Tobacco smoke exposure may increase heavy metal levels in children’s saliva
Secondhand tobacco smoke continues to be a major source of indoor air pollution that causes more than 41,000 nonsmoking adults to die every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The exposure is even more dire for children, who can be more…
6th annual Translating Research to Innovations in Practice Symposium held May 10
The sixth annual Translating Research to Innovations in Practice Symposium was held May 10-11 at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
The symposium welcomed 92 nursing faculty and professionals from Pennsylvania. The event was highlighted by keynote presentations: “Implementing a…
Race- and gender-specific interventions may lower drug overdose death rates
Interventions to address stimulant and opioid use that consider race and gender may prove more effective at preventing overdose deaths than current methods, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers who studied how drug treatment admissions and overdose deaths differed among race and gender…
Community spaces may promote healthy aging for rural Black, Hispanic adults
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Millions of Americans over the age of 65 lack access to the social and emotional support they need for healthy aging, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Non-white individuals in rural communities are especially susceptible. New research…
The Social Science Research Insitute announces cofunded and affiliated faculty member promotions
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Social Science Research Institute congratulates the following cofunded and affiliated Penn State faculty members on their promotions, which are effective July 1:
Associate Research Professor:
Xiaoxiao Bai, Social Science Research Institute, Office of the…
Clearinghouse expands to include evidence-based programs for military families
The Results First Clearinghouse Database at Penn State’s Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative (EIC) recently grew to include more than 4,600 evidence-based resources and programs following the integration of the Continuum of Evidence developed and hosted by the Clearinghouse for Military Family…
McElwee joins Solutions Network
Kassidy McElwee will be joining Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Networkas project manager, effective June 20.
In this role, McElwee will be working with the Solutions Network's community-based research projects at the state level, assisting with grants and research related to…
Understanding mechanisms of speech, swallowing in individuals with Down syndrome
A new $3.3 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) will enable a team of researchers at Penn State to study specific characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome that contribute to swallowing and speech outcomes with the goal of…
$3M grant to aid researchers testing pregnancy weight-management platform
For women whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is high before they get pregnant, gaining excessive weight during pregnancy is associated with serious health problems for them and their babies, according to the Institute of Medicine. To help women with high BMI stay within healthy weight-gain ranges, a team…
Upcoming CATS IRB System Upgrade
CATS IRB, the online system for human subjects research submissions, will be unavailable Thursday, June 22, 2 p.m. ET until Monday, June 26, 12 p.m. ET for a planned system upgrade.
Resources highlighting the upgrade enhancements, including a 5-minute overview video, are available here…
Why Social Science? - Because Social Scientists Must Have a Seat at the Table: Reflections from COSSA’s 2023 Social Science Advocacy Day
By Dr. Deborah Carr, Boston University; Dr. Nicole R. Stokes, Penn State University; and Brenna Tosh, Cornell University
On April 24-25, 2023, over 50 social and behavioral science researchers, students, and advocates from 11 different states participated in Social Science Advocacy Day. This…
StudyFinder upgrades connect research teams with study participants
Upgrades to Penn State’s clinical research database now make it easier for faculty to connect with participants for their research studies. StudyFinder, the University’s clinical research study database, now allows research participants to create a personalized profile, and receive…
State-appointed managers are no better than local officials at resolving local government financial crises
SSRI Manager for Special Projects Jason Shumberger co-authored this article on state government takeovers.
Local governments provide most of the day-to-day public services—police and fire protection, schools, trash collection, utilities, sewers—that Americans rely upon. US local governments also…
Low sexual satisfaction linked to memory decline later in life, study finds
Low sexual satisfaction in middle age may serve as an early warning sign for future cognitive decline, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study, which tracked associations between erectile function, sexual satisfaction and cognition in hundreds of men aged 56 through 68,…
Strategic city planning can help reduce urban heat island effect
The tendency of cities to trap heat — a phenomenon called the “urban heat island,” often referred to as the UHI effect — can lead to dangerous temperatures in the summer months, but new Penn State research suggests that certain urban factors can reduce this effect.
The study found that trees had a…
CTSI research navigator provides guidance to Penn State researchers
Penn Staters across the commonwealth have a new resource to help them carry out their research projects. Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s research navigator connects faculty, staff and students with research resources like funding opportunities, using data and…
University Libraries Open Publishing launches 'The Future of Foster Care'
Penn State University Libraries’ Open Publishing program recently launched a new Open Access monograph. “The Future of Foster Care: New Science on Old Problems,” edited by Yo Jackson and Sarah Font, is a collection of expanded conference proceedings from the 2019 conference of the…
Janet van Hell named Penn State distinguished professor
Janet van Hell, a longtime faculty member in the College of the Liberal Arts’ Department of Psychology and director of the Center for Language Science, has been promoted to the rank of distinguished professor of psychology and linguistics by Penn State.
Seven University faculty…
NIH introduces new resource to aid researchers in grant application
The National Institute of Health (NIH) Center for Scientific Review has developed a resource to help researchers in the NIH grant application process. It highlights institution- and investigator-specific information, including key actions that must be taken well in advance of application…
Rate of Fatal Falls Among U.S. Seniors Doubled in 20 Years
By Amy Norton, HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, May 12, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Older Americans are dying of falls at more than double the rate of 20 years ago -- with women, men and all racial groups showing increases, according to a new study.
n 2020, the study found, just over 36,500 Americans…
New funding to support child maltreatment research opportunities
Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is supporting a new funding opportunity to support research addressing child maltreament.
The funding will support the formation of research groups to develop new research projects and that could lead to development of colloquiums, annual meetings,…
2023 SSRI Spring Celebration
Faculty and staff from all of SSRI's units recently gathered at the Hintz Family Alumni Center to celebrate major accomplishments of the year and to announce staff awards.
Kristie Auman-Gooding, SSRI communications director, was presented with a Penn State Boston Rocker Chair and certificate of…
Annual substance use conference examines stigma, opioid crisis
The Penn State Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) recently hosted its fourth annual conference in the HUB-Robeson Center at the University Park campus.
Drawing over 150 attendees throughout the day, including through the Zoom livestream, the conference kicked off with a welcome from…
Understanding Barriers to Reporting Domestic Violence Experiences in Pennsylvania
This research study aims to learn more about the experiences of domestic violence victim- survivors in Pennsylvania. The research is being conducted by Emily Strohacker, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Harrisburg, in partnership with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania,…
New student civil rights project funded
SSRI Co-fund, Maithreyi Gopalan (PI) and PRI Faculty Associate, Erica Frankenberg (Co-PI) were recently awarded a grant by the Student Experience Research Network.
Project Title: Centering Civil Rights Protections to Support Equitable Student Experiences: An Agenda-setting and Research…