Center for Nursing Research announces fall 2025 seminar series
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Center for Nursing Research (CNR) has announced its Seminar Series for the 2025-26 semesters. This seven-part series virtual series is designed to advance nursing research by fostering collaboration between…
Endometriosis affects more systems in women’s bodies than previously understood
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In endometriosis, cells similar to uterine tissue grow outside the uterus. According to researchers in the Penn State Department of Kinesiology who study the disease, endometriosis is often treated as a purely gynecological condition. In a new study, however, they…
Research or Regress: What if we could stop impaired driving?
For teenagers, getting a driver's license is a key to freedom. But for parents, it can be a source of worry, especially since car accidents are one of the leading causes of death among teens, and one in four teen crashes involves underage drinking and driving. Yet, these deaths and injuries are…
Conference to focus on improving child welfare
The Social Science Research Institute's Child Maltreatment Solutions Network is hosting an in-person conference, “Innovative Pathways in Child Welfare Practice”, in the Eric J Barron Innovation Hub on Oct. 3.
Interested attendees can register now.
The conference will include…
New screener offers empirical insights to improve veteran transitions
For the newest generation of U.S. veterans, transitioning to civilian life can pose profound challenges. Post-9/11 veterans are younger and more diverse, and they face rising rates of trauma, mental health conditions, underemployment and service-connected disabilities, according to a research team…
New website shows how opioid settlement funds are helping Pennsylvanians
Beginning in 2021, a national coalition of attorneys general led by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro reached settlements to hold prescription opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy companies accountable for their role in contributing to the opioid addiction epidemic in the United States…
SSRI Affiliate Florence Becot honored by agricultural safety, health society
Florence Becot, Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor in Agricultural Safety and Health in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the Jim Williams Early Career Achievement Award from the International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health at the organization’…
New associate director for graduate education at Huck Institutes named
Penn State Professor of Anthropology David Puts has been named the associate director for graduate education at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. The post was most recently held by Troy Ott, professor of reproductive physiology, who served as interim director of Huck in 2024 before becoming…
Why Social Science? - Because Reimagining Science Requires Behavioral and Social Scientists at the Table, Too
By Sam Goldstein, Science for Good
Nearly 40% of deaths in the United States are preventable through changes in behavior. Modifiable risk factors like smoking, poor diet, inactivity, or alcohol use are contributors to many cancers. For children and teens ages 1 to 17, the leading cause of death is…
Turning gestures into speech for people with limited communication
Communication is a fundamental human right, and many individuals need augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) approaches or tools, such as a notebook or electronic tablet with symbols the user can select to create messages, to communicate effectively. While access to speech-language…
Cameron featured on podcast about empathy
Daryl Cameron, director of the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making and Sherwin Early Career Professor, was recently a panelist on empathy on the podcast "Maine Calling". Listen to the episode here.
Award Program Supports Community-oriented Research for the Public Good
Enhancing Cybersecurity Readiness in Non-Profit Organizations Through Collaborative Research and Innovation, a research initiative led by Maryam Roshanaei, assistant professor at Penn State Abington, and her team, is proud to announce its successful progress thus far, made possible through the…
PPIRA Program contributes to reducing the Community Impacts of Substance Abuse
Community Impact of Harm Reduction Vending Machines, a research project led by Jennifer Murphy, associate professor, Penn State Berks, and her team, is pleased to share the remarkable progress achieved through the support of the Presidential Public Impact Research Award (PPIRA) Program. This…
Q&A: Understanding cost and benefit for publicly funded health programs
Recent laws instituted in the United States substantially cut funding to many government programs, especially those related to health or social well-being.
As a health economist, Dennis Scanlon, distinguished professor of health policy and administration at Penn State, studies the financial impact…
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…
New research brief examines rural-suburban-urban differences among Northeast US caregivers
The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) has published a fourth brief in its caregiving research brief series. The brief describes the caregiving experience for rural, suburban, and urban caregivers in the Northeast region of the U.S., as reported by households as part of the “…
Federal science cuts threaten our natural resources
By Anne Pisor for The Times-Tribune
What if I told you the friendships you’ve built on the lake, river or trail could help protect Pennsylvania fisheries — would you believe me?
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), I’ve been studying how our everyday relationships — like those…
Conference on political divisions draws international presenters
Scholars from around the globe recently attended Penn State’s Consortium on Moral Decision-Making conference on political polarization and moral decision-making.
Organizer Daryl Cameron, director of the consortium, Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute, and…
New grant supports postsecondary outcomes for youth in foster care
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) has been awarded a three-year, $650,000 Institutional Challenge Grant from the William T. Grant Foundation (WT Grant Foundation) to strengthen research-practice partnerships that focus on improving health and wellbeing outcomes for youth. …
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…
Early brain and child development study data now available
The first wave of data Penn State's HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study is now available to researchers interested in addressing a wide-range of questions, including how environments and substances impact infant and child development.
In 2021, the National Institute on Drug Abuse…
SAFE-T system designated as an American Academy of Nursing 'Edge Runner'
The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing has announced that the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System has been named an "Edge Runner" by the American Academy of Nursing. Edge Runners are nurse-designed models of care that reduce cost, improve health care quality…
Why Social Science? - Because If We Don’t Advocate for the Future of our Field, Who Will?
By Marcel LaFlamme, Association of Research Libraries; Angelo Cusimano, CUNY; and Sarah Wang, American University
This month's "Why Social Science?" post comes from three participants from this year's Social Science Advocacy Day who reflected upon their advocacy experiences and the…
Contreras new assistant director at SSRI
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State is pleased to welcome Danilo Antonio Contreras as its new assistant director.
Contreras first came to Penn State in 2023 as a visiting fellow at the Center for Global Workers’ Rights in the School of Labor and Employment Relations while on…
New program aims to help faculty build skills in AI, quantum sciences
A call for proposals out of the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) seeks to provide University faculty members with the opportunities to learn new skills and make use of available resources in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum…