Katherine Metz, a student in the School of History, Technology, and Society (HTS), received an Honorable Mention for her paper, "Coffee Prices and Consumption in the United States and Finland" at the 2013 Southeastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium (SEUSS).

Metz wrote the paper as the result of an HTS seminar. The paper topic was inspired by a trip to the grocery store. She noticed coffee prices had increased and decided to investigate.

"After researching, I learned that the prices have been unstable for the last 20 to 25 years and began to grow after the 2008 food crisis and the 2008 financial crisis," said Metz. "The price issues have led to a movement called traceability that could arguably change the coffee system, if it is applied the way it is planned. It was interesting to look at and uncover how globalized economies have become."

SEUSS was held February 22-23, 2013, on the campus of Morehouse College.