The Communication, Science & Society Initiative (CSSI), a research partnership between Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in the College of the Liberal Arts, has announced the grant recipients from its 2025 request for proposals. The initiative has awarded $52,000 to four projects that bring together teams of life scientists, humanists and social scientists who aim to address multi-dimensional societal problems.
The projects will be showcased at an on-campus mini-conference on Sept. 11.
SSRI associate director and cofunded faculty member Orfeu Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health, is on one of the four awarded teams:
“Family Communication, Youth Digital Media Engagement, and Physical Health”
Weimiao Zhou, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences; Orfeu Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health; Priya Kumar, assistant professor of information sciences and technology; Shawn Whiteman, professor of human development and family studies, Utah State
Today’s youth grow up in technology-saturated conditions that can contribute to identity exploration and social connection, as well sedentary behavior, unhealthy adiposity, poor sleep quality and risk to cardiometabolic health. The project begins with secondary analysis of multi-year and weekend daily diary intensive longitudinal datasets that include proxies for family communication and self-reported sleep health. Results will guide mixed-methods formative research on the family socialization processes that shape adolescents’ digital media engagement and physical health.
Read more about the awards here.