Sybrina Atwaters

My research interests include: sociology of technology (exploring religious practices and knowledge production through virtual world technologies); and social inequality (examining patterns of inequality within science, engineering and higher education). I have presented my work at several professional conferences including Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR), Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR), and the Religious Education Association (REA). I received my PhD in the sociology of technology and science and Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, my Master’s of Science from Georgia State University, and my Master’s in Theological Studies from Candler School of Theology, Emory University. I have worked with international research teams at the National Academies as well as the Fund for Theological Education (FTE) in development of two scholarly reports, “Blueprint for the Future: Framing the Issues of Women in Science in a Global Context” and “The Cultivation of Scholars of Color in Theological Education.” I have also served as adjunct faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Morehouse College; as well as a guest lecturer in the department of philosophy and religion at Spelman College. I have over 10 years experience in Radio Frequency (RF) design and technical curriculum development, working at Sprint and AT&T. In addition, I have served as networking coordinator for REA for the past 5 years. My dissertation focuses on how virtual world users' construct non-gaming religious communities in 3-D virtual world platforms, and how the technology impact the forms of religious expression these users create.