Fourth cycle of proposals sought for strategic initiative seed grant funding
Penn State community members, including faculty, staff and students, are invited to submit ideas for pilot projects that are aimed at supporting the University’s strategic plan to advance innovation, research, learning and engagement at the University and beyond.
The due date for…
Negative mood signals body's immune response
Negative mood — such as sadness and anger — is associated with higher levels of inflammation and may be a signal of poor health, according to researchers at Penn State.
The investigators found that negative mood measured multiple times a day over time is associated with higher levels of…
Unique graduate student cohort will explore gender and agriculture
Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading an initiative that will provide selected doctoral students with the opportunity for extensive study on gender and its relationship to agricultural production.
"This student cohort will look at unexplored areas to yield…
How teens deal with stress may affect their blood pressure, immune system
Most teens get stressed out by their families from time to time, but whether they bottle those emotions up or put a positive spin on things may affect certain processes in the body, including blood pressure and how immune cells respond to bacterial invaders, according to Penn State researchers.
The…
Gatzke-Kopp's research featured in publications
SSRI co-funded faculty member Lisa Gatzke-Kopp's research into second- and third-hand smoke and its effects on infants and toddlers was recently featured in the The Philadelphia Inquirier and republished in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Her work was also feature in Consumer Affairs.
New NIH Parent Announcements and Review Criteria for Research Grant Applications
NIH recently provided updated information for 2019 submissions.
First is the announcement of changes to R01, R03, and R21 Parent Announcements which can be found on the NIH website at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/parent_announcements.htm.
Beginning 01/05/2019:
Activity Code(s)
Title…
COSSA December Headlines Webchat
Missed the recent COSSA Headlines webchat? You can watch the recording and view the slides now to catch up on our recap of the month's most important social science news and a discussion with special guest Dr. William (Bill) Riley, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of…
Security Center accepting applications for spring 2019 seed grants
The Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE) is accepting applications for its spring 2019 Seed Grant Program to support security-related scholarship and educational programs at Penn State. University faculty and researchers are eligible to apply by Feb. 15. Applications should be…
TOME grant funds available for Penn State open access monographs
Penn State is among the first universities to commit funds to an initiative designed to support the peer-reviewed, open access monographs known as Toward Open Monograph Ecosystem (TOME).
Launched in 2017, TOME is a higher education initiative that provides publishing grants of up to $15,…
Ashton Verdery featured on Methodology Center podcast
Methodology Minutes, the new Methodology Center podcasts, provides updates on the Center’s methods, applications, and events. The 15 to 30 minute podcasts feature assistant professors, the Center’s Directors, research associates and more. They cover secondary data analysis, issues with collecting…
Important NIDA Funding Opportunity: Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression
The Lung Association wanted to make you aware of an important funding opportunity from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). According to the NIH, more than 2 million Americans have opioid use disorder. Millions more misuse opioids, taking medications longer or in higher doses than…
SSRI Annual Report now available
The Social Science Research Institute’s 2017-2018 Annual Report contains an overview the Institute’s research units and activities and includes the announcement of two new initiatives, the Integrated Data Systems Consortium and the Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse.
Additionally, the report…
Seed funding available to combat substance abuse
Penn State’s Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse (CCSA) is seeking to support interdisciplinary teams of Penn State researchers whose work is aimed at combating opioid and other substance abuse.
CCSA Interim Director Stephanie Lanza, professor of biobehavioral health and director of the Edna…
Mood of the Nation Poll examines empathy, or lack thereof, between parties
In the years since the 2016 election, countless news stories and public opinion polls have sought to answer the question of what divides Republicans and Democrats.
Results from the latest Penn State Mood of the Nation Poll show that not only do people with opposing political beliefs fundamentally…
Regular bedtimes and sufficient sleep for children may lead to healthier teens
Having a regular, age-appropriate bedtime and getting sufficient sleep from early childhood may be important for healthy body weight in adolescence, according to researchers at Penn State.
The researchers identified groups of children by bedtime and sleep routines and tested longitudinal…
Low-Income, Rural Kids at Higher Risk for Second- or Third-Hand Smoke Exposure
Infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported, according to new Penn State-led research.
As many as 15 percent of children tested had levels of cotinine, a byproduct formed when the body breaks down nicotine,…
Editorial: Moving our communities from darkness to light
It is the quietest epidemic, but its numbers do not lie.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report revealed that one in five girls and one in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse, and that one in 10 boys and girls will be the victim of sexual abuse by the time…
SSRI Spotlight: Ericka Weathers
As a current assistant professor within the Department of Education Policy Studies, Ericka Weathers uses quasi-experimental methodologies to examine the impact of structural inequality on educational opportunities and outcomes in topic areas such as school finance, school discipline, academic…
Sexual risk assessment tool in the child welfare system developed
Children in the welfare system are particularly vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) according to a 2013 U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means hearing, but few practical screening tools currently exist to identify victims and those at risk for sexual exploitation,…
SAFE-T Center takes part in congressional briefing on sexual assault victim care
The Penn State College of Nursing’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center played a key role in a congressional briefing Nov. 27 to educate congressional staffers about efforts to improve access to health care for sexual assault victims.
Some of those barriers include…
High childhood BMI linked to obesity at age 24 in women
Girls who gain weight more rapidly between the ages of 5 and 15 are more likely to be obese at age 24, according to researchers.
"This highlights the importance of prevention efforts in childhood and adolescence," said Emily Hohman, assistant research professor of the Center for Childhood Obesity…
Penn State prepares students to work with children
Students in human development and family studies, biobehavioral health, education, nursing, psychology, and other degree programs are benefiting from a minor that delivers critical training to those who want to work with children.
Penn State’s undergraduate education minor in Child Maltreatment and…
'Ask the Experts' addresses the opioid epidemic on cesarean sections
The latest episode in the “Ask the Experts” series features Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology, and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, discussing her research on the links between cesarean section…
Depression screening project benefits from Community Engagement Studios
Penn State College of Medicine’s Dr. Deepa Sekhar will partner with six urban Pennsylvania public high schools and involve more than 9,000 students in research to address the rise of depression and suicide in children. Sekhar’s team is studying use of a school-based screening for clinical…
Seed grants available in energy, environmental research
Penn State’s Energy and Environmental Sustainability Laboratories (EESL) announced a call for proposals for seed grant funding that will support energy and environmental research conducted in EESL facilities. The call is open to undergraduate and graduate students at any Penn State campus.
The…