SSRI funding boosts interdisciplinary research
Three Penn State research teams were recently awarded Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) pilot funding to foster interdisciplinary research that addresses human and social problems.
The large pilot awards enable the development of new collaborations to pursue novel and high impact research in…
Penn State researchers study adolescents' life aspirations in Cambodia
Adolescents are tasked with navigating competing priorities, including whether to marry, have children, pursue a job/career, go to college, and contribute to society. A paper recently published in Developmental Psychology describes one of the first studies to examine how adolescents in a developing…
Revised Standards for Human Subjects Research Updated
The criteria to resume in-person observational research without additional review has been updated. InfoReady review is no longer required for home studies, as long as they do not target high-risk participants; study staff must be fully vaccinated and remain masked during the study.…
Kindergarten children with behavior problems more likely to be bullied
Kindergarten children who engage in aggressive or impulsive behaviors, such as arguing or getting angry, are more likely to be bullied as they age, according to a new study led by a Penn State College of Education researcher.
“We’re able to give an empirical answer to specific groups who may be…
Why Social Science? - Because It Shows Us How Families Can Thrive
This week's Why Social Science? post comes from Norma J. Bond Burgess, President of the National Council on Family Relations, who writes about the importance and role of family science in understanding and improving family relationships.
By Norma J. Bond Burgess, Ph.D., President, National Council…
Sibling interactions impact child well-being in Latinx children
Most children in the U.S. grow up with siblings, yet the role of sibling relations in child development and well-being is relatively understudied, especially among families of color. Researchers at Penn State, Arizona State University, and Harvard are working together to study these dynamics in…
Annual substance use and addiction conference examines community solutions
The Penn State Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA) hosted its third annual conference, “Community Approaches to Substance Use and Addiction” on Monday, May 3.
Held virtually via Zoom and drawing over 120 attendees throughout the day, the conference kicked off with a welcome…
Congress strengthens NIH’s ability to address harassment at NIH-funded institutions
At NIH, we are committed to and have made progress toward our goal of ending sexual harassment in biomedical research. Our efforts in recent years have focused on demonstrating accountability and transparency, clarifying NIH’s expectations that funded institutions ensure a safe workplace free of…
SSRI Spring Gathering
Faculty and staff from all of SSRI's units recently gathered together at the Hintz Family Alumni Center to celebrate major accomplishments of the year and to announce staff awards.
Jillian Rodgers and Melissa Zack from the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness were given the “Above and…
Institute awards seed grants for computational, data science projects
Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) has awarded eight new seed grants to bolster computational and data science research projects throughout the University. The support will benefit researchers from five Penn State campuses studying topics ranging from weather…
Skin cancer interventions affect sun-safety attitudes
More people are diagnosed with skin cancer in the U.S. than many other cancers combined, and it is one of the most common cancers among young women. Penn State researchers are testing social media interventions aimed at this demographic to encourage them to avoid UV exposure.
“Social media often…
PAA’s annual meeting features strong Penn State presence
Many researchers from Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) and Population Research Institute (PRI) participated in the Population Association of America’s (PAA) annual meeting, which took place recently in Atlanta.
This year’s conference featured 235 sessions from a variety of…
Disruptive kindergartners are likely to be bullied later in elementary school
By Paul Morgan, Professor of Education and Demography, and Director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research, for The Conversation
Kindergartners who act out, disrupt classrooms, get angry and argue with their teachers are especially likely to be bullied once they reach third, fourth and…
Research team develops framework to help military students succeed
Some children of military families can experience more social-emotional risk than the average student due to stressors such as frequent moves and parental absence, according to Cristin Hall, associate professor of education (school psychology) and faculty affiliate for the Clearinghouse for…
Joint Lerner/PRI Brief - Social Infrastructure (“Third Places”) is Not Distributed Equally Across the U.S.
By Danielle Rhubart, Penn State; Yue Sun, Claire Pendergrast, and Shannon M. Monnat, Syracuse University
Third places are the physical spaces in a community where people can gather to connect and share resources, support, and information. They can help support health because they promote social…
Gen Z does not dream of labor
PRI Associate Director Sarah Damaske was quoted in a Vox.com article about how over the past two years, young millennials and members of Gen Z have created an abundance of memes and pithy commentary about their generational disillusionment toward work. The jokes, which correspond with the rise…
Save the date for Penn State's 30th Annual Family Symposium, Oct. 24 - 25
Despite its significance for individuals, families and the larger society, research on family socialization on issues of race/ethnicity and racism remains limited. The goal of Penn State’s 30th annual Family Symposium, "Family Socialization around Race/Ethnicity and Racism: Advancing Understanding…
New program may help parents of children with autism, study finds
Researchers at Penn State and the University of South Carolina have recently found that a program for parents of children recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) shows promising evidence of helping parents access services for their child, strengthening their co-parenting skills and…
Penn State Researchers Support Social Science through COSSA Advocacy Day
Penn State researchers recently participated in Social Science Advocacy Day, held virtually by the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA).
COSSA’s eighth annual Social Science Advocacy Day, held on March 29, brought together 70 social science social and behavioral scientists from across…
Safe Links feature enabled in Teams
Penn State IT recently enabled the Safe Links feature in Microsoft Teams to scan for malicious links in Teams messages. When this change is implemented, users may see an image that says "Verifying link...".
After a very slight delay, they will either be routed to the destination if the link is…
Second Expanding Empathy panel to examine social interactions
The Rock Ethics Institute will host the second lecture in the 2022 Expanding Empathy series from 3-5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, via Zoom. This panel features Jason D’Cruz, associate professor of philosophy at the University at Albany, SUNY, and Juliana Schroeder, professor in the management of…
Enabling Research and Enhancing Inclusion: STEM Professionals at Penn State
We are conducting a research study that looks at factors that may impact sense of inclusion for employees that enable research. As an employee at Penn State, we are interested in your opinions and perspectives on this topic.
Your responses are confidential and will contribute to important…
Because People Should be at the Center of Policymaking: Reflections from COSSA's 2022 Social Science Advocacy Day
This week'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 importance of advocating for the social sciences.
Contributors: Kami Silk, University of Delaware; Sofi Cavenaile,…
Strong Penn State representation highlight of recent SBM meeting
Several Penn State researchers participated in the Society of Behavioral Medicine 43rd Annual Meeting, held recently in Baltimore.
The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) is a non-profit organization that brings together multiple independent disciplines – from nursing, psychology, and medicine to…
New funding will continue research to address Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Researchers on the Einstein Aging Study work to better understand cognitive aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias. A new $32 million grant from the National Institute on Aging will allow an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Penn State, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,…