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…
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…
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College of Education
SSRI Cofunds
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Child Study Center program We Are Connected offers its students community
For even the most outgoing students, arriving at a place the size of Penn State can be a daunting experience that for some may lead to isolation, loneliness, anxiety and depression. With intentions of mitigating those risks, the University’s Child Study Center (CSC) has developed We Are Connected,…
What are the risks of cannabis use?
On April 26, the United States reclassified cannabis from a Schedule I controlled substance, which lacks any medical benefits, to a Schedule III controlled substance, which has accepted medical uses and lower potential for misuse than a Schedule I substance. Over the past two decades, cannabis has…
Child abuse may be connected to changes in development, body regulation
Children who experienced abuse or neglect displayed disrupted development and decreased ability to maintain stable function of internal bodily systems, according to a new study led by researchers in the Penn State Department of Biobehavioral Health. The study, published today (May 7) in Molecular…
Cocoziello Built Environment Showcase to highlight impact of recent research
Registration is now open to attend the first annual Penn State Cocoziello Institute Built Environment Showcase, happening Monday, April 27, from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn. The event will bring together a diverse mix of students, researchers and industry professionals, indicative of the…
Intimate partner homicide has clear warning signs – and is often preventable, research shows
By Kathryn Spearman, assistant professor of nursing and SSRI cofund, for The Conversation Dr. Cerina Wanzer Fairfax was an accomplished dentist and a loving mom to two teenage children. On April 16, 2026, she was killed by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who then…
New website shares data on the immigrant population
In the United States, immigrants without permanent residence comprise nearly one-third of the adult and child population born abroad. It is important to assess their health and service needs, yet little is known about the demographics of this group. A new website developed by Penn State researchers…
Ending birthright citizenship would impact Asians and Latinos most, study finds
Established in 1868 with the ratification of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, birthright citizenship grants citizenship to all persons born on U.S. soil regardless of the parents’ citizenship status. If birthright citizenship is ended, the number of children born without a defined legal…
Rossinger named outstanding researcher
SSRI affiliate Kelly Rosinger, associate professor of education and public policy, Department of Education Policy Studies, was given the Outstanding Researcher Award during the Penn State College of Education's annual awards ceremony, held March 30 at the Graduate hotel in State College. Award…
Faculty, alumni gifts establish flexible fund for sociology and criminology
When Michelle Frisco, who earned a degree in administration of justice from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1994, became head of Penn State's Department of Sociology and Criminology in 2022, she saw a need and opportunity to build something the department didn't have — a flexible fund that could…
Penn State names new distinguished professors for 2026
Penn State's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 14 new distinguished professors for 2026, including: SSRI Cofunded Faculty Member Daniel Perkins, distinguished professor of youth and family resiliency and policy and founding principal scientist of the Clearinghouse for Military Family…
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SSRI Cofunds
SSRI Affiliates
Sustain Penn State to screen ‘Devil Put the Coal in the Ground’ on Feb. 11
Sustain Penn State will host a virtual screening of “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, as part of its Intersections Film Series. The screening will be followed by a moderated panel discussion exploring the connections between coal, economic development, public…
Night waking impacts cognitive performance regardless of sleep duration
When it comes to sleep, traditional advice has focused on the number of hours a person sleeps. But for older adults, the quality of sleep may affect cognitive performance the following day regardless of their quantity of sleep, according to a new study by researchers from the Penn State College of…
A hard year for federal workers offers a real-time lesson in resilience
By Anne Pisor, SSRI cofunded faculty member and assistant professor of anthropology and demography, for "The Conversation" Imagine going from having a book club with your co-workers to seeing them only on a Signal chat where every member has to be vetted – and the main conversation topic is when…
Nine Penn State faculty and staff receive 2025-26 Fulbright awards
For the 2025-26 academic year, six Penn State faculty and staff received Fulbright Scholar Awards, one received the International Education Administrator Award and two received the Fulbright Specialist Award, according to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The list of 2025-26 award recipients is…
SSRI faculty recognized for research impact
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recognized exceptional achievements in research during its fourth annual Research Awards Ceremony held Oct. 28 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus. SSRI cofunded faculty member Ryan Thombs, assistant professor of rural…
Discussion approach improves comprehension for 4th, 5th graders, study finds
Small-group discussions designed to help elementary students engage in conversations that promote critical analytic thinking, reasoning and deeper understanding of the content they read increased critical thinking over time for fourth- and fifth-grade students, according to a new study by a team…
Young girls may be less responsive to food fullness cues than young boys
Young boys ate less during a meal if they had already consumed a serving of fruit, but girls ate the same amount of the meal whether or not they had eaten fruit, researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences found in a recent study. The researchers said this study, available…