Social Science Research Institute at Penn State

Fowler named director of statistical data center | Social Science Research Institute Christopher Fowler, professor of geography, was recently named director of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) at Penn State, a unit within the Social Science Research Institute and…

Christopher Fowler, professor of geography, was recently named director of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) at Penn State, a unit within SSRI and one of over 30 Federal Statistical Research Data Centers located across the country. Congratulations, Christopher! ➡️

NIH Application Policy Update | Social Science Research Institute The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new Application Policy Update, effective December 3, 2025 implementing the Removal of Requirements for Letters of Intent and Unsolicited…

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new Application Policy Update, effective December 3, 2025 implementing the Removal of Requirements for Letters of Intent and Unsolicited Applications Requesting $500,000 or More in Direct Costs. ➡️

Empathy for and From Embodied Robots: An Interdisciplinary Review - C. Daryl Cameron, Alan R. Wagner, Martina Orlandi, Eliana Hadjiandreou, India G. Oates, Stephen Anderson, 2025 Several years ago, the world was stunned when the cute robot HitchBOT was destroyed. Does empathy for robots—sharing experiences and feeling compassion—make sen...

Excited to announce a new open-access EMP Lab paper on empathic AI: an interdisciplinary collaboration between psychology, philosophy, & engineering on motivated empathy expression and reception with social robots.
@ssripennstate.bsky.social
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Baumgartner Named SSRI Research Operations Manager | Social Science Research Institute Natahsha Baumgartner has been named research operations manager for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State.

Natahsha Baumgartner has been named research operations manager for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State. Welcome to the team, Natahsha! ➡️

UPDATE: The Open House scheduled for Monday, Dec. 8th has been CANCELLED.

Please stay tuned for our Open House schedule for the spring semester. Thank you!

Institute funds 20 faculty fellows in AI and quantum sciences | Social Science Research Institute Daryl Cameron, Sherwin Early Career Professor, director of the Social Science Research Institute’s Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, and senior research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, was…

Congratulations to @dcameron.bsky.social, Sherwin Early Career Professor, director of SSRI's Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, & senior research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute, on his Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) fellowship! ➡️

Veterans’ anxiety and depression rose during, after the pandemic, study finds | Social Science Research Institute Symptoms of anxiety and depression increased among post-9/11 veterans over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with persistent disparities tied to race, ethnicity and gender, according to…

Researchers at SSRI's Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness analyzed mental health data from more than 5,200 post-9/11 veterans who separated from active duty in 2016 and followed them over the course of several years. ➡️

Nine Penn State faculty and staff receive 2025-26 Fulbright awards | Social Science Research Institute For the 2025-26 academic year, six Penn State faculty and staff received Fulbright Scholar Awards, one received the International Education Administrator Award and two received the Fulbright…

Congratulations to the 9 Penn State faculty & staff who received 2025-26 Fulbright Awards! SSRI cofunded faculty member, @appdemography.bsky.social, & Nicole Stokes, SSRI affiliate, received U.S. Fulbright awards to study in the Dominican Republic & Egypt respectively. Full List ➡️

SSRI Open House - Faculty Flashtalks | Social Science Research Institute Join us for Faculty Flashtalks with presenters Riley Tucker, PhD; Miranda Galvin, PhD; Janette Watkins, PhD; Elizabeth Skowron, PhD.

We're hosting an Open House on Mon. Dec. 8 in 110 Ford Building/Zoom from 12-1pm. Join us for Faculty Flash talks with presenters Riley Tucker, PhD; Miranda Galvin, PhD; Janette Watkins, PhD; Elizabeth Skowron, PhD. ➡️

Community-Engaged Research for Public Impact: Process to Policy The Penn State Child Study Center's 2026 Innovation Hub symposium will focus on community-engaged research perspectives, methods, and approaches with diverse populations, in multiple geographies,…

Mark your calendars! The Community-Engaged Research, Action, and Partnerships (CERAP) unit will host the Community-Engaged Research for Public Impact: Process to Policy Symposium on Fri. Feb. 5 from 8:30am-12pm at the Nittany Lion Inn. Register Now ➡️

@dcameron.bsky.social @psuliberalarts.bsky.social @prcpennstate.bsky.social

AI Research Seed Grant Program | Social Science Research Institute AI Research Seed Grant Program to support new interdisciplinary research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Eligibility: Eligible Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs are Penn State faculty…

In collaboration with Consortium on Moral Decision-Making & C-SoDA, SSRI is accepting seed grant proposals to support research in AI in two major areas: 1) Analytic AI & 2) AI & Society. Deadline is Dec. 19 & financial support range is up to $20k.
More Here ➡️ buff.ly/On8T5Pn

SSRI wishes all their followers a Happy Thanksgiving! #WeAre

Dispensaries are recommending cannabis for pain and sleep — with no evidence, UCSF study finds | Social Science Research Institute The work of SSRI cofund Louisa Holmes, associate professor of geography & demography, was recently featured in this article published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

SSRI cofund, Louisa Holmes, associate professor of geography & demography, was recently featured in this article published in the San Francisco Chronicle about how dispensaries are recommending #cannabis for pain & sleep with no evidence. ➡️

Q&A: Can drinking tap water reduce how many calories children drink? | Social Science Research Institute UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Drinking beverages sweetened with sugar can lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, cavities, diabetes and other health problems. More than 20 years of public health campaigns…

Check out this Q&A with SSRI affiliate & associate professor of biobehavioral health & anthropology, Asher Rosinger, about how drinking tap water can reduce how many calories children drink from other beverages. ➡️

SSRI Open House - C-SoDA Part 1 | Social Science Research Institute "Toward Accountable AI: A Pipeline Framework for Evaluation Generative Models in Social Science"

ATTENTION ‼️ SSRI's next Open House, C-SoDA Part 1, on Mon. Dec. 1 will be hosted VIRTUALLY 💻 ONLY on Zoom. Cassandra Tai will introduce a high-level framework for evaluation generative AI (GenAI) in social science research through a structured Human-AI pipeline. Register now ➡️

Barbara Rigg retires from SSRI | Social Science Research Institute SSRI Research Operations Manager Barbara Rigg recently retired after 35 years of service to Penn State. Barbara started at Penn State in 1991, working as a clerk accounting secretary in the Center…

Congratulations to SSRI Research Operations Manager, Barbara Rigg, on her retirement from Penn State! Barbara retired with 35 years of service and worked in a variety of roles. Check out the gallery below from her retirement party. Thank you, Barbara! ➡️

SSRI faculty recognized for research impact | Social Science Research Institute Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recognized exceptional achievements in research during its fourth annual Research Awards Ceremony held Oct. 28 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the…

SSRI co-funded faculty member & asst. professor of rural sociology, Ryan Thombs, received the Roy C. Buck Award for his research paper, Do industrial decarbonization policies deliver? A global assessment of policy effectiveness across 150 nations, 1990-2020." buff.ly/aPopcsd

Discussion approach improves comprehension for 4th, 5th graders, study finds | Social Science Research Institute Small-group discussions designed to help elementary students engage in conversations that promote critical analytic thinking, reasoning and deeper understanding of the content they read increased…

SSRI cofund & associate dean for research & outreach in the PSU College of Education, Karen P. Murphy, recently released a study about how small-group discussion approaches for 4th/5th graders will help transform student engagement. ➡️

Shared decision making with child’s physician less common for immigrant parents | Social Science Research Institute For people who grew up in the United States, navigating health care can be complicated and intimidating, according to Sawsan Salah, a doctoral candidate in biobehavioral health at Penn State. Those…

Sawsan Salah, a doctoral candidate in BBH & Lori Francis, director of SSRI's Community-Engaged Research, Action, & Partnerships (CERAP), recently investigated how cultural & linguistic barriers affected the pediatric care received by the roughly 3M children of immigrants.

Pennsylvania counties face tough choices on spending $2B opioid settlement funds Local governments have a lot of freedom on how to spend the funds, but there’s also confusion and a feeling of moral responsibility to spend wisely after so many lives have been lost.

In this piece written for @us.theconversation.com, authors Halie Kampman, Brian King, SSRI Affiliate Glenn Sterner, SSRI cofund Kristina P. Brant, and Maya Weinberg explain how a Penn State research project is exploring how six PA counties are utilizing opioid settlement funds.

Structural issue believed to be the cause of Welch Building incident | Penn State University The preliminary assessment of the incident that took place at the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building yesterday (Nov. 12) indicates that the damage is the result of a localized structural issue. No…

Since it will be a few months before the building reopens, we're working on getting space for staff & rooms for events coming up in December (remaining Open Houses). For more information, please refer to this PSU News article ➡️ buff.ly/uBHqjW3

Hello! Some of you may have heard that the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Bldg, where the majority of our staff work, has been closed due to a structural issue. We want to reassure you that everyone is okay, nobody was injured during the initial incident, & we're working on getting temporary space.

The College of Ag is hosting a Rural Sociology Seminar tomorrow Fri. Nov. 14 from 10-11am in 214 Ferguson Bldg. The talk will be hosted by John Green, director of the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University.

Sorokina featured in WalletHub's recent article | Social Science Research Institute SSRI Affiliate Nonna Sorokina, assistant professor of business at Penn State Scranton, was recently featured in WalletHub's article "Best Comprehensive Car Insurance":

Check it out! SSRI Affiliate Nonna Sorokina, assistant professor of business at Penn State Scranton, was recently featured in WalletHub's article "Best Comprehensive Car Insurance."

Home - Consortium on Moral Decision-Making Welcome to the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making A collaborative hub dedicated to unraveling the intricate threads of ethical choices. As a multidisciplinary alliance of scholars, thinkers, and prac...

We'll be having several more workshop presentations like this through the fall, for more about the Consortium check here, and email if you'd like to be in the loop:
moralconsortium.psu.edu
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social @rockethics.bsky.social @ssripennstate.bsky.social
#socialpsychology #psychscisky

CERAP Inaugural Monthly Huddle: Building our Community of Practice | Social Science Research Institute An opportunity to build relationships with others who are passionate about co-creating research with community members!

On Fri. Nov 14 from 12pm-1pm, SSRI's newest unit, the Community-Engaged Research, Action and Partnerships (CERAP) will host their inaugural monthly huddle, "Building Our Community of Practice." Register Now:

SSRI News - Nov. 3, 2025 External Opportunities

Here's some newsletter highlights: SSRI's newest unit, CERAP, will be hosting a monthly huddle meeting; two PSU faculty were named fellows of the National Academy of Kinesiology, a new film highlights @dcameron.bsky.social's work, & new research on veterans' mental health.

Child welfare system involvement may improve diagnosis of developmental delays | Social Science Research Institute Children who are mistreated at a young age are more likely to experience a wide range of developmental delays and health problems, according to Christian Connell, Ken Young Family Professor in…

A new study led by Christian Connell, director of SSRI's Child Maltreatment Solutions Network & professor of human development & family studies, says children who are mistreated at a young age are more likely to experience a wide range of developmental delays & health problems. ➡️

New film highlights researcher’s work on empathy | Social Science Research Institute A new short film explores the unique challenge of connecting people with the deep sea to develop empathy for creatures rarely seen. Daryl Cameron, a Penn State researcher who studies empathy and…

Check out @dcameron.bsky.social 's, director of SSRI’s Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, appearance in the film "Deep Dive: Face Value" by the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration with film maker Caitlin Bailey. ➡️