'Cheat-a-thon' contest explores AI’s strengths and flaws in higher education
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) will host “Cheat-a-thon,” a competition that explores the benefits and pitfalls of using generative AI in academic environments. The virtual event will take place March 3-April 6.
The challenge is open to all…
Penn State rises in NSF Higher Education Research and Development rankings
Penn State has moved up two spots to No. 26 in the 2023 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey, the most recently released rankings. The University also earned top 10 rankings in key research fields, including engineering, mathematics,…
SLEIC co-director receives Penn State Opportunity Grant Award to expand neuroimaging research
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Xiaoxiao Bai, co-director of human imaging at the Social, Life and Engineering Imaging Center (SLEIC), was recently awarded the 25-26 Opportunity Grant through Penn State’s Opportunity Grant Professional Development Program. The Opportunity Grant Professional Development…
Consortium on Moral Decision-Making Seed Grants Now Open
We’re re-opening the call for submissions and highly encourage teams to apply
The Consortium on Moral Decision-Making is seeking proposals for seed grants to support interdisciplinary research related to the conceptual and empirical study of human morality and ethical decision-making. …
Q&A: Is it always ‘us vs them’? Researcher explains why flexibility is key
Urban versus rural. Penn State versus Michigan. Star Wars versus Star Trek. As social beings, humans gravitate toward groups. But sometimes group living can spur an “us versus them” mentality that causes conflict, especially when two groups are competing for the same limited resources, like money…
Webinar series to focus on parenting from pregnancy to age three
The first three years of a child’s life bring both joy and stress. To help parents and caregivers meet challenges and give the baby a great start, Penn State Extension’s food, families and communities unit partnered with the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State to offer the “…
Emails with personal stories may be more likely to catch lawmakers’ attention
Email is one of the easiest ways to contact policymakers, especially for researchers who want to share their expertise on complex topics like substance use, but can an email effectively foster connection? Researchers at Penn State recently found that policymakers were more likely to engage with…
New estimates reveal size and heterogeneity of unauthorized immigrant population
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) recently released its latest estimates of the size of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population, finding that between 2019 and 2023, the unauthorized immigrant population grew by 3 million, or an average of 6 percent per year. According to the MPI,…
Saunders named as 2024-25 cohort member of the Health Equity Scholars Program
Tracee Saunders, assistant professor of political science and Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member, was announced in fall 2024 as a member of the 2024-25 cohort of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN)’s Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP).
This fellowship supports…
Join Us on Bluesky!
SSRI is still on X/Twitter, but is focusing on our new Bluesky account at @ssripennstate.bsky.social. Bluesky has become the preferred social media platform for many academics. Also follow us on Instagram at @ssripennstate and LinkedIn.
NIH cost recovery update
On Friday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — the world’s leading public funder of biomedical research — announced that the agency is making cuts to grants that support research institutions across the country by limiting the amount of indirect cost recovery for research projects to 15%.…
Washington state joins Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness initiative
Washington state has joined a growing list of states that provide resources from the "School Resources to Support Military-Connected Students" initiative — a part of the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State — to schools in their state that intend to achieve the prestigious "…
Understanding aging requires more than counting birthdays
People’s bodies can be old or young for their chronological age, depending, in part, on the amount and types of stressors they have experienced. Scientists can estimate people’s biological age, but whether they use oral tissue or blood to make the measurement matters, according to a new study led…
Supportive co-parenting may help secure infant attachment development
The World Health Organization recommends that babies should exclusively breastfeed for at least the first six months of their lives and continue alongside the introduction of other foods for at least two years, as breastmilk contains the nutrients and antibodies needed to help infants thrive.…
Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live?
This article was originally written for The Conversation by Jennifer Van Hook, PRI Director & Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Demography.
Undocumented immigration is a key issue in American politics, but it can be hard to nail down the basic facts about who these immigrants are, where…
Online gambling participation increases in Pennsylvania again, report finds
Online gambling in Pennsylvania continues to increase in Pennsylvania, according to the 2024 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report. The assessment was authored by researchers in Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center and developed under contract with…
Two cofunded faculty members join SSRI
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is pleased to welcome two new cofunded faculty members to Penn State. By helping to support faculty members, SSRI is demonstrating its dedication to interdisciplinary research in the social and behavioral sciences.
Kyle Aune, assistant professor of…
New website provides updates related to executive action
Penn State recently launched a website to provide our community with information related to executive orders issued beginning in January 2025.
The site is a landing page with basic information about what is known at this time, and it will be updated as developments arise. Please note, this is…
Local immigration enforcement was supposed to make communities safer
New research suggests that local cooperation in federal immigration enforcement erodes rather than enhances public safety.1 An examination of three leading forms of federal–local law enforcement collaboration, by Eric Baumer of Pennsylvania State University and Min Xie of the University of Maryland…
Update on Executive Orders signed by President Trump
You are likely aware of the recent developments within the Trump administration and executive orders that may impact our research operations. We have just received an executive order related to sponsored research and are working with PIs to help them achieve compliance. We will provide further…
Broader impacts and engagement in research design focus of spring EarthTalks
The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) EarthTalks spring 2025 series, “Broader Impacts and Community Engagement in Research Design,” will highlight innovative and effective ways for researchers to engage more meaningfully in the research design of public impact activities for earth…
Feb. 5 lecture to discuss how sleep health affects daily life, long-term health
Orfeu Buxton, Elizabeth Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State, will present the 2025 Pattishall Research Lecture, “Sleep Health Across the Life Span.”
The lecture, sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development, will be presented on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. in the…
Penn State professor named among most influential in shaping education
Erica Frankenberg, professor of education (educational leadership) and demography at Penn State and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights, was recently named to the 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings list of top 200 U.S.-based university scholars who…
New grant to evaluate national nonprofit programs focused on veteran employment
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse) has been awarded a $100,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments to support the evaluation of four prominent national nonprofit programs — Hiring Our Heroes, Hire Heroes USA, VetJobs and Onward to Opportunity— dedicated to…
Mexican Americans' educational history detailed in new book
A new book examining the institutional barriers faced by Mexican immigrants in Texas is now available for purchase.
"Texas-Style Exclusion: Mexican Americans and the Legacy of Limited Opportunity," written by Penn State Population Research Institute Director Jennifer Van Hook and Temple University…