SSRI Open House
SSRI will be hosting an Open House on December 5, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., in SSRI offices, 114 Henderson Building. Guest speakers will be Associate Directors Kate Totino and Jara Dorsey-Lash, Office of Foundations Relations.
Totino and Dorsey-Lash will be sharing information on the resources available…
Sociology professor awarded NSF grant to study local church-state issues
The separation of church and state is a concept many Americans have held dear since the nation’s founding. The actual relationship between religion and government, though, has been noticeably blurring in recent years, and a team led by Associate Professor of Sociology Gary Adler Jr., will examine…
New SSRI Seminar Series kicks off Nov. 17
SSRI is excited to announce a new seminar series highlighting the value and impact of social science at Penn State. The first lecture will be presented by SSRI cofund and PRI Director Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography, on November 17, 12 p.m., at The Bennett…
Backlash to racial justice movements may boost risk of high BMI, obesity
Since its inception in 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement has helped raise awareness and mobilize efforts against racial inequality. It also has spurred controversy, and new research found that experiencing backlash to the movement may have negative health consequences for Black Americans.
The…
Sociology professor awarded $1.8 million NIH grant for education-dementia study
Education plays a key role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and Liying Luo, assistant professor of sociology and demography and associate director of the Center for Social Data Analytics, has made it one of the primary focuses of her research. Now her work in that area is…
Lower than normal rainfall linked with a higher chance of food insecurity
Food insecurity is a growing problem in certain parts of the world, especially as climate change affects weather conditions around the globe. New research led by Penn State found that a lack of rainfall was associated with the highest risk of food insecurity in Tanzania.
Specifically, the…
Bringing Awareness to New NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
In October of 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new Data Management and Sharing Policy that goes into effect on Jan. 25, 2023. Penn State has assembled a committee to provide guidance and training on this new policy.
The new Data Management and Sharing Policy offers a more…
Chow to serve as SMEP President
Sy-Miin Chow, QuantDev director and professor of human development and family studies, was recently elected to be the new president of the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology (SMEP).
SMEP is an an organization of researchers interested in multivariate quantitative methods and their…
Damaske featured on NPR
PRI Associate Director Sarah Damaske was on NPR/WNYC's The Takeaway speaking about "quiet quitting" and "quiet firing," and what these viral ideas say about the current state of labor and work.
"Quiet quitting" is the latest workplace trend sparking conversation in social and…
Long-term impacts of famine include health and socioeconomic challenges - Researchers study survivors of the ‘Dutch Hunger Winter’ famine identify numerous long-term consequences
Millions of children are exposed to extreme hunger each year, but children who experience malnutrition are more likely to have poorer health and developmental delays that persist into old age, according to previous research findings. Researchers at Penn State recently examined the results of early-…
Alexis Santos appointed to Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee
Alexis Santos, assistant professor of human development and family studies and co-funded faculty member in the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, has been appointed to the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee (NAC). The committee considers issues related to hard-to-reach…
New grant continues Arctic research addressing climate change and communities
Climate change in the Arctic is evident as temperatures rise and Alaskan coastal Indigenous communities face severe, urgent, and complex social and infrastructural challenges. A collection of Penn State research in the region, being driven by social sciences and in collaboration with engineering…
Study finds white children more likely to be overdiagnosed for ADHD
A new study led by Paul Morgan, Harry and Marion Eberly Faculty Fellow and professor of education (educational theory and policy) and demography, and published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities, examines which sociodemographic groups of children are more likely to be overdiagnosed and…
Social Science Research Institute welcomes Jessica Ho as cofunded faculty member
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) recently announced new cofunded faculty member Jessica Ho, who will join the institute in the 2022-23 academic year.
Ho is an associate professor of sociology and demography and an associate of the Population Research Institute and comes to Penn…
SSRI welcome event Sept. 21
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) invites new social and biobehavioral faculty to meet SSRI faculty and affiliates and learn how SSRI can support their research on September 21, 3 – 5 p.m. at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
The outdoor ice-cream social will include a brief…
Susan McHale retiring after 40 years of accomplished research and leadership
Susan McHale, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, is retiring after more than 40 years with Penn State.
McHale joined the department in 1980. Her research has focused on family roles, relationships, and activities, and their links with youth…
REDCap Mobile App Now Available for Penn State Researchers
The REDCap Mobile App adds a new dimension to REDCap by providing users with a tool for offline data collection where internet connectivity is unavailable or unstable. Penn State research teams can now collect their data in a mobile app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. With REDCap…
NIH Common Fund's Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program Notices of Information and Intent to Publish
The newly launched NIH Common Fund’s Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program published a Notice of Information (NOT-RM-23-001) and a Notice of Intent to Publish (NOT-RM-23-002). These notices are intended to notify potential applicants about forthcoming funding…
SSRI welcomes new associate directors
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State announces the addition of two new associate directors, Jennifer Glick and Shedra Amy Snipes.
Glick is the Arnold S. and Bette G. Hoffman Professor of Sociology and Criminology / Demography at Penn State, an SSRI cofunded faculty member, and…
The Americans Already Suffering Most From the Fall of Roe
SSRI cofund and CSA Director Guangqing Chi and Jessica Miller wrote this opinion peice for The Slate on limiting access to abortion increases social inequality and puts disproportionate burdens on women of lower income and minorities. Read more here.
In Rural America, Older Adult Vaccination Rates were Higher in Counties with More Aging and Disability Services
In this Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion research brief, PRI's Danielle Rhubart and Yue Sun describe how aging and disability services (ADS) played an important role for older adults in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, including sharing information, providing transportation, and serving…
The Russia-Ukraine war will hurt millions in Central Asia. Here's why.
by Guangqing Chi and Erin Hofmann, For The Inquirer
The past three years haven’t been easy for Central Asian migrant workers in Russia like Murat and Aigul, a Kyrgyz couple who have worked in Moscow since 2018. In 2020, due to the pandemic lockdown in Moscow, the couple was confined for more than a…
Insecure: New study links tap water avoidance and food insecurity
Many Americans take tap water for granted. Water bills are often less expensive compared to people’s other bills, and tap water has been a part of most Americans’ lives since they were born. For nearly 61 million Americans, however, tap water is either unavailable or untrusted. New research from…
Race matters in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, research finds
Hispanic and Black Americans have suffered higher rates of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 than white Americans. A new Penn State study analyzed data collected when COVID-19 vaccines first became available to determine whether these racial and ethnic disparities are related to vaccine…
Losing spouse to COVID may be worse for mental health than other causes of death
Losing a spouse can be a devastating experience for anyone. A new study found that experiencing the death of a spouse due to COVID-19 may be worse for mental health than deaths from other causes.
Penn State researchers found that while there were strong associations between the recent death of a…