What do you think of when you hear the word “robot?” Do you think of inventions that will spur greater innovation and technological change, or of nearly-human machines that will use their combination of humanity and superiority to take over the world? Sociology professor Eric Dahlin understands that there are conflicting viewpoints on robots and the impact that they have on society today and in the future.

In his study on the effect of industrial robots on the job market in the US, Dahlin found that robots do not steal jobs from humans. Instead, using information about robots and jobs from 327 metropolitan cities in 2010 and 2015, he found that “a strong, positive relationship exists between robots and employment.” He discovered that an increase in these robots actually correlates with not only an increase in high-skill occupations, but an increase in middle-skill occupations that involve routine and manual tasks, which are the positions that people fear will become obsolete by the use of robotics. In reality, robots work alongside humans in these types of jobs, which actually increases the need for middle-skill laborers. Dahlin said his findings show “there is no statistical information that shows robotics have impacted middle-and low skill jobs.” While it is possible that low-skill jobs involving routine tasks could become the work of a robot, overall, the data shows that robots are not decreasing the need for humans in these positions.   

So if robots are not stealing jobs, what will be the relationship between robots and human jobs in the future? Dahlin explains: “My research does not indicate that robots and humans can work collaboratively in the future. My findings described what happened in the years 2010 and 2015, so anything could happen…However, a hopeful interpretation of my findings is that as robotic technology continues to improve…robots and humans could work in new, collaborative ways together in the future.”

To find out more about Eric Dahlin’s study on the impact of industrial robots on the US job market, read his article published in SAGE Journals, “Are Robots Stealing Our Jobs?”

The College of Family Home and Social Sciences would like to congratulate Dr. David Magelby, professor of Political Science and former Dean of the College on his retirement and outstanding academic and professional career. Professor Magleby taught political science at Brigham Young University from June 1981 to July 2019 and served as the dean of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences from 2001-2011. Although his last day was this week, on July 1, 2019, he gave his last lecture in December 2018. Department manager Carina Alleman recalled, “The students and teachers lined the hallway and applauded him as he left the classroom that day. It was pretty cool.”

On June 7th, 2019, the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (CSED) also showed appreciation for Magleby by holding a banquet in his honor. A scholarship has been created in his name, and those who will receive the award will be referred to as Magleby Fellows and will receive financial assistance based on academic merit. 

The political science department also honored Magleby in an article about him and his accomplishments in their summer 2019 edition of their newsletter, The Political Science Post. The article describes some of the many contributions that Magleby made to the field of political science during his time here at BYU:

“After coming to BYU as a professor, Magleby was named a Congressional Fellow of the American Political Science Association. This distinction meant he worked for a year with the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Robert C. Byrd. During that year Magleby provided staff support for the leader, focusing primarily on legislation to reform campaign finance.”

“Magleby is the author of several books. His first, Direct Legislation, is considered the seminal work on initiatives and referenda. Along with the other works Magleby has written, he is the lead editor of a series on presidential election finance, including Financing the 2016 Election. He has also written several works on issues related to soft money in campaigns. In 1990, he served on a bipartisan Senate task force on campaign finance reform and his book on the subject, The Money Chase, was published by the Brookings Institution. In addition, Magleby authors a best-selling American government textbook, Government by the People, which, as of early 2019, was in its 28th edition.”

Prior to joining the faculty of BYU, Magleby was a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Virginia. Magleby received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

To learn more about Dr. Magleby and his achievements, read the article in The Political Science Post’s summer 2019 edition.

National and local media alike covered the life and death of Major Brent Taylor, an alumni of the BYU political science department, who passed away last November while deployed in Afghanistan. He had been a successful community leader as the mayor of North Ogden and a loving husband and father of seven children. To help his example and legacy live on, his wife, Jennie Taylor, has decided to create the Brent and Jennie Taylor Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.

As explained on the Major Brent Taylor Legacy Foundation website, the plan with the new scholarship is “to establish a memorial scholarship in Brent’s name at each of his collegiate alma maters–namely, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah… [there will be] one full-tuition undergraduate scholarship each year, awarded in perpetuity [to BYU]; one master’s and one doctoral candidate scholarship each year, awarded in perpetuity.”

Jennie Taylor decided to create the scholarship, because she wishes to continue Brent’s commitment to service. As she explains on the scholarship fund’s website: “It is our desire, as a family, to carry on Brent’s legacy of service, sacrifice and statesmanship in a way that inspires future students to likewise focus on the same. Our cities, communities, state and nation need more of the kind of service-leadership that Brent exemplified. There are many things Brent might have gone on to do with his professional and public-service life, had he had more years of life on earth. Now that he is no longer here to fulfill any such future roles of leadership, that torch must be passed on to the next generation.”

To donate to the Brent and Jennie Taylor Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, go to http://www.majorbrenttaylor.com/. Also, read the article featuring his story in the Political Science Post, the quarterly newsletter published by BYU’s political science department.