Ho awarded grant to study effects of migration on life expectancy
Jan 19, 2023
Life expectancy in the U.S. has been stagnating for over a decade, with coastal and metropolitan areas experiencing life expectancy gains far above those in interior and nonmetropolitan parts of the country. A $2.6 million grant awarded to Jessica Y. Ho, associate professor of sociology and…
New and Improved Process For Submitting RDC Proposals
Jan 18, 2023
The RDC process for applying for federal restricted-use data has become standardized.The Interagency Council on Statistical Policy has announced that the standard application process, or SAP, began accepting applications on December 8, 2022. The announcement marks an important milestone for the…
Education project aims to improve overdose-death reporting
Jan 17, 2023
Accurate reporting on causes of death has direct impacts on mortality data, policy making, and setting priorities in public health. A Penn State-led project aims to educate coroners, medical examiners, and others in the death certifier community in Pennsylvania about the reporting of accidental…
SSRI Annual Report now available
Jan 17, 2023
The Social Science Research Institute’s 2021-2022 SSRI Annual Report is now available in an easy to navigate digital format. It contains an overview the Institute’s research units and activities as well as articles that describe research emphasizing SSRI’s new Strategic Foci.SSRI provides…
Talks to focus on NSF opportunities for researchers
Jan 13, 2023
Social science research opportunities available through the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be the subject of two presentations being held on Feb. 22, 3 - 4:30 p.m.; and Feb. 23, 12 – 1 p.m., at The Bennett Pierce Living Center, Room 110 Henderson Building, Penn State.Dr. Erica Hill, a…
Call for Joint projects in Arts, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences
Jan 13, 2023
SSRI is pleased to announce the launch of Joint Projects in Arts, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.Sponsored by SSRI, the College of the Liberal Arts, and the College of Arts and Architecture, we seek proposals for joint projects integrating work in the Arts and Design, and/or the…
Frankenberg named among top RHSU Edu-Scholars
Jan 10, 2023
PRI Associate Erica Frankenberg, professor of education (educational leadership and demography) and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights (CECR), is included in the 2023 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, ranking the university-based scholars in the United States who did…
New EIC podcast on chronic diseases
Jan 5, 2023
Our first episode of 2023 tackles a fascinating combination of topics involving the impact, prevention, and treatment of chronic diseases through state and local government programs.We spoke to Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and the director of Epidemiology…
New Interdisciplinary Seed Grant Opportunities in Multiple Areas Across Partnerships in OSVPR
Jan 5, 2023
The Materials Research Institute (MRI) is partnering with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Social Science Research Institute, Institute for Computational and Data Science, Institutes of Energy and the Environment, the College of Medicine, and the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) on a new…
Symposium highlights family roles addressing race and racism
Jan 4, 2023
Penn State’s 30th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues, held recently at University Park, focused on how families can address racial/ethnic inequalities and racism toward reducing disparities in health, education, and wealth in the U.S.The symposium, Family Socialization Around Race/…
REDCap support increases and boasts new features for researchers and users
Dec 21, 2022
REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure, web-based application for databases and online surveys for research purposes. It is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to collect protected health information.As Penn State Clinical and Translational…
NIH Data Management Seminars
Dec 16, 2022
Listed below are dates, times and links to seminars on 1) an Overview of the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy and 2) How to Create a Data management plan. The new NIH policy goes into effect this January. The Overview seminar will review the policy and provide tips to help researchers plan…
Why Social Science? - Because It's the Most Reliable Way to Understand the Public's Point of View
Dec 8, 2022
This week's Why Social Science? post comes from Kathy Frankovic, former Director of Surveys at CBS News and former President of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, who writes about the science behind public opinion polling and its role in predicting the outcome of elections.When…
New project to study impacts of eviction on health
Nov 28, 2022
Prior to the pandemic, many poor renter households in the U.S. spent over half their income on rent, leading to an epidemic of evictions and negative impacts on physical and mental health. A Penn State researcher will participate in a new project that will evaluate the effects of pandemic eviction-…
Sociology professor and former student earn Gould Prize for bullying research
Nov 20, 2022
Bullying is unfortunately a timeless and universal phenomenon, and more pervasive than ever in the age of social media. Research remains critical to understanding the subject, and Diane Felmlee, distinguished professor of sociology and demography in the College of the Liberal Arts, is right at the…
SSRI Open House
Nov 18, 2022
SSRI will be hosting an Open House on December 5, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., in SSRI offices, 114 Henderson Building. Guest speakers will be Associate Directors Kate Totino and Jara Dorsey-Lash, Office of Foundations Relations.Totino and Dorsey-Lash will be sharing information on the resources available…
Sociology professor awarded NSF grant to study local church-state issues
Nov 14, 2022
The separation of church and state is a concept many Americans have held dear since the nation’s founding. The actual relationship between religion and government, though, has been noticeably blurring in recent years, and a team led by Associate Professor of Sociology Gary Adler Jr., will examine…
New SSRI Seminar Series kicks off Nov. 17
Nov 8, 2022
SSRI is excited to announce a new seminar series highlighting the value and impact of social science at Penn State. The first lecture will be presented by SSRI cofund and PRI Director Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography, on November 17, 12 p.m., at The Bennett…
Backlash to racial justice movements may boost risk of high BMI, obesity
Nov 2, 2022
Since its inception in 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement has helped raise awareness and mobilize efforts against racial inequality. It also has spurred controversy, and new research found that experiencing backlash to the movement may have negative health consequences for Black Americans.The…
Sociology professor awarded $1.8 million NIH grant for education-dementia study
Oct 25, 2022
Education plays a key role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and Liying Luo, assistant professor of sociology and demography and associate director of the Center for Social Data Analytics, has made it one of the primary focuses of her research. Now her work in that area is…Lower than normal rainfall linked with a higher chance of food insecurity
Oct 25, 2022
Food insecurity is a growing problem in certain parts of the world, especially as climate change affects weather conditions around the globe. New research led by Penn State found that a lack of rainfall was associated with the highest risk of food insecurity in Tanzania.Specifically, the…
Bringing Awareness to New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
Oct 23, 2022
In October of 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new Data Management and Sharing Policy that goes into effect on Jan. 25, 2023. Penn State has assembled a committee to provide guidance and training on this new policy.The new Data Management and Sharing Policy offers a more…
Chow to serve as SMEP President
Oct 19, 2022
Sy-Miin Chow, QuantDev director and professor of human development and family studies, was recently elected to be the new president of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP).SMEP is an an organization of researchers interested in multivariate quantitative methods and their…
Damaske featured on NPR
Oct 10, 2022
PRI Associate Director Sarah Damaske was on NPR/WNYC's The Takeaway speaking about "quiet quitting" and "quiet firing," and what these viral ideas say about the current state of labor and work."Quiet quitting" is the latest workplace trend sparking conversation in social and mainstream media.…
Long-term impacts of famine include health and socioeconomic challenges - Researchers study survivors of the ‘Dutch Hunger Winter’ famine identify numerous long-term consequences
Oct 4, 2022
Millions of children are exposed to extreme hunger each year, but children who experience malnutrition are more likely to have poorer health and developmental delays that persist into old age, according to previous research findings. Researchers at Penn State recently examined the results of early-…