February's Headlines Webchat to Feature a Deep Dive on Evidence-Based Policymaking
COSSA members are encouraged to sign up for the monthly Headlines webchat on February 14 at 2:00 pm Eastern, in which COSSA staff will recap the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and answer participants' questions. The February chat will…
Social Scientists Encouraged to Explore NSF's Ten Big Ideas Solicitations
Arthur Lupia, Assistant Director for the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) of the National Science Foundation (NSF), is calling on social and behavioral scientists to learn more about, and consider applying for, the funding opportunities associated with the NSF Ten Big…
Prevention Research Center to chart course for social emotional learning
Experts agree that social and emotional skills are necessary for children to grow up healthy and successful as students and later, in all aspects of life. Over the past two years, the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) have…
PRI awarded stategic initiative grant
Led by PRI director and SSRI co-fund Jennifer Glick, a coalition from the Penn State Harrisburg State Data Center, PRI, and affiliated research centers and the demographic research training programs at Penn State, a new Penn State Strategic Initiative Grant was awarded to establish the Pennsylvania…
Sterner awarded $2.7M to help fight opioid crisis
A Penn State Abington faculty member was instrumental in securing three grants totaling more than $2.7 million to combat the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania and nationwide.
Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of criminal justice at Abington and an expert on the illicit use of opioids, said the…
Penn State Geography class wins regional competition
Penn State’s Geography 421 class was recently named a regional winner in the first Draw the Lines PA mapping competition.
The class is led by PRI affiliate, Christopher Fowler, assistant professor of geography. Fowler discovered the Draw the Lines after a Google search and took his findings to his…
Clearinghouse evaluates veterans’ use of transition programs
There are more than 20 million military veterans in the United States, and that number is projected to grow rapidly over the next several years. Some veterans take advantage of the many public and private programs and services created to help them reintegrate into civilian life. Yet, little is…
Keeping kids on task in school may start at home
The transition to kindergarten can be a challenge for children who have trouble paying attention, and can result in behavioral problems and poor academic achievement. A team led by researchers at Penn State is analyzing task persistence and how parents can influence it in early childhood.
Task…
Introducing Data Science for Social Impact
By Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President, The Rockefeller Foundation
While private-sector businesses have been building and deploying data science capabilities for many years in the tech age, most organizations in the non-profit, civic, and public sectors are far behind. They have a strong appetite to use…
Resumption of Operations at the National Science Foundation
NSF is open for business! We thank you for your forbearance during this challenging time, and for your support of students, postdocs, faculty, technical and administrative support staff and researchers. It has not been easy for our continuing or new grantees, especially emerging scholars and…
Spring 2019 Scholarly Communications Workshops offered by University Libraries
This spring, students, faculty and staff can participate in communications workshops that cover topics such as open access, copyright and fair-use policies.
The workshops, which will take place Feb. 21 through April 2, are coordinated and led by Ana Enriquez, scholarly communications outreach…
Active-duty service members' children to benefit from new partnership
Proactively identifying and addressing behavioral threats among students has long been a challenge for many school districts. If teachers, administrators, staff and fellow students can identify and safely report risky behavior, researchers hope that shooting tragedies like those that occurred at…
Scott and Crowley author latest “Why Social Science?”
Explaining how social science can improve government efficiency via government policy, Penn State’s Taylor Scott, research assistant professor with the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, and Max Crowley, assistant professor in human development and family studies, co-authored this…
LGB and other sexual minorities face significant health disparities
Sexual minorities — people who are attracted to members of the same sex or who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual — are at a higher risk for several different health problems at different points in their lives, according to Penn State researchers.
The researchers found that sexual minorities were…
Penn State launches national search for vice president for research
Penn State has launched a national search for a new vice president for research, the University announced today (Jan. 28).
Neil Sharkey, who currently holds the post, will retire on June 30.
The role of vice president for research includes serving as the principal administrative officer for the…
Libraries offers maps and geospatial info sessions for Spring 2019
This spring, Penn State University Libraries will offer informational sessions relating to foundational map and geospatial topics. These sessions are aimed to provide an introduction to maps and geospatial resources and expertise available at the Penn State University Libraries, and These…
Children’s race, not disability status, may predict more frequent suspension
Suspension is one way schools discipline students, but the high number of and disparities in suspensions in the U.S. has sparked controversy and policy debate.
New research, led by Paul L. Morgan, Harry and Marion Eberly Fellow, professor of education and demography, and director of Penn State…
NIH course will train students on effective research methods
The NIH Clinical Center's new course will focus on the spectrum of clinical research and the research process.
Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research will train students on how to effectively and safely conduct clinical research. The course will be of interest to…
Data+Music concert recently held
Nilam Ram, associate professor of human development and family studies, and nationally acclaimed percussionists Robyn Schulkowsky and Joey Baron created music and animations from the data collected by researchers at the recent “Playing the Archive” concert.
The data was presented by Ram; Denise…
Deadline approaching for spring 2019 Security Center seed grants
The Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE) is accepting applications for its spring 2019 Seed Grant Program to support security-related scholarship and educational programs at Penn State. University faculty and researchers are eligible to apply by Feb. 15. Applications should be…
Translational science training programs credited with student success
Scott Graupensperger is making the most of his Penn State education – delving into a number of training programs and experiences to prepare him for a research career. The dual-title kinesiology and clinical and translational sciences doctoral student has been a regular presence at Penn…
Penn State leadership assessing shutdown impact, developing contingency plans
As the partial federal government shutdown continues, Penn State leadership is assessing the short- and long-term effects that the closure is having on students, faculty, staff and University operations, and developing contingency plans to minimize the impact of a…
New, evidence-based diagnostic tool developed for abusive head trauma
Abusive head trauma is the leading cause of traumatic death and disability in infants and young children in the United States. However, multiple studies have shown that disparities and bias can affect physicians’ decisions to evaluate, diagnose and report suspected abuse. In response, researchers…
'Ask the Experts' addresses health care transparency
The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Jessica Altman, insurance commissioner for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, discussing the importance of transparency in health care and the Pennsylvania Shoppable Care Work Group, whose primary goal is to enhance consumers' ability…
Heim makes top list in Biological Psychiatry
Christine Heim, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network co-funded faculty member and professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, was one of the authors of a paper listed among the 10 Most Highly Cited Papers Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, according to Scopus (as of August 6, 2018…