Symposium highlights family roles addressing race and racism
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
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
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…
Can parents help prevent risky cannabis and alcohol use by college students?
Cannabis use by college students is on the rise, causing concern among substance-use experts. In 2020, 44% of college students reported using marijuana in the past year, compared to 38% in 2015, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Penn State researchers are testing an intervention…
Sterner contributes to article about opioid settlement funds reaching rural communities
Glenn Sterner , a Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member and assistant professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, contributed to an article on CNN and KHN about how opioid settlement funds are often shortchanged by rural communities.
The article mentions that…
PACT resumes in-person research, outreach efforts in Harrisburg area
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted countless facets of everyday life during the past three years — including the invaluable work being done by faculty and staff members affiliated with Penn State’s Parents And Children Together (PACT) initiative.
However, after pivoting during the pandemic to a…
Why Social Science? - Because It's the Most Reliable Way to Understand the Public's Point of View
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…
Education professor analyzes South Korean educational reforms
As a Penn State education researcher with a specific interest in comparative and international education, and a native of South Korea, Soo-yong Byun has extensive knowledge about the South Korean educational system and how it compares to the American model.
Byun, professor of education (educational…
New strategic foci to guide SSRI
SSRI is announcing the adoption of five new Strategic Foci: Causes and Consequences of Inequality; Human Development and Behavior; Social and Environmental Determinants of Health; Innovative and Data Intensive Research Methods; and Individual and Community Impact. To read more, visit the SSRI…
New consortium to focus on moral and ethical decision making
Researching how people make moral and ethical decisions will be the goal of the Penn State Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, a new, interdisciplinary network that will advance the social scientific study of moral decision-making.
Directed by Daryl Cameron, associate professor of psychology and…
Penn State CTSI core services expand to include implementation science
One of the greatest challenges faced by scientists and health care practitioners might be the translation of research findings from the lab to their implementation in real-world settings. In other words, the academic and research community is constantly innovating, finding new, evidence-based…
SSRI cofund aims to protect farmworkers from hazards in the field
An estimated 73% of farmworkers in the United States were born outside the country, and nearly half have no legal immigration status, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Amy Snipes, associate professor of biobehavioral health and SSRI cofunded faculty member, has spent years…
Study finds that experiences of daily stress decrease as people age
Stories about how daily stress can negatively impact people’s lives, from physical health to mental and emotional well-being, are frequently in the media. But there is good news about the experience of daily stress as people age. Results from a recent research study led by David Almeida, professor…
Ensuring fair distribution of the $1 billion+ opioid settlement in Pennsylvania
To ensure fair and impartial distribution of the $1.07 billion that was awarded to Pennsylvania as part of 2021’s massive settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, a team of interdisciplinary researchers from Penn State worked with counties across the commonwealth to develop the…
HJF Leadership Forum Seeks to Ease Service Member-to-Veteran Transition Experience
Government and Private Industry Executives Convene to Consider Optimal Support for Veterans in this Crucial Period
The HJF Leadership Forum, hosted by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), convened more than 80 leaders from federal government, academia and…
Obesity prevention in military families the focus of new $3.5M NIH grant
Pregnancy is the highest risk period in a woman's life for developing obesity, and the first year of life is a sensitive period for the development of regulatory patterns in children that affect lifelong weight and health status. A new $3.5 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of…
New project to study impacts of eviction on health
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-…
New center promotes health and healing from early-life trauma and adversity
Each year, millions of children in the United States experience significant trauma and adversities that can impact their health and well-being, including child abuse, racism, family violence, family separation or extreme poverty. Research over the last few decades has demonstrated strong…
Sociology professor and former student earn Gould Prize for bullying research
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
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…
SSRI funded project results in award
A project supported by Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute recently won the “Distinguished Article Award” from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
The paper, "Religion at the frontline: How religion influenced the response of local government officials to the COVID-19…
Sociology professor awarded NSF grant to study local church-state issues
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…
Penn State’s $1.034B in research expenditures has broad, wide-ranging impact
Penn State reached a record $1.034 billion in research expenditures during fiscal year 2021-22, an overall 4.1% increase from the previous year. The funding, which comes from federal and state agencies, industry sponsors, private donors, the University and other sources, advances research…
New SSRI Seminar Series kicks off Nov. 17
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…
Reduced-nicotine cigarettes result in less smoking in anxious, depressed smokers
Lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels may reduce smoking without worsening mental health in smokers with mood or anxiety disorders, according to Penn State College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School researchers. They said reducing nicotine content in cigarettes…