Who are immigrants to the US, where do they come from and where do they live?
This article was originally written for The Conversation by Jennifer Van Hook, PRI Director & Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Demography.
Undocumented immigration is a key issue in American politics, but it can be hard to nail down the basic facts about who these immigrants are, where…
Online gambling participation increases in Pennsylvania again, report finds
Online gambling in Pennsylvania continues to increase in Pennsylvania, according to the 2024 Pennsylvania Interactive Gaming Assessment: Online Gambling Report. The assessment was authored by researchers in Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center and developed under contract with…
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…
New website provides updates related to executive action
Penn State recently launched a website to provide our community with information related to executive orders issued beginning in January 2025.
The site is a landing page with basic information about what is known at this time, and it will be updated as developments arise. Please note, this is…
Local immigration enforcement was supposed to make communities safer
New research suggests that local cooperation in federal immigration enforcement erodes rather than enhances public safety.1 An examination of three leading forms of federal–local law enforcement collaboration, by Eric Baumer of Pennsylvania State University and Min Xie of the University of Maryland…
Update on Executive Orders signed by President Trump
You are likely aware of the recent developments within the Trump administration and executive orders that may impact our research operations. We have just received an executive order related to sponsored research and are working with PIs to help them achieve compliance. We will provide further…
Broader impacts and engagement in research design focus of spring EarthTalks
The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) EarthTalks spring 2025 series, “Broader Impacts and Community Engagement in Research Design,” will highlight innovative and effective ways for researchers to engage more meaningfully in the research design of public impact activities for earth…
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…
Penn State professor named among most influential in shaping education
Erica Frankenberg, professor of education (educational leadership) and demography at Penn State and director of the Center for Education and Civil Rights, was recently named to the 2025 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings list of top 200 U.S.-based university scholars who…
New grant to evaluate national nonprofit programs focused on veteran employment
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse) has been awarded a $100,000 grant from The Heinz Endowments to support the evaluation of four prominent national nonprofit programs — Hiring Our Heroes, Hire Heroes USA, VetJobs and Onward to Opportunity— dedicated to…
Mexican Americans' educational history detailed in new book
A new book examining the institutional barriers faced by Mexican immigrants in Texas is now available for purchase.
"Texas-Style Exclusion: Mexican Americans and the Legacy of Limited Opportunity," written by Penn State Population Research Institute Director Jennifer Van Hook and Temple University…
PRI T32 Postdoctoral Positions Available
SSRI's Population Research Institute (PRI) anticipates openings for two T32 Postdoctoral Scholars, one NICHD-funded trainee in Social Environments and Population Health, and another NIA-funded trainee in Emerging Disparities in Population Health.
Owing to sponsor requirements, applicants…
Interdisciplinary research on ethics and morality focus of recent conference
Penn State’s Consortium on Moral Decision-Making and Moral Psychology Research Group recently hosted a conference to highlight interdisciplinary research on moral and ethical decision-making.
According to consortium director Daryl Cameron, Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute…
New grant aims to strengthen veteran policies in Pennsylvania
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse) has received a $181,080 grant from The Heinz Endowments to develop and enhance policies in support of Pennsylvania’s military veterans. This funding will support efforts to strengthen state-level policy discussions,…
Fourth annual Big Ten Neuroscience Symposium to convene at Penn State
The Penn State Neuroscience Institute, being supported by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Penn State College of Medicine, and the Social Science Research Institute, will host the Big Ten Neuroscience Annual Meeting on July 21 and 22 at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College.
The…
Penn State among top universities for social science research expenditures
Michael T. Nietzel, Senior Contributor, Forbes Magazine
Because many of the most pressing problems facing the nation today involve patterns of human behavior and the social forces affecting them, research in psychology and the social sciences continues to be a vital source of information about…
Consortium on Moral Decision-Making Seed Grants
The Consortium on Moral Decision-Making is seeking proposals for seed grants to support interdisciplinary research related to the conceptual and empirical study of human morality and ethical decision-making. How do people decide whether to help or harm others, whom to trust and cooperate with, and…
Ag student travels to Arctic for research training in a climate-changed region
The Arctic is filled with picturesque scenery and communities of people closely connected to the land and its history. Like many areas of the world, it’s also a region threatened by climate change. But the Arctic is especially vulnerable, with its temperatures rising four times more quickly than in…
Center for Socially Responsible AI awards seed funding to seven diverse projects
The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the results of its most recent seed-funding competition. The center awarded more than $159,000 to seven interdisciplinary research projects representing eight colleges and campuses.
Each proposal was…
Army launches standardized toolkit to better support soldiers and families
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, in partnership with the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Staff and the Installation Management Command, has successfully developed a comprehensive toolkit to support the Army's Relocation Readiness Program (RRP). This innovative…
Long-distance friendships may provide conservation benefits
While sustaining friendships from afar can be challenging, they may offer unexpected benefits for environmental conservation. These long-distance social ties can positively influence community-based conservation, according to a new study by an international team that includes Anne Pisor, assistant…
Increased area income improves birthweight rates, researchers find
Higher incomes are often correlated with healthier pregnancies and babies, but is it really the money that matters? Sedimentary rocks that formed 390 million years ago, surprisingly, help provide the answer, at least for those who live above the Marcellus Shale formation, according to a team led by…
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…
Choosing Empathy Is Critical to Democracy If we lose sight of why empathy matters, both individual dignity and democracy suffer
BY C. DARYL CAMERON for Scientific American
In the weeks before and after the U.S. presidential election, many of us are asking about the role of empathy in American politics. Does it matter whether candidates express care for their constituents, and what does a person’s vote says about their…
Pennsylvania ATV trail connector generated $23.5M in revenue over two years
While there are about 285,000 registered all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), also known as four wheelers, in Pennsylvania, there are only 11 public trails where people can legally ride ATVs.
In 2020, Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) launched a pilot project…