Rose awarded PSNI award
SLEIC Director Emma Rose, associate teaching professor of psychology, was recently awarded the 2026 Faculty Service Award by the Penn State Neuroscience Institute (PSNI).
The Penn State Neuroscience Institute brings together a dynamic community of researchers and scholars dedicated to understanding…
Downs recipient of distinguished research career award
SSRI Associate Director Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, was recently awarded the Pauline Schmitt Russell Distinguished Research Career Award as part of the College of Health and Human Development's annual faculty and staff awards.…
Ocean heatwaves linked with poorer health among children in coastal communities
Marine heatwaves — periods of abnormally warm ocean temperatures — may have negative health effects on children who live in coastal communities in low- or middle-income countries, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The study —…
Mothers on the Move Brings New Families Together Through Dance and Community Support
This fall, Mothers on the Move (MOM), a Penn State College of Medicine–led community initiative, will launch its first free pilot program for first-time mothers and their partners in Central Pennsylvania. Founded by Penn State faculty member and SSRI affiliate Vida Abedi, PhD, the program uses…
Historic Kenyan drought reshaped livelihoods, health and daily life
During a historic drought in northern Kenya, a pastoralist community turned to a food source it had long viewed as a fallback for people without livestock: fishing.
As herds dwindled and families struggled to obtain food, fishing on nearby Lake Turkana became increasingly common among the Daasanach…
Special issue on infant-toddler care now available
We are so excited to share that our Early Childhood Research Quarterly Special Issue, “Infant-Toddler Care and Services,” is now available.
The Early Childhood Research Quarterly is one of the leading journals in the early childhood field, so it is especially meaningful to have a Special Issue…
Deborah Ehrenthal to step down as director of Social Science Research Institute
After five years of leading the Penn State Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), Deborah Ehrenthal, professor of biobehavioral health, will step down as director and return to the faculty within the College of Health and Human Development at the end of 2026.
SSRI is one of nine…
USDA grant to help uncover opportunities and challenges facing rural governments
A new $590,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will help fund an ongoing project to survey county governments across the U.S. to better understand the challenges they face in providing services and enacting policies that improve economic…
Q&A: Why is the Amish population growing so fast in America?
The Amish, a Christian denomination and a three-centuries old German ethnic migrant group known for its strict lifestyle standards, are one of the fastest growing minority populations in the U.S. For more than a century, the number of Amish people — whose American lineage traces back to…
Faculty success and equity workshops, keynote to take place
The Initiative for Faculty Success and Equity (IFSE) Inclusive Excellence Series will be held throughout the Fall 2026 semester, bringing Penn State faculty together for a series of workshops and a keynote presentation focused on fostering civic dialogue, civil discourse, and inclusive teaching…
Child Maltreatment Solutions Network awards new projects through endowment
The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network (CMSN) at Penn State has awarded funding to support 12 new projects through its university-sponsored endowment in 2026.
“The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network’s seed funding program is designed to spark innovative ideas and foster new interdisciplinary…
Spalvins joins Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
SSRI welcomes Tracy Spalvins to the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network team as an administrative assistant.
Tracy has spent over 20 years in the College of the Liberal Arts' Child Study Center as a lead research coordinator and research assistant. She primarily worked with Dr. Karen Bierman…
Social bonds, recognition linked to reduced suicidal thoughts in teens
Nearly one in five teenagers has suicidal thoughts, and suicide is the second most common cause of death for that age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social bonds and social recognition, however, could reduce the risk of adolescent suicide, according to a new…
Institute funds five faculty fellows to support foster youth outcomes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Five Penn State faculty members were recently named Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) Mid-Career Research-Practice Partnership Faculty Fellows for 2026–2027.
The fellows program supports faculty in developing sustained collaborations with practitioners to produce…
Why Social Science? Because Look at the Alternatives!
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Kenneth A. Bollen from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill about how social sciences, though imperfect, remain our best and most reliable hope for understanding and solving many of the crises we face.
Recent Gallup polling shows that…
The U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reaches New Levels and Diversifies, MPI Estimates Show
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) today released its latest estimates of the size of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, pegging the number at 15.8 million in mid-2024, after hovering in the 11 million range throughout the decade beginning in 2010.
The increase is…
Benefits of middle school program trickle down to next generation
A substance-use prevention program delivered to students and their families in the sixth and seventh grades led to wide-ranging benefits well into adulthood and — for those who became parents — even positively affected their children, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State…
Huck Institutes announces recipients of nine interdisciplinary seed grants
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has awarded nine research teams seed funding for 2026-27. These grants support high-impact, innovative research projects that align with the Huck’s strategic research priorities and have the potential to drive scientific…
Q&A: What influences teens' career expectations?
Adolescents in both the United States and the United Kingdom have become increasingly ambitious about their future careers over the past two decades, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. They also found that family socioeconomic background plays a different role depending on the…
Community-Engaged Research Group Hosts Summer Institute for Faculty, Students
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Social Science Research Institute’s Community-Engaged Research, Action, and Partnership unit recently hosted their first Summer Institute to provide an inclusive space for community members and academic researchers to develop knowledge and skills on community-engaged…
Severe flooding linked to increased deaths from opioid use in rural Appalachia
Severe flooding may contribute to higher mortality rates from opioid use in rural Appalachia, according to a study by researchers at Penn State.
The findings — published today (July 20) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — are particularly relevant as they come as severe floods…
SSRI provides supplemental funding support
The Social Science Research Institute at Penn State has announced a funding program to help support social science faculty conducting research with data from Penn State's Federal Statistical Research Data Center.
The Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) supplemental funding call…
Community-Engaged Research Unit Awards Seed Grants
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Social Science Research Institute’s Community-Engaged Research, Action and Partnerships (CERAP) unit recently awarded six seed grants to support interdisciplinary community-engaged research.
According to CERAP co-director and professor of biobehavioral health, Lori…
Fall 2026 opportunities for new faculty foster professional growth, connection
The Office of Faculty Affairs, Teaching and Learning with Technology, the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, the Office for Research Protections, and Penn State University Libraries have announced programs for new full-time Penn State faculty. These offerings include initiatives to foster…
Town hall to focus on research security and evolving federal requirements
Penn State’s research community is invited to attend a research town hall at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, focused on research security, international collaborations and the growing federal requirements that affect the University’s research enterprise. The event will be hosted by Senior Vice…