Connell to research impact of social distancing
COVID-19 research to evaluate impact of public health responses to pandemic on children
Christian Connell, associate professor of human development and family studies and associate director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, has been funded by the Social…
Why Social Science? Because We Will Need to Do Better in the Next Crisis
By John Haaga, PhD
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a surge of interest in the press and social media in comparisons with other countries. When did the new virus reach other countries, how did they handle it, and how well did they do? I have lost count of the number of times I have read that the…
Turrisi advises parents in a new video series about teen alcohol use
Parents with questions about how to protect their teens from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs can now receive research-based advice from videos featuring Robert Turrisi, a Penn State professor of biobehavioral health with more than 35 years of experience in researching underage drinking.…
COVID-19 Data 4 Action Project will help inform local decision-making
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented disruption to Centre County, impacting every aspect of our daily lives and economic well-being. A new project will give a voice to community members, allowing them to share their experiences and impact decision-making as the region moves…
Two sessions added to 'Enabling Remote Research' seminar series
Penn State University Libraries has added two new sessions to its Enabling Remote Research online seminar series, presented in collaboration with Penn State Information Technology, the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) and the Office of the Associate CIO for Research.
Enabling…
SSRI cofunds named to trauma-informed initiative
Two SSRI cofunded faculty members were recently selected to join Governor Tom Wolf’s 'Trauma-Informed PA Think Tank', a statewide initiative to develop the commonwealth's capacity for trauma-informed care.
Chad Shenk, associate professor of human development and family studies and associate…
Cases of highly aggressive prostate cancer at time of diagnosis increase in PA
Among prostate cancer cases, highly aggressive cases of the disease at the time of diagnosis increased significantly in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2014, according to Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Cancer Institute researchers. The increase affected both white…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on substance abuse
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on those affected by substance abuse disorder. They point out it is essential that treatment and intervention, recovery services, and prevention mechanisms remain accessible, operational, and optimized.…
Researchers study impact of health care reform on child development
Education has long been associated with enhanced health and well-being in large part by allowing greater access to resources such as quality health care. With the aid of a new grant, an education professor at Penn State has started a project to study the flip side of that coin — how can health…
Penn State participates in virtual social science advocacy day
The Consortium of Social Science Association’s (COSSA) Annual Social Science Advocacy Day looked a little different this year due to COVID-19 and the response of social distancing. However, for Penn State researchers, the numerous ways social and behavioral science is helping to combat the pandemic…
COVID-19's distinctive footprint on immigrants in the United States
Read the op-ed in The HIll, co-authored by Diana Fishbein, on the harsh reality for immigrants - while they assume valuable positions in our society, they accept lower wages and their work poses greater hazards and fewer protections against injury, including the contraction and circulation of…
Pandemic lockdown increases child abuse and family violence
Articles in U.S. News, The Atlantic, and the American Psychological Association quote SSRI cofunds Brian Allen, Jennie Noll, and Yo Jackson on how the pandemic is creating situations of isolation and parental stress, which are major risk factors for child abuse.
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer treatment
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on treating cancer, the leading cause of death in the developed world. Given the potential of COVID-19 to infect both patients and staff members, cancer facilities are currently triaging the care of cancer…
Penn State-led project works to help prevent violence in schools
Children in remote locations, including children in military families, can face a variety of struggles, including violence in schools and other environments. Penn State researchers developed a new publication that will assist schools in evaluating the violence prevention resources they may be using…
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the Criminal Justice System
Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the criminal justice system (CJS), focusing on its efforts to contain the spread of the virus through the three core components of the CJS — courts, corrections, and policing — as well as opportunities…
Institute awards 32 computational and data sciences seed grants
Understanding polarized political opinions, predicting Arctic Sea ice levels, and accelerating quantum computing with machine learning — these are just a few focuses of the dozens of new Penn State research projects that have been funded by Institute for Computational and Data Sciences seed grants…
COVID-19 Resources website highlights social science response
With the spread of COVID-19, Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) has launched a new website that provides resources for researchers, policy-makers and the general public to inform and to address impacts of the pandemic—with a focus on its broader implications for individuals,…
'Feed the Future' grant to support women's empowerment research project in Ghana
A $450,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut Research will aid researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences as they explore the potential to empower women farmers in northern Ghana through peanut production.
“In…
Viral Imaginations: COVID-19
Viral Imaginations: COVID-19 is a gallery and archive about Pennsylvanians’ experiences during coronavirus. The goal is to gather expressive work—creative writing and visual art—to capture the experience of PA residents and students during the pandemic, and to serve as a gathering point and,…
Knocking down the barriers to healthcare for rural sexual assault victims
The Penn State College of Nursing’s SAFE-T Center team, led by assistant professor and center director Sheridan Miyamoto, is working to address barriers to healthcare for rural sexual-assault victims with their new telehealth solution, the SAFE-T System.
According to the center, there are more than…
Important NIH Announcement
Important information related to NIH proposal submissions and award administration:
When completing your NIH Other Support forms, please remember to include “all resources made available to a researcher in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not…
Census Bureau Launches New COVID-19 Data Hub
The U.S. Census Bureau released a new resource page on Census.gov to help federal agencies, businesses, and communities make decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the Census Bureau’s resources pages created during natural disasters, this resource page includes information on…
How to Help People Do What They Need to Do to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19
"You tell me what you need people to do, and I’ll tell you how to help them do it.” Although a simplification, this statement by social and behavioral scientists to our infectious disease colleagues illustrates the nature of our collaboration during an infectious disease outbreak like the current…
Penn State nutritionist shares tips for feeding kids while stuck at home
Balancing finicky kid appetites with proper nutrition can be a challenge in the best of times. But now, with the majority of schools and day cares closed across Pennsylvania, many parents working from home, and schedules thrown in disarray, it may seem downright impossible.
Kathleen Keller,…
‘PROSPER’ Program continues to respond to families’ educational needs
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions for Pennsylvanians, including the closing of schools and the interruption of other educational programs. Penn State’s PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) project is continuing to connect and engage…