New book, 'The Tolls of Uncertainty,' examines the US unemployment system
In April 2020, soon after the pandemic forced the U.S. into lockdown, the unemployment rate reached 14.8%, the highest documented since data collection began in 1948. More than a year later, 4.2 million fewer women and 3.5 million fewer men are employed, compared to just before the start of the…
Report highlights economic impact of research at Penn State
Research at Penn State has supported more than 2,500 jobs and generated nearly $200 million in economic impact since 2015, according to a report released in April by The Science Coalition. The report, titled "Sparking Economic Growth," highlights 53 companies from coalition member institutions that…
McHale featured in Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family feature
SSRI Director Susan McHale is featured as an expert in WalletHub's 2021 Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family feature. Read McHale's insight and advice here.
Training scientists in substance use prevention the focus of $3.2 million grant
A $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will fund the continuation of Penn State's Prevention and Methodology Training (PAMT) program, which focuses on training the next generation of scientists in preventing substance use and addiction.
Effective strategies to prevent…
Child Maltreatment Solutions Network conference registration open
Registration for the 2021 Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Conference, Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research, is now open. The conference will take place September 2 - 3 virtually and in person at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on Penn State’s University Park campus.…
Institute awards 14 computational and data sciences seed grants
From making our roads safer to paving the way to exoplanet discovery, the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) seed grants have funded 14 projects backed by researchers from across the disciplines and around the University. The 2021-22 ICDS seed grant program is designed to help…
Coupled brain activity, cerebrospinal fluid flow could indicate Alzheimer's risk
Penn State researchers may have discovered a potential marker to clinically evaluate patients’ risk for Alzheimer’s disease through non-invasive imaging tests, according to a study published today (June 1) in PLOS Biology. The finding may have implications for diagnosis and treatment of the disease…
The impacts of children's emotions and behavior on parenting
While both inherited traits and environmental influences affect parent-child interactions, not much is known about how child behavior impacts parenting and, in turn, later child outcomes.
Elizabeth Shewark, a former Penn State doctoral student in developmental psychology and current postdoctoral…
SSRI cofund promotions
Penn State recently announced that seven of SSRI’s cofunded faculty members were promoted and several were granted tenure.
Sarah Font was promoted to associate professor of sociology, Sheridan Miyamoto was promoted to associate professor of nursing, and Hannah Schreier was promoted to…
Reducing missed abusive head trauma in pediatric intensive care units
Abusive head trauma (AHT) is one of the leading causes of traumatic death and disability in infants and young children in the United States. A missed diagnosis can lead to death if the child is mistakenly returned to an abusive situation.
For the first time, Penn State researchers, including lead…
Annual substance-use conference examines cross-systems solutions
The Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) hosted its second annual conference, “Addressing Substance Use: Cross-Systems Solutions,” on Monday, May 3.
Held virtually via Zoom and drawing over 120 attendees throughout the day, the conference kicked off with a welcome…
Decreased testing could lead to surge in sexually transmitted infections
Screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) decreased by 63% for men and 59% for women during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by Penn State and Quest Diagnostics researchers. The researchers said this may be the result of restrictions…
Penn State project enriches the student experience while documenting pandemic
The Data 4 Action (D4A) project is comprised of dozens of Penn State researchers who are documenting the impacts of COVID-19 in Centre County. While the goal of the project is to assess the biological, psychological, and social functioning of Penn State students and community members, the project…
How drunk is 'drunk?' New scale helps predict negative drinking effects
The words young adults use to describe how they feel when they have been drinking alcohol are a key to understanding whether they will engage in risky behaviors such as driving under the influence. A new scale for researchers developed at Penn State has been shown effective in gauging how young…
Studying the effects of food ads on childhood obesity
Food advertisements targeting kids can encourage poor eating habits that contribute to obesity, however not all children are susceptible. Penn State researchers are exploring the factors that protect children from overeating in response to food ads in a $2.3 million NIH National Institute of…
SSRI Annual Report now available
The Social Science Research Institute’s 2019-2021 Annual Report is now available in a new, easy to navigate digital format. It contains an overview the Institute’s research units and activities as well as articles that describe research pertaining to the SSRI’s four strategic areas of emphasis.…
New EIC Podcast on food insecurity during the pandemic
This month on the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, we continue the Pandemic Perspective series and examine how the pandemic has revealed the “hidden crisis” of food insecurity throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the country.
We spoke to Muzi Na, Ph.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of nutritional…
'Research Questionnaire Design' webinar to be presented June 10
A session on “Research Questionnaire Design” will be presented at the next Penn State College of Medicine SMaRT Connects webinar series from 1 to 2 p.m. on June 10. Team members from the Penn State Harrisburg Center for Survey Research will present how to organize research survey topics and connect…
Sufficient knowledge but sense of information overload evident early in pandemic
Residents of central Pennsylvania had the information they needed to slow the spread of COVID-19 early on in the pandemic, but were overwhelmed with worries about mixed messages and distrust of some sources, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. The researchers said the results…
Solomon receives College of Liberal Arts alumni award
Several members of the Penn State liberal arts community were honored during two College of the Liberal Arts alumni awards ceremonies, which took place remotely April 13 and 15.
Denise Solomon, Liberal Arts Professor and head of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, received the Welch…
Data4Action Project Update
The Centre County COVID-19 Data4Action Research Project phase three has wrapped up data collection for students and community participants. The retention rate was over 90 percent from the previous waves. Additionally, wastewater sampling for coronavirus on campus and in the surrounding community is…
Consequences of COVID-19 on adolescent behavior
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely reported, but less is known about the indirect consequences on health-related behaviors. Researchers recently discovered that while there was a decline in physical activity in adolescents during stay-at-home orders, there were no changes in the…
Are more parents letting their teens drink during the pandemic?
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders during spring 2020 dramatically changed daily life and created significant challenges for families. A new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 1 in 6 parents first allowed their adolescent children to have an alcoholic drink with their families…
Penn State participates in virtual social science advocacy day
Penn State researchers recently participated in the Consortium of Social Science Association’s (COSSA) Annual Social Science Advocacy Day, meeting virtually with Congress and their staff during this annual event.
Penn State social and behavioral scientists and stakeholders were teamed up with other…
Two receive 2021-22 Reducing Disparities in Child Welfare scholarships
The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network recently awarded two liberal arts students with its newly introduced Reducing Disparities in Child Welfare Scholarship for the 2021-22 academic year.
This year’s winners are Lani Rosenbaum, a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in child maltreatment…