Veterans of color and female veterans reported more stress during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic led to illness and death, significant economic and employment problems, severe social restrictions and substantially altered family life — the effects of which researchers are beginning to understand. A recent study conducted by researchers at the Clearinghouse for Military…
Liberal Arts initiative to explore historical, societal impacts of immigration
Immigration is the focus of the current offering in the College of the Liberal Arts’ “Moments of Change” initiative — an undertaking that brings students, faculty, staff and alumni together to explore what it means to live through historic and contemporary times of change.
Through…
Connecting researchers and legislators can lead to policies that reflect scientific evidence
In this article written for "The Conversation", RPC's Taylor Scott describes how a disconnect between research-based information and decision-making can lead to ineffective policies. Read more here.
Fostering Lions Program mourns loss of supporter Denise Rohrbach
Penn State’s Fostering Lions Program is grieving the loss of Denise (Shuey) Rohrbach, a 1975 graduate of the College of the Liberal Arts, who established the Rohrbach/Shuey Family Scholarship in 2021.
Created with a gift of $53,000, the Rohrbach/Shuey Family Scholarship provides…
SSRI names new unit directors
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute recently announced new directors for two of their units, the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center (SLEIC) and the Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA), effective July 1.
Xiaoxiao Bai and Emma Jane Rose will succeed Michele…
Rural health symposium being held Jan. 24
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is hosting a Symposium on Social Science Research on Rural Health at Penn State on Jan. 24, 3 - 5 p.m., in 110 Henderson Building.
According to symposium organizer Danielle Rhubart, assistant professor of biobehavioral health and demography and…
Penn State program to prevent substance use the focus of $2.5 million NIH grant
Penn State researchers have embarked on a five-year, $2.5 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study outcomes for adults who participated in the substance misuse prevention system known as PROSPER while they attended middle school. The system, PROmoting…
Researchers to develop early warning system for emerging substance use threats
A newly awarded $1 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant will allow a group of multidisciplinary researchers at Penn State, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, to develop an early warning system (EWS) for identifying and responding to emerging substance use threats such as the rise of…
70 years after Brown vs. Board of Education, public schools still deeply segregated
In this article for The Conversation, author Erica Frankenberg, SSRI associate director and professor of education and demography, writes that the upcoming Brown vs. Board of Education anniversary comes at an especially uncertain moment for public education and efforts to make America’s schools…
Portion size and variety increase food intake at single- and multi-course meals
Previous research has determined that both portion size and variety increase food consumption independently, but researchers from Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences have found that these properties also work together to increase consumption for both single- and multi-course meals.
The…
Extreme Weather Has Long-Term Health Consequences
In this Scientific American article, author and PRI associate Asher Rosinger explains how extreme climatic events affect health and human biology and the need for solutions.
When Hurricane Otis smashed into Acapulco, Mexico, in October, the Category 5 storm left a trail of…
True: Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say
The use of fact-checking services spikes during major news events. Fortunately, the fact checkers have generally agreed in their assessments of whether news claims are true or false, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
In…
Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in kids, researchers find
While screen time is generally known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive engagement, such as texting friends or playing video games, delays and reduces the time spent asleep to a greater extent than passive screen time, like watching television — especially for teens.
The…
PRI / CSA Troubleshooting Sessions
The Population Research Institute (PRI) and the Computational and Spatial Analysis (CSA) Core are launching a Troubleshooting Team to provide consultation to PRI associates to help address their data and/or computational challenges. This service is particularly…
Daw and Shenk complete Penn State Emerging Academic Leaders program
The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs has recognized a select group of faculty members for completing the Penn State Emerging Academic Leaders (PSEAL) program. This initiative, a collaborative effort between Faculty Affairs and Penn State Human Resources Talent Management, is…
Perceptions of female offenders publications available
Two publications by Brenda Russell, professor of psychology at Penn State Berks, and former student Celia Torres, are now available:
Volume 1 of this two-volume series addresses the complexities of female offending. It highlights notable events, such as the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp case and the #…
Blog on politics and policy seeking submissions
3Streams is a looking for blog submissions focusing on the convergence of politics, policy, and ideas, according to Chris Witko, blog editor and professor of public policy and political science at Penn State. Blog editors are particularly interested in elevating the work of scholars with novel…
Why Social Science? Because It Can Explain How the Next Technological Revolution Impacts Our Lives and the Communities We Care About
The new Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Rayvon Fouché from Northwestern University who writes about how social science can provide valuable history, context, and interpretive perspectives to help inform our societies moving forward.
For those reading nearly any media outlet…
Helping non-clinical staff identify problematic sexual behaviors among children
Identifying unusual and potentially harmful behaviors in children is vital to providing appropriate interventions, according to Penn State researchers. A Penn State research team partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop an easy-to-use tool to help non-clinically trained staff…
Next steps for implementing the TikTok ban
As many of you may have heard, the US Government issued restrictions on use of TikTok in June 2023. These prohibitions will be implemented at Penn State as a condition of accepting new Federal contracts. Please note that these prohibitions will not affect everyone at Penn State, but they will…
SAFE-T System receives the Pennsylvania Rural Health Program of the Year Award
Penn State’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System recently received the 2023 Pennsylvania Rural Health Program of the Year Award for its person-centered, evidence-based and trauma-informed forensic care for victims of sexual assault across the commonwealth.
The…
New demographic analysis of school-age population projects increased diversity and lessened social and cultural differences
Demography may not, as the famed French philosopher Auguste Comte once wrote, “be destiny,” but two new analyses, a demographic simulation of the school-age population of the United States and a projection of the racially-identified American Indian and Alaska Native population to 2050, make clear…
Family Symposium book published
Following Penn State’s 2022 National Symposium on Family Issues, Springer published the latest installment in the symposium book series, "Family Socialization, Race, and Inequality in the United States”.
Dawn Witherspoon, professor of psychology, Susan McHale, distinguished emeritus professor…
Social Science Research Institute launches climate, society, health initiative
A new Penn State initiative will focus on climate change and how extreme weather events impact human health, especially in underserved populations across the globe.
The Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRI) Climate, Society and Health Initiative aims to help research move beyond…
Newly identified biomarkers may detect early cognitive decline via blood test
For some people, extreme stressors like psychiatric disorders or childhood neglect and abuse can lead to a range of health problems later in life, including depression, anxiety and cardiovascular disease. A new study led by researchers in the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging identified…