Applications sought for 2019-20 Administrative Fellows Program
Applications are being sought for the Administrative Fellows Program for 2019-20. The program offers Penn State faculty and staff who hold standing positions the opportunity to work with senior University officers to gain knowledge and experiences pertaining to the challenges of leadership in the…
Challenges Facing Rural America Deeply Rooted In Economic And Social Distress, Researchers Say
By Min Xian, WPSU
Nearly three and a half million Pennsylvanians live in rural parts of the state. In many ways, rural areas face challenges different than those in urban areas. Researchers gathered on Monday for the 26th National Symposium on Family Issues at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Inn, with a…
Penn State response to new NSF and NIH requirements
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have recently taken steps to promote the safety and well-being of students, faculty and staff to maintain productive research and educational environments.
NSF has announced that all institutions receiving NSF funds…
Why Social Science? - Because It Helps Build Resilience in the Face of Disasters
By Brandi Gilbert, Ph.D., Research Associate, Urban Institute & Nnenia Campbell, Ph.D., Research Associate, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, Boulder
We are dedicated to using social science to improve disaster recovery for those on the margins of society—in particular on the…
Kids’ sleep may suffer from moms’ tight work schedules
It may be tough for working moms to get a good night’s sleep, but working tight hours may affect their children’s sleep, too.
After studying the sleep habits of children from ages five to nine, researchers found that when mothers reported less flexibility in their work schedules, their children got…
Teams sought to develop innovative research programs using Twitter data
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is seeking teams to develop innovative research programs using Twitter data.
Proposals are invited for pilot projects aimed at using Twitter data in social science research. Twitter offers one of the most rapidly growing and accessible Big Data…
Mood of the Nation Poll finds one person's anger is another's pride
From Colin Kaepernick to Brett Kavanaugh, Americans appear to be sharply divided over the people who shape political life.
Those divides are evident in the latest McCourtney Institute Mood of the Nation Poll. The poll utilizes open-ended questions that allow participants to respond in…
The Future of Higher Education Is Social Impact
By Adam Gamoran
Over the last decade, universities have faced steady criticism for elitist practices such as political bias, hoarding wealthy endowments, and providing insufficient economic returns for students. In light of this, institutions that turn their attention to serving the public good may…
Advance feedback offered on strategic initiative seed grant funding proposals
Penn State community members, including faculty and staff, will be invited to submit ideas for pilot projects that are aimed at fulfilling the mission of the University's 2016-2020 Strategic Plan to advance innovation, research, learning and engagement at the University and beyond. Proposals for…
Morgan featured in “New Yorker”
SSRI co-fund and CEDR director Paul Morgan’s research has been featured in the “New Yorker’s” article, “Georgia’s Separate and Unequal Special-Education System.”
Morgan’s research focuses on the underrepresentation of children of color in special education. He argues that environmental factors like…
Yocum retires from SSRI
After over 35 years of service at Penn State, Sherry Yocum has retired as administrative director at SSRI.
A retirement party was held in her honor last week, where co-workers recognized her dedication to Penn State and wished her well in her retirement. Several unit directors and co-workers…
Child maltreatment linked to cognitive aging
Almost 10 million older adults in the U.S. have cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, or other related dementias. Penn State researchers are looking into how early life adversity, specifically child maltreatment, can affect cognitive aging later in life in a new project.
According to Chad…
Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse announces fellows program
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) and Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) are announcing a call for proposals for the Community Fellows Program to support faculty members seeking to develop university-community collaborations that address substance abuse and its…
Penn State launches new consortium to combat the opioid crisis
Pennsylvania is one of the states most impacted by the growing opioid epidemic, with one of the highest overdose death rates in the country — but a new initiative bringing together experts from across Penn State aims to combat this crisis through data-driven, evidence-based innovation.
The Penn…
26th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues will take place Oct. 22-23
The 2018 National Symposium on Family Issues will focus on the challenges that families in rural areas face and the strategies they take to maintain financial stability, health and well-being.
The symposium, “Rural Families and Communities,” will be held Oct. 22-23 at the Nittany Lion Inn. Sessions…
Clinical and Translational Science Institute awards six pilot grants
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute is helping generate innovative health research ideas and promoting collaboration through the awarding of pilot grants in its Bridges to Translation IV program. This program seeks to link researchers not traditionally in health research with…
Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
On September 28, President Trump signed into law a fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding package containing two of twelve appropriations bills, the Defense Appropriations bill and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations bill. The bill had been passed earlier in the week by the House…
Chinchilli to present Oct. 9 seminar in series on fundamental research methods
Vernon Chinchilli will present "Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," from 4 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 9, as part of the Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design (BERD) Recent Topics in Research Methods Seminar Series.
Chinchilli is distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Public…
Why Social Science? - Because It’s Proliferating
By Alondra Nelson, President, Social Science Research Council
Social scientists and the research we pursue with such passion are being buffeted on all fronts, a fact not unknown to frequent visitors to this space. Today social scientists confront scarcities: of funding, of career opportunities in…
Pilot grants available from Clinical and Translational Science Institute
As part of its mission to accelerate discoveries to benefit human health, the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute will award up to $300,000 in funding for pilot projects through its Bridges to Translation V pilot grant program.
A request for application workshop will be…
IRB International Research Workshop
Join the Office for Research Protections and Institutional Review board for a workshop on human subjects and compliance challenges with international research.
“Human Subjects Research in International Contexts: A Question and Answer Session” will take place Tuesday, November 6, 9 - 10 a.m. in 110…
Center changes name to Criminal Justice Research Center
The former Penn State Justice Center for Research kicked off the fall semester by changing its name to the Criminal Justice Research Center (CJRC).
“We are excited about the center’s name change as it more clearly summarizes our focus on criminal justice research and is well-timed to coincide with…
2017-18 NSF I-Corps invent teams selected
Twelve entrepreneurial teams from Penn State have been selected to participate in the National Science Foundation I-Corps program. The teams receive up to $3,000, which can be used to attend industry trade shows, visit potential customers, develop prototypes and cover customer discovery expenses.…
De Jong receives PAA honor
Gordon De Jong recently became an honoree of the Population Association of America (PAA).
The PAA’s Honor A Colleague page campaigns are led by PAA members who want to see their colleagues recognized for their contributions to PAA and the population research community. PAA members include…
How winning friends may influence adolescent behaviors
Adolescents may get by with a little help from their friends, but, according to Penn State researchers, friend selection and friend influence, as well as gender, may all play a role in establishing friendships that can help, or possibly hurt, them.
In a study of adolescent friendship networks, the…