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…
Brothers receives American Sociological Association’s Early Career Award
Sarah Brothers, assistant professor of sociology and public policy at Penn State, is the recipient of the American Sociological Association’s (ASA) inaugural Early Career Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship.
The organization recognized Brothers for her “transformative work in drug policy” and…
Why Social Science? - Because Asking People Questions Provides Important and Necessary Insights
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from Dr. Kristen Olson from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln about how asking the right questions and using surveys will help us better understand and support populations we want to study.
Data are everywhere. Data are collected as we browse the…
Transgender Athletes, Birthright and Ballots: SCOTUS to Test Trump Agenda
SSRI cofunded faculty member Nicole Kreisberg, assistant professor of public policy and sociology, was quoted in this Newsweek article about birthright citizenship. Read the article here.
Addressing workforce challenges to strengthen US power grid
The nation's electric grid faces mounting pressures from aging infrastructure, growing energy demand and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. A team led by Penn State researchers is working to address a less visible but equally critical challenge: the future workforce needed to keep the…
‘Food noise’ discussion on social media helps define the term
With the rise of weight loss drugs such as GLP-1 medications in recent years, the phrase “food noise” has taken off, particularly in conversations about health and wellness on social media. While thinking about food during the day is normal, food noise is often used to describe endless, looping…
Penn State ranks 23rd in US, 92nd globally in 2027 QS World University Rankings
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is tied at No. 23 in the United States out of 184 nationally ranked institutions in the 2027 QS World University Rankings, released June 17. Internationally, Penn State is tied at No. 92, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,504 institutions…
Q&A: Do high-pressure environments encourage moral disengagement?
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Why do individuals and organizations sometimes rationalize decisions that conflict with their stated values?
According to Leah P. Hollis, professor of education policy studies in the Penn State College of Education and SSRI affiliate, the answer may lie in “moral…
Most recent Pennsylvania farm fatality report identifies agricultural hazards
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Last year, 19 people died of injuries suffered in farm-related incidents in Pennsylvania, according to researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. This was the same number of people who died of similar farm-related injuries in 2024.
The Penn State…
Huck administrator earns international recognition
University Park, Pa. — Research Professor Camelia Kantor, director of strategic initiatives at Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and SSRI affiliate, has been selected as a 2026 Future of the Field honoree by the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI).
SRAI’s Future…
Q&A: How do recovery community centers support people in recovery over time?
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — More than one in 10 adults in the United States believe they had a substance use problem at some point, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Among these adults, more than seven in 10 considered themselves to be in recovery. An…
Coaching parents of preschool children improved child skills through grade seven
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The children of parents who received coaching and support materials in preschool had fewer conduct problems and higher levels of academic skills more than seven years later, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers.
In a recent study…
The Social Science Research Institute announces co-funded and affiliated faculty member promotions
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Social Science Research Institute congratulates the following cofunded and affiliated Penn State faculty members on their promotions, which are effective July 1:
Promoted to Professor
Laura Cabrera Trujillo, professor, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics,…
Krishnan Awarded the Lloyd Prize for Innovative Health Research
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is pleased to announce Mohanraj Krishnan as the recipient of the 2026 Lloyd Prize for Innovative Health Research made possible by a generous endowment created by Dr. Thomas Lloyd, a former College of Medicine faculty…
When is screen time healthy and when is it not?
Smartphones have been connected to a host of modern problems including loneliness, decreased physical activity, sleep problems and all the mental and physical health issues associated with those conditions.
But not all screen time is bad, according to Nelson Roque, assistant professor of human…