'Growing Impact' podcast examines effects of flooding on substance use, support
The latest episode of the "Growing Impact" podcast explores the world of substance use and addiction through the lens of environmental disasters. Social Science Research Institute cofund Kristina Brant and her team are investigating how flooding in rural areas can affect drug…
Max Crowley appointed new director of the Prevention Research Center
The College of Health and Human Development has announced that Max Crowley, professor of human development and family studies and public policy, has been appointed director of Penn State's Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC), beginning Aug. 15. Crowley succeeds…
Podcast reveals how daily stress may affect our health as we age
From work demands to family responsibilities to social expectations, most of us spend our lives bouncing from one stressor to another, all the while contending with a continuous onslaught of digital information feeds. True relaxation can be hard to find, even with an ever-growing variety of books,…
Nature affects nurture in adoptive child-parent relationships, researchers find
Genetics play a significant role in how children respond to their adoptive families’ parenting style, according to a new study published by a multi-university team of researchers that includes Jenae Neiderhiser, Penn State distinguished professor of psychology and human development and family…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Shed Light on Representation in the STEM Workforce
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Amy Burke and Julia Milton from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) who write about representation in the STEM workforce.
Every 2 years, the NCSES within the NSF…
New grant will continue center’s work to prevent abuse and support children
Child maltreatment — which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect — affects at least 12% of children under 18 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, around two million children in the U.S. experience maltreatment, and the…
More than 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in the spring of 2023 due to the end of pandemic policies – and paperwork problems
By Maithreyi Gopalan, SSRI cofund and assistant professor of education and public policy, for "The Conversation"
At least 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in April, May and the first three weeks of June 2023, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that tracks…
Social Science Research Institute to host faculty success and equity workshop
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), the Office of the Vice President for Research (OSVPR) Interdisciplinary Research Institutes, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity will host a professional development event entitled “Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity…
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…