New module supports fathers and father figures in their parenting journey
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse), in partnership with the Department of Defense, has launched a new parent-education module specifically designed to support fathers and father figures in building stronger relationships with their children. This…
Social media buzz may predict election results earlier in tight races
With social media platforms serving as soapboxes for politicians, campaigns and voters alike, pollsters may be able to better predict election results by tracking the buzz around each candidate on social media, according to a new study published by a team of researchers from Penn State, Stanford…
New Book: Texas-Style Exclusion: Mexican Americans and the Legacy of Limited Opportunity
New Book: Texas-Style Exclusion: Mexican Americans and the Legacy of Limited Opportunity
In Texas-Style Exclusion, Population Research Institute Director Jennifer Van Hook (Pennsylvania State University) and sociologist James D. Bachmeier (Temple University) compare how Americans have responded to…
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…
New SSRI Working Group - Collaborative on Population Aging Disparities
Collaborative on Population Aging Disparities
The Collaborative on Population Aging Disparities (CoPAD) is an SSRI-funded working group that focuses on new and growing sources of inequality among aging adults, with attention to the ways that population dynamics and life course processes interact to…
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…
Social Science Research Institute accepting applications for inaugural SJRC Equity Fellows
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is seeking applications for their inaugural Social Justice Research Council (SJRC) Equity Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.
SJRC Equity Fellows are expected to engage in work, together or individually, that aligns with the…
Cognitive decline and loneliness linked in older adults over short time periods
For years, research has shown that older adults who are lonely are at greater risk for cognitive decline and conditions like Alzheimer's disease. Those studies, however, generally treated loneliness as a stable trait of someone’s life, but loneliness fluctuates from day to day and even over the…
Consistent bedtime linked with better child emotion and behavior regulation
Sleep can affect a child’s attitude and behavior, as many parents can attest, but a consistent bedtime may be more influential than sleep quality or duration, according to a new publication authored by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College 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-…
Experts share research and best practices at Tenth Annual Addiction Conference
Penn State College of Medicine is marking a milestone of a decade of sharing expertise and best practices at the upcoming Tenth Annual Penn State Addiction Conference. The conference, scheduled for Nov. 11 and 12, is run by the Penn State Addiction Center for Translation with additional…
Contest explores artificial intelligence’s strengths, flaws for medical diagnoses
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) will host “Diagnose-a-thon,” a competition that aims to uncover the power and potential dangers of using generative AI for medical inquiries. The virtual event will take place Nov. 11-17.
The challenge is open to…
Penn State hosting community engagement and applied research symposium Nov. 7–8
A symposium centering around community engagement and applied research will take place Nov. 7–8 at Penn State University Park.
The event — hosted by faculty in the rural sociology program in the College of Agricultural Sciences and titled “Community-University Partnerships for Radical Community…
Conference to focus on moral decision-making research
Penn State’s Consortium on Moral Decision-Making and Moral Psychology Research Group are cohosting a conference Nov. 15-17 to highlight interdisciplinary research on moral and ethical decision-making.
There will be two keynote talks by Penn State alumni researchers beginning at…
Ask an expert: Immigration and the 2024 presidential election
Immigration remains a top concern for American voters, and a topic fueling much debate in the news and on social media. Penn State News spoke with Jennifer Van Hook, distinguished professor of sociology and demography and director of SSRI's Population Research Institute, about immigration and the…
Research collaboration launches civil rights in education initiative
A new civil rights in education initiative, called AdvancED Equity, that focuses on advancing research to inform policy related to civil rights protections in the field of education, was recently established with contributions from Penn State.
Funded in part by Penn State’s Social Science…
2025 IEE Seed Grant Program accepting energy, environmental project proposals
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Proposals are now being accepted for Penn State's Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2025 Seed Grant Program. All proposals must align with at least one of IEE’s research themes: climate and natural systems; health and the environment; integrated energy systems;…
New module to support caregivers of children who are neurodivergent
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State (Clearinghouse), in partnership with the Department of Defense, has launched a new parent-education module designed to help parents and caregivers navigate the journey with their children who are neurodivergent or…
Students who feel more university connection may be more likely to binge drink
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Students who feel a sense of belonging at their university are more likely to binge drink than those who do not feel the same connection, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State, the University of California, Santa Cruz and University of Oregon.
In the study,…
New immigration and families publication available
Following Penn State’s 31st National Symposium on Family Issues, Springer has released the latest edition in the book series based on the symposium, “Immigration Policy and Immigrant Families.”
Jennifer Van Hook, director of Population Research Institute (PRI) and distinguished professor of…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Help Prepare Students for Employment
This month's Why Social Science? post comes from The Conversation, where Dr. Sandra Lapointe writes about how social sciences and humanities programs can help prepare students for employment and navigating their next professional steps.
Future graduates face complex global…
Penn State joins national initiative to support public impact research
Seeking to increase the societal impact of university research, Penn State has joined a multi-year collaborative effort led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) to identify and promote new approaches to support faculty and researchers undertaking public impact research.…
$3.1M grant to fund study on early signs and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease
A four-year, $3,148,346 National Institute of Aging (NIA)-funded project aims to use computational models and psychology to study the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (ADRD) that may appear approximately 20 years before an official diagnosis, according to Zita Oravecz,…
Expert in promoting well-being of diverse communities to speak at Penn State
The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State will honor Phillip W. Graham, a principal scientist at the nonprofit research institute RTI International, with the title of 2024 Bennett Lecturer in Prevention Science. Graham, a leading expert in conducting community-level research…