Research brief ties increased income from Marcellus Shale natural gas development to youth obesity rates
The Marcellus Shale natural gas development increased income for families in several rural Pennsylvania counties. In the U.S., children in families with more income typically have lower rates of obesity. But, despite the sudden influx of income to the communities around the Marcellus Shale, rates…
COSSA Webchat & Deep Dive on Biden's First Weeks
Missed last week’s COSSA Headlines webchat? You can watch the recording and view the slides to catch up on COSSA’s recap of the most important social and behavioral science news from the past month and a deep dive discussion with the COSSA team as they discuss the eventful first weeks of the Biden…
New online course engages middle, high-school students in ‘The Science of COVID-19’
With the coronavirus pandemic disrupting so many aspects of their lives, it is perhaps more important than ever for middle- and high-school students to understand how scientific knowledge is created and how this knowledge is translated into policy. A new and freely available online course created…
Data4Action Project Update - February 2021
The Centre County COVID-19 Data 4 Action Research Project is continuing to study the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in Centre County. After adult community members took an online survey about the impacts of the pandemic , they were presented with an opportunity to take part in follow-up…
Data Science Community announces spring 2021 talks
The Penn State Data Science Community will host a slate of speakers during the spring 2021 semester. Each topic will focus on the use of data science techniques to investigate a particular subject. Topics for the spring include social media use, additive manufacturing, the exploration of genetics…
Team Science Toolbox offers evidence-based techniques for common team issues
Where can a leader turn when their teams are not functioning as well as they should? How can a team be built for success? How can teams develop unity when they’re built with diversity in mind? How do scientists from different disciplines get on the same page when their vocabularies may sound the…
Study looking to recruit parents of young children
Penn State researchers are now actively recruiting parents with a child under six years of age and an infant or about to have their second child for an online focus group.
Researchers are studying how couples work together when adding a second child to the family. Couples will be compensated for…
Two Penn State researchers contribute to fight against human trafficking
Two Penn State researchers are contributing to the fight against human trafficking, acting as leaders and speakers at the First Annual Regional Human Trafficking Summit For Advocates Against Human Trafficking, taking place on Feb. 9-10, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Glenn Sterner, assistant professor of…
Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse seeks co-funded faculty position candidates
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) has announced an invitation for applications from departments across the Penn State system for a co-funded faculty position as part of the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA).
Addressing one of the University’s aims in its Strategic Plan,…
Podcast’s new series explains impact of COVID-19 to our society and institutions
The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast, from Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, asks the question: How can academia and government work together to tackle our country’s biggest problems?
In its newest series, aptly titled “The Pandemic Perspective,” the Evidence-to-Impact Podcast aims to bring…
Support of military families essential to military personnel readiness
Report co-authored by Penn State faculty member recently cited in the National Defense Authorization Act
Supporting the well-being of military families is essential to ensuring the readiness of military personnel, according to a report co-authored by a Penn State faculty member which was recently…
Infants exposed to second-hand smoke may develop behavior problems later in life
When parents think of baby-proofing, they may think of baby gates and outlet covers, but there might be something less obvious to consider: whether previous occupants of their home were smokers. According to a National Institutes of Health-funded study by researchers at Penn State and the…
EIC Podcast on the Centre County Pandemic Perspective - Part 2
The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast is currently publishing a new series called The Pandemic Perspective, in which we examine how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects of our society, institutions, and other systems have collided, changed, and even collapsed in the last nine months.
This…
Why Social Science? - Because Controlling the COVID-19 Pandemic Depends on Vaccine Uptake
By Caitlin E. Burgdorf, Ph.D., Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou, Ph.D., M.P.H., Anna Gaysynsky, M.P.H., and Christine M. Hunter, Ph.D.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused extraordinary devastation, claiming millions of lives and disrupting the economy and daily life across the globe. From the beginning, the…
How Penn State trains the next generation of translational scientists
Each TL1 Clinical Research Training Awards program uniquely approaches the same objective: to develop the skills and knowledge in pre- and post-doctoral trainees to engage in clinical and translational research. As part of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences' (NCATS) Clinical…
New Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center partnership tackles access and equity in entrepreneurship
In line with Penn State’s efforts to increase equity in the private sector, the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center’s Health and Human Development Design for Impact Lab (HUDDIL) and the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative (EIC) has formed a new partnership with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial…
Identifying children at risk of later being frequent online-technologies users
Children are not only starting to use online electronic devices and online technologies at a younger age, but they are also using them in more situations at home and at school. However, frequent use of online technologies may harm children’s development by displacing other activities that are…
New scholarship to benefit students working in child welfare
To help address the racial and ethnic disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system, Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network has established the Reducing Disparities in Child Welfare Scholarship to support undergraduate students who demonstrate a clear understanding of and…
New EIC Podcast on the Centre County Pandemic Perspective
The Evidence-to-Impact Podcast's new series, The Pandemic Perspective, examines how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and various aspects of our society, institutions, and other systems have collided, changed, and even collapsed in the last nine months.
This month’s episode features a two-part…
Despite advances, behavioral health legislation still lags behind
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to over $16 trillion in increased healthcare, criminal justice, child welfare, education, and labor market costs, has pushed the topic of mental and behavioral health to the forefront for many Americans. In a new study, Penn State researchers examined all…
Diabetes prevention project needs participants - 2021
Penn State researchers are now actively recruiting adults to participate in online focus groups related to the prevention of Type II diabetes. Compensation of $25 will be provided for those that volunteer.
The online focus group will last around an hour and a half and include questions regarding…
Graduate student overcomes barriers to receive NIH award
Most people may not think it takes resilience to become a scientist, but a graduate student at Penn State says otherwise.
Despite various barriers, Berenice Anaya, a psychology doctoral student at Penn State, has been awarded the F99/K00 - NIH Blueprint D-SPAN Award, an NIH blueprint specialized…
Three new SSRI funding opportunities now accepting proposals
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute has announced a call for proposals for three grant programs.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Research Funding in Social and Behavioral Sciences RFP invites proposals to supplement ongoing, externally funded, interdisciplinary research projects to cover…
Impacts of the pandemic on school reopening plans
In 2020, as school boards around the country weighed the public health and education concerns brought on by COVID-19, districts developed vastly different reopening plans for the fall.
In this post, Penn State researchers Erica Frankenberg and Katharine Dulaney discuss comparing the proposed…
Buxton recognized with endowed appointment
SSRI cofund Orfeu M. Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health, was named the inaugural holder of the Elizabeth Fenton Susman Professorship in Biobehavioral Health in the College of Health and Human Development.
Buxton's research focuses on the causes of chronic sleep deficiency in the workplace,…