Sunbelt XXXI International Network for Social Network ... - INSNA

Sex And Drug HIV‐risk Networks Among Latino Migrant Men In A New Receiving EnvironmentKissinger, Patricia ; Friedman, Samuel R.; Muth, Stephen Q.; Schmidt, Norine; Anderson‐Smits, Colin; Shedlin, MicheleSocial Networks and HealthHIV/STD, Sex Networks, Drug UseSAT.AM1Introduction: In 2005, Hurricane Katrina led to an influx of Latino migrant men (LMM) to New Orleans to work in reconstruction. An urban environment withhigh rates of drug use, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), New Orleans had a relatively small Latino population prior to Katrina. Marginalizedby legal status, poverty, low education, and lack of English language proficiency, LMM are more vulnerable to diseases and drug use. In new receivingenvironments, vulnerabilities may be magnified. Our prior work revealed that isolation from sexual partners/families led some men to have, and sometimes toshare, multiple short‐term sex partners, including female sex workers which could increase their vulnerability to HIV/STDs. The influence of risk networks onLMM risk and resilience for HIV/STDs is the focus of this study. Methods: Respondent‐driven sampling with steering incentives produced a cohort of 25 drugusing and 25 non‐drug using LMM egos. Participants will be given monetary incentives to recruit 2 generations of alters with an attempt to uniquely‐identifyall persons and links between them. Pajek and MS Access will be integrated to facilitate data capture of participant‐aided sociograms. Sociometric data,merged with computer‐assisted personal interviews, will be analyzed to: 1) determine feasibility of conducting sociometric analysis with LMM; 2) determinenetwork predictors, particularly k‐plex rank, of HIV/STD risk and morbidity and 3) explore the relative contribution of network predictors beyond individual,cultural and other environmental factors on these outcomes. Results: Data collection will start in December 2010. Preliminary findings will be presented alongwith lessons learned.Similarity Feeds Connection, Diversity Spices It: Exploring The Structure Of Advice Networks In A Knowledge NetworkKoku, Emmanuel F.; Dimitrova, DimaEducation, knowledge and learning networksKnowledge Networks, Advice Network, Communities Of Practice, Collaboration Network, scholarly networksSUN.AM1Increasingly, collaborative learning has formed the cornerstone of knowledge transfer and innovation in a variety of social arenas, from scientific research tobusiness, education, or health. To meet the challenge of knowledge transfer and innovation, the Canadian government created the Networks of Centres ofExcellence (NCE) program, which fosters research and innovation in partnerships with industrial and government participants. Such trends lead to theproliferation of organizational forms that have to grapple with several challenges, including how to share knowledge among geographically dispersedcommunities of professionals. Advances in technology provide the infrastructure for contact, though they provide only a partial answer. Social network analysisemphasizes the role of informal network connections in channeling access to information and advice. However, there is paucity of data on how contextualvariables (such as managerial practices or formal policies) interact with other structural dynamics in shaping the flows of advice and information exchangenetworks in knowledge networks. The presentation will use findings from the social network surveys of a Canadian NCE, supplemented with insights from andinterviews and documentary data, to explore how informal communication networks, managerial practices and governmental policy initiatives shape thestructure and content of advice network exchanges in a knowledge network.