SSRI Welcomes New Associate Director
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State announces the addition of a new associate director, Orfeu M. Buxton. Buxton is a professor of biobehavioral health in the College of Health and Human Development. He is also a cofunded faculty member of SSRI. His research primarily…
Private tutoring linked to student disengagement, researchers find
Private tutoring and supplemental learning are intended to enhance classroom learning, but new research led by a professor in the Penn State College of Education has revealed that it may actually erode student engagement. The finding came from an analysis of South Korean elementary students but has…
Puts elected president of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society
David Puts, professor of anthropology at Penn State and Social Science Research Institute cofunded faculty member, was recently elected president of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. Puts is also the principal investigator of the Behavioral Endocrinology and Evolution Lab at…
News Topics: SSRI CofundsAnthropology
Insomnia and sleep medication use connected to disability in older adults
Insomnia is a significant health and quality of life concern for older adults, with up to half of all adults over the age of 65 experiencing insomnia symptoms. In a new study, researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and at Taipei Medical University analyzed five years…
CSUA attends Science Coalition's Capitol Hill Day
Last week, the Social Science Research Institute's (SSRI) Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) was on Capitol Hill for "The Science of Addiction & Mental Health" hosted by The Science Coalition.CSUADirector Joel Segel and SSRI cofunded faculty member Glenn Sterner spent time with…
Community coalitions key to combating the opioid crisis
Collaborative, community-driven initiatives can help mitigate the impact of opioid misuse and overdose deaths, according to a research team that includes Brandy Henry, assistant professor of rehabilitation and human services and Social Science Research Institute cofunded faculty member at Penn…
Centre honors employees; Proclaims Justice Education Month
From The Express In recognition of the county’s hardworking employees, the Centre County Board of Commissioners proclaimed April 2025 as National County Government and Centre County Employee Appreciation Month. April was designated by the National Association of Counties to highlight effective…
Penn State congratulates Fall 2024 Emerging Academic Leaders on program completion
The fall 2024 cohort of the Penn State Emerging Academic Leaders (PSEAL) program have successfully completed their semester-long professional development experience. Designed for mid-career faculty who are interested in exploring academic leadership roles, PSEAL offers participants the opportunity…
News Topics: SSRI Associate DirectorsSSRI Cofunds
Q&A: Is it always ‘us vs them’? Researcher explains why flexibility is key
Urban versus rural. Penn State versus Michigan. Star Wars versus Star Trek. As social beings, humans gravitate toward groups. But sometimes group living can spur an “us versus them” mentality that causes conflict, especially when two groups are competing for the same limited resources, like money…
Saunders named as 2024-25 cohort member of the Health Equity Scholars Program
Tracee Saunders, assistant professor of political science and Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member, was announced in fall 2024 as a member of the 2024-25 cohort of the Scholars Strategy Network (SSN)’s Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP). This fellowship supports…
News Topics: SSRI CofundsFunding
Understanding aging requires more than counting birthdays
People’s bodies can be old or young for their chronological age, depending, in part, on the amount and types of stressors they have experienced. Scientists can estimate people’s biological age, but whether they use oral tissue or blood to make the measurement matters, according to a new study led…
Two cofunded faculty members join SSRI
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is pleased to welcome two new cofunded faculty members to Penn State. By helping to support faculty members, SSRI is demonstrating its dedication to interdisciplinary research in the social and behavioral sciences. Kyle Aune, assistant professor of…
News Topics: SSRI Cofunds
Feb. 5 lecture to discuss how sleep health affects daily life, long-term health
Orfeu Buxton, Elizabeth Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State, will present the 2025 Pattishall Research Lecture, “Sleep Health Across the Life Span.” The lecture, sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development, will be presented on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. in the…
Grants support research collaboration between Harrisburg, College of Medicine
Four teams of faculty from Penn State Harrisburg and Penn State College of Medicine, including SSRI cofunded faculty member Sujeong Park, have been awarded the inaugural planning and seed grants from the Penn State Inter-Campus Health and Medicine Research Program, a partnership created to support…
Social media users probably won’t read beyond this headline, researchers say
Congratulations. Reading this far into the story is a feat not many will accomplish, especially if shared on Facebook, according to a team led by Penn State researchers. In an analysis of more than 35 million public posts containing links that were shared extensively on the social media platform…
Murphy named associate dean of research and outreach for College of Education
P. Karen Murphy, distinguished professor of educational psychology in the Penn State College of Education, has been named associate dean of research and outreach for the college. “In this role, my vision is for our college to stand at the vanguard of education transformation, equity and innovation…
News Topics: College of EducationSSRI Cofunds
How do formerly incarcerated individuals navigate community reentry?
Fifty years of punitive criminal justice policies have created a growing population of older incarcerated individuals who are now eligible for community release but lack the social or economic capital to rebuild their lives, according to a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of…
Gatzke-Kopp named president-elect of Society for Psychophysiological Research
Lisa Gatzke-Kopp, professor of human development and family studies and Social Science Research Institute cofunded faculty member, recently was named president-elect of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. The presidential role spans three years, over which she will serve as president-…
Recovery community centers linked to support factors for substance use recovery
More than 46 million people in the U.S. suffered from substance use disorders and more than 100,000 died by overdose in 2001, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. To address this crisis, recovery community centers (RCCs) have emerged in cities across the U.S.…
Connell appointed The Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children
Christian M. Connell, professor of human development and family studies, was recently named The Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children in the College of Health and Human Development. The professorship is part of a $1 million gift to support a faculty member focused on enhancing the health…
Byun part of team awarded $3.5 million grant
A Penn State College of Education faculty member is part of a multidisciplinary team across several universities that has been awarded a $3.5 million Transformative Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation to conduct a large-scale, five-year study on community-driven initiatives to teach Asian…
Nine new faculty join Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is welcoming nine new co-funded faculty members to Penn State. By helping to support co-funded faculty members, SSRI is demonstrating its commitment to interdisciplinary research within the social and behavioral sciences. Mark Ortiz, assistant professor…
News Topics: SSRI Cofunds
Child Maltreatment Solutions Network conference to be held in November
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Social Science Research Institute’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is hosting an in-person conference, “Biological Embedding of Caregiving Adversity,” in 129 HUB (HUB-Robeson Center) at the University Park campus on Friday, November 15 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.…
New Child Study Center co-directors to continue collaborative research mission
Over the past five years, Rina Das Eiden and Jenae Neiderhiser have forged a close working relationship as colleagues in Penn State’s Department of Psychology. Recently, their collaboration began a significant new phase when they were appointed co-directors of the College…
Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use
A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if…