Almeida Earns GSA’s 2023 Robert W. Kleemeier Award
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen David Almeida, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, as the 2023 recipient of the Robert W. Kleemeier Award.
This distinguished…
Inaugural faculty success and equity workshop held
The inaugural Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity Workshop was a great success last week, with over 100 attendees participating in knowledge and skill building presentations, workshops, and discussions focused on equity and inclusion and career development. This was the first…
Next-day effects of heavy drinking on young adults the focus of NIH grant
Nausea, headaches and difficulty concentrating are just a few of the hangover symptoms that can besiege young adults who drink alcohol to excess. To gain a greater understanding of how heavy drinking impacts young adults, Ashley Linden-Carmichael, Penn State associate research professor of health…
SSRI Welcomes Three New Co-Funded Faculty Members
The Social Science Research Institute welcomes three new co-funded faculty members to Penn State:
Cleothia Frazier, asistant professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts. Frazier completed her Ph.D. in sociology at Vanderbilt University and MPH at Michigan State University.…
Playing catch-up on weekends may not improve cardiovascular cost of sleep loss
Whether it’s work or play that prevents us from getting enough shut-eye during the week, assuming we can make up for it by sleeping in over the weekend is a mistake. New research led by Penn State reveals that cardiovascular health measures, including heart rate and blood pressure, worsen over the…
Federal-local immigration enforcement policies designed to reduce crime found to raise victimization among Latinos Peer-Reviewed Publication
Efforts to understand the effects of immigration enforcement on crime have largely been informed by police crime statistics. In a new study, researchers used longitudinal data from the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to assess the impact of federal immigration policies on local…
$4M NIH grant to fund 10 more years of daily stress research in national study
The National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE), a national study led by David Almeida, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State, has received an additional $4 million of funding from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. NSDE is…
From heat czars to tree planting, relief for urban heat islands
By Ali Martin Staff writer for The Christian Science Monitor, who quotes CSA director and SSRI cofund Guangqing Chi
For 12 nights in a row, The Mission at Kern County shelter has been filled to capacity. That’s unusual for summer months in Bakersfield, California, where many of the city’s…
'Topping out' ceremony held for Welch Building construction project
Construction of the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building at Penn State's University Park campus marked another significant milestone this week.
The University held a “topping out” ceremony at the construction site on Wednesday, July 26, during which representatives from Penn State’s …
Psychology professor Daryl Cameron receives Cattell Fellowship
C. Daryl Cameron, associate professor of psychology and Sherwin Early Career Professor 2023-26, has been awarded a prestigious James McKeen Cattell Fund Fellowship.
The fellowship allows Cameron to take a full sabbatical for the 2023-24 academic year and focus on his myriad research interests…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Help Students Find Their Place in Fighting Climate Change
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from The Conversation, where Clare Cunningham, Catherine Heinemeyer, and Jude Parks write about how universities can help empower students feeling helpless about the climate crisis.
By Clare Cunningham Ph.D., Catherine Heinemeyer…
Researchers find social inequities tied to more severe COVID-19 symptoms
Social inequities like housing and access to health care put individuals from marginalized racial and ethnic groups with substance use disorders at greater risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms than white individuals with substance use disorders, according to researchers. The study findings…
Penn State announces faculty recipients of 2023-24 U.S. Fulbright Scholar awards
Ten Penn State faculty have received Fulbright Scholar Awards for the 2023-24 academic year, according to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program. Through the program, Penn State faculty…
'Fostering Lions' program hosts ‘Little Lions’ camp for high school foster kids
Foster youth can face many challenges, but those who continue into college are better prepared for adulthood and more likely to achieve economic independence and an improved quality of life. The Fostering Lions program, which already supports current Penn State students who were foster youths,…
Social science explains why K-12 integration efforts should continue
BY GENEVIEVE SIEGEL-HAWLEY AND ERICA FRANKENBERG, for The Hill
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling to overturn affirmative action in higher education comes at a time when racial inequality in K-12 schools is deep and growing. The court’s decision immediately curtails what was an already limited…
Faculty success and equity workshop registration now open
Registration is now open for the “Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity Workshop” to be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
The workshop — sponsored by the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), the Office of the Vice…
Group size and mating preferences drive deeper male voices
Deeper male voices in primates, including humans, offer more than sex appeal — they may have evolved as another way for males to drive off competitors in large groups that favored polygyny, or mating systems where a male has multiple mates, according to researchers. The research is the most…
'Growing Impact' podcast examines effects of flooding on substance use, support
The latest episode of the "Growing Impact" podcast explores the world of substance use and addiction through the lens of environmental disasters. Social Science Research Institute cofund Kristina Brant and her team are investigating how flooding in rural areas can affect drug…
Max Crowley appointed new director of the Prevention Research Center
The College of Health and Human Development has announced that Max Crowley, professor of human development and family studies and public policy, has been appointed director of Penn State's Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC), beginning Aug. 15. Crowley succeeds…
Podcast reveals how daily stress may affect our health as we age
From work demands to family responsibilities to social expectations, most of us spend our lives bouncing from one stressor to another, all the while contending with a continuous onslaught of digital information feeds. True relaxation can be hard to find, even with an ever-growing variety of books,…
Nature affects nurture in adoptive child-parent relationships, researchers find
Genetics play a significant role in how children respond to their adoptive families’ parenting style, according to a new study published by a multi-university team of researchers that includes Jenae Neiderhiser, Penn State distinguished professor of psychology and human development and family…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Shed Light on Representation in the STEM Workforce
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Amy Burke and Julia Milton from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) who write about representation in the STEM workforce.
Every 2 years, the NCSES within the NSF…
New grant will continue center’s work to prevent abuse and support children
Child maltreatment — which includes physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect — affects at least 12% of children under 18 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each year, around two million children in the U.S. experience maltreatment, and the…
More than 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in the spring of 2023 due to the end of pandemic policies – and paperwork problems
By Maithreyi Gopalan, SSRI cofund and assistant professor of education and public policy, for "The Conversation"
At least 1.5 million Americans lost Medicaid coverage in April, May and the first three weeks of June 2023, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that tracks…
Social Science Research Institute to host faculty success and equity workshop
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), the Office of the Vice President for Research (OSVPR) Interdisciplinary Research Institutes, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity will host a professional development event entitled “Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity…