Taking steps toward more effective fitness trackers, more physical activity
As the popularity of fitness trackers has increased, so have the opportunities to use such devices to not only track fitness goals but also increase the motivation to meet those goals. Researchers in the College of Engineering and the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State have…
At-risk teens may face increased online threats
While the Internet has many benefits such as increased access to education, it also has risks like access to pornography and the potential for online victimization and exploitation — and new research has found that certain teens may be at higher risk for these threats.
According to a new study…
Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction seeking applicants for Community Fellows Program
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA), part of the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State, has announced an invitation for its Community Fellows Program.
The Community Fellows Program, a funding mechanism of CSUA and the SSRI, provides support for faculty seeking to…
Two Penn State faculty members named to Governor Wolf's redistricting council
Lee Ann Banaszak, head of the Department of Political Science and professor of political science and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, and PRI Associate Christopher Fowler, associate professor of geography and director of the Peter R. Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach, have…
New EIC Podcast on healthcare innovations now available
This month on the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, we explored innovations in healthcare. We dive into how we can get more value out of the country's healthcare system without sacrificing the quality of care as well as lowering barriers for underserved populations.
We spoke to Dr. Doug Jacobs, M.D., M.P…
Penn State announces the formation of a new Center for Racial Justice
As part of ongoing efforts to address the challenges of racism, racial bias and community safety that persist in our nation, Penn State has announced the formation of a new Center for Racial Justice. The center, as part of the initiatives outlined by Penn State President Eric J. Barron in a…
Revised standards for in-person human subjects research
In consultation with Dr. Kevin Black, interim dean of the College of Medicine, we are updating the scope of the Revised Standards for in-person human subjects research. Effective October 1, the Revised Standards are applicable to…
Education project to help improve data on drug overdose deaths
A new Penn State-led project is educating coroners, medical examiners, and others in the death certifier community in Pennsylvania about the reporting of substances associated with accidental overdose.
The project, known as the Death Certifier Education Project, is a collaborative effort with the…
Gatzke-Kopp featured on parenting podcast
SSRI cofund Lisa Gatzke-Kopp was recently interviewed on the Evolutionary Parenting Podcast to explore the issue of how parents can help their child’s emotion regulation development. She shares her research on the synchrony between parent and child from parenting in infancy.
Can mindful yoga reduce opioid dependence?
With more than 100 people dying from opioid overdoses each day in the U.S., new approaches to treating opioid-use disorders are needed. Emma Rose, assistant research professor with Penn State's Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, is leading a study that adds twice-weekly mindfulness-…
Pérez-Edgar named editor-in-chief of psychology journal
Koraly Pérez-Edgar, McCourtney Professor of Child Studies, professor of psychology, and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute, was recently named editor-in-chief of Developmental Psychology, one of the flagship journals of the American Psychological Association.
Her new role…
Increasing linguistic diversity to advance human-technology interaction
People are becoming increasingly dependent on human technologies such as smart voice assistants and computer-based tutoring for access to governmental, community, health, and educational services. However, the technology is largely based on standard American English and conflicts with the diversity…
Program aims to enhance inclusion and belonging for Penn State STEM professionals
An innovative program to help increase inclusion among underrepresented groups within STEM professions recently received a grant from Penn State’s Office of Educational Equity. The program, known as the Research Professionals Network, or ResearchPros, seeks to bridge communications and…
Morgan’s research cited
CEDR Director and PRI Associate Paul Morgan and his research team’s work discovering children's oral vocabularies by 24 months of age can predict their academic achievement and classroom behavior was cited recently by the editorial Board of the LA Times in their call for universal child…
Why Social Science? Because Vaccination is a Human—Not Technical—Process
By Elisa J. Sobo (San Diego State University), Diana Schow (Idaho State University), Elizabeth Cartwright (Idaho State University), and Emily K. Brunson (Texas State University) on behalf of the CommuniVax Coalition
The COVID-19 pandemic is being experienced by people—and without insights…
Getting racial equity research into the hands of policymakers
Racial inequities are enduring and pervasive problems in the US that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute to poor public health outcomes.
For instance, studies have found that working from home is only possible for 1 in 5 Black people (U.…
SSRI Faculty Fellow applications due October 11
The SSRI Faculty Fellows program supports Penn State faculty members in the social and behavioral sciences to develop new interdisciplinary collaborations aimed at building a novel line of sustainable research through securing external funding. PLEASE NOTE - applications should…
Schmitt Russell Research Lecture to focus on effects of daily stress
David Almeida, professor of human development and family studies and a faculty member with the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State, will deliver the Pauline Schmitt Russell Research Lecture, “Health as a Daily Experience: Lessons from 42,243 Days of U.S. Adults,” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29…
Socializing may improve older adults' cognitive function in daily life
Socializing with others is important for mental health and well-being, and it may help improve cognition, as well — especially for older adults, according to new research.
In a study led by Ruixue Zhaoyang, assistant research professor of the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State, the researchers…
Five faculty members join Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction
Penn State’s Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) recently announced five new co-funded faculty members who will join the consortium in the 2021-22 academic year: Kristina Brant, Sarah Brothers, Brandy Henry, Jennifer Nyland, and Sujeong Park.
Kristina Brant will start her…
Researchers address need for bridges in remote Alaska as climate warms
Bridges are increasingly critical for remote communities in rural Alaska, where global warming is causing rivers to freeze later, thaw earlier and form thinner ice. With a new grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State plan to investigate the importance of…
Study explores link between earthquakes, rainfall and food insecurity in Nepal
The effects of monsoon rainfall on food insecurity in Nepal vary by earthquake exposure, with regions that experienced both heavy earthquake shaking and abundant rainfall more likely to have an inadequate supply of nutritious food.
That is one of the conclusions of a study led by Heather Randell,…
Childhood gender nonconformity in boys linked to early androgens
In laboratory animals, sex differences in behavior occur because different hormone levels produced by males and females influence patterns of gene expression in the developing brain. However, the origins of sex differences in human behavior are not as well understood, according to a team of…
School boundary changes and diversification in a suburban school district topic of new PPN brief
A recent policy brief by the Pennsylvania Population Network in collaboration with the Center for Education and Civil Rights at Penn State demonstrates diversification of suburban communities do not necessarily translate into school-level integration. This is partly due to school attendance zone…
HHD Dean's Lecture Series special event to focus on vaccine hesitancy
The College of Health and Human Development Dean’s Lecture Series will host a special event focused on vaccine hesitancy.
Delivered by Daniel Salmon, professor of international health and health, behavior and society and director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University's…