still not be enough.

Dr. Anderson has devoted years of research into studying the low-income working class - those already poor becoming more impoverished during tough economic times.

"The working poor are very fragile as it is," she says. "And during a recession it gets far worse. Their incomes are too low to allow for savings and they generally are working with no benefits. When there are higher gas prices, for example, people generally start tightening their belts on spending. But this group has nowhere left to tighten their belts."

Anderson's research uses Census data from communities across the country to determine many factors about rural labor markets and low-wage workers. She also studies the implications of how the type of work a laborer performs relates to their quality of life.

An expert on how humans deal with poverty, she also studies how female-dominated occupations, such as secretaries, elementary school teachers, registered nurses, home health aides and cashiers contribute to unstable lives for women.

She continues to teach theory to both undergraduates and graduates, helping them understand the assumptions that guide everyday actions as well as economic and political conditions.

Additionally, Anderson is interviewing women faculty at community colleges across the state of Ohio as part of a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation for their efforts to advance women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).