Social Science Research Institute at Penn State
@ssripennstate.bsky.social
#PennState research institute that does #SocialScience.
Our mission is to foster research that addresses critical human and social problems at the local, national, and international levels.
Visit our website: https://ssri.psu.edu/
Our mission is to foster research that addresses critical human and social problems at the local, national, and international levels.
Visit our website: https://ssri.psu.edu/
Pinned
Welcome to SSRI's Bluesky account! Please check out our website to see what kind of work we do and subscribe to our newsletter for more information about events, opportunities, and research news. 👋 If you're a #PennState faculty member & do social science, please follow us!
Nicole Sharkey was recently named the Director of Grants and Contracts for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). Congratulations, Nicole! 🎉
Sharkey to lead SSRI Grants and Contracts Office | Social Science Research Institute
Nicole Sharkey was recently named the Director of Grants and Contracts for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI).
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December 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Nicole Sharkey was recently named the Director of Grants and Contracts for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI). Congratulations, Nicole! 🎉
Missed our last newsletter of 2025? Go check it out right now!
SSRI News - December 15, 2025
External Opportunities
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December 22, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Missed our last newsletter of 2025? Go check it out right now!
SSRI & PRI offices have temporarily relocated to the first floor of Penn State's Land & Water Research Building on Hastings Road. As most of you are aware, a structural incident occurred in Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building on Nov. 12, necessitating our move.
December 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
SSRI & PRI offices have temporarily relocated to the first floor of Penn State's Land & Water Research Building on Hastings Road. As most of you are aware, a structural incident occurred in Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building on Nov. 12, necessitating our move.
SSRI's newest unit, CERAP, presented at a human development conference about using different and innovative community-engaged research designs & approached across multiple developmental periods to investigate various processes among diverse children, youth & families of color.
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CERAP researchers present at recent human development conference | Social Science Research Institute
The Society for the Study of Human Development (SSHD) held their biennial conference in Lexington, KY from October 24-26, 2025. The theme of this year’s conference was Developmental Science for the…
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December 18, 2025 at 3:02 PM
SSRI's newest unit, CERAP, presented at a human development conference about using different and innovative community-engaged research designs & approached across multiple developmental periods to investigate various processes among diverse children, youth & families of color.
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Check out this article SSRI cofund @annepisor.bsky.social wrote for the @us.theconversation.com about federal workers & how they've been building support networks online.
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A hard year for federal workers offers a real-time lesson in resilience | Social Science Research Institute
By Anne Pisor, SSRI cofunded faculty member and assistant professor of anthropology and demography, for "The Conversation"
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December 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Check out this article SSRI cofund @annepisor.bsky.social wrote for the @us.theconversation.com about federal workers & how they've been building support networks online.
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Penn State researchers @dcameron.bsky.social, Max Crowley, Robert Roeser, and Mark Brennan recently participated in the Wilton Park Empathy Conference in West Sussex, UK.
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Penn State researchers attend empathy conference in the UK | Social Science Research Institute
Penn State researchers Daryl Cameron, Daniel Max Crowley, Robert Roeser, and Mark Brennan recently participated in the Wilton Park Empathy Conference in West Sussex, UK.
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December 16, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Penn State researchers @dcameron.bsky.social, Max Crowley, Robert Roeser, and Mark Brennan recently participated in the Wilton Park Empathy Conference in West Sussex, UK.
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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 ➡️ buff.ly/pXMSKWI
December 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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 ➡️ buff.ly/pXMSKWI
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! ➡️
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…
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December 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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! ➡️
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. ➡️
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…
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December 9, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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. ➡️
Reposted by Social Science Research Institute at Penn State
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.
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@psuliberalarts.bsky.social
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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...
journals.sagepub.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:51 PM
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
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social
@rockethics.bsky.social
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@ssripennstate.bsky.social
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social
@rockethics.bsky.social
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Natahsha Baumgartner has been named research operations manager for the Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State. Welcome to the team, Natahsha! ➡️
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.
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December 8, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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!
Please stay tuned for our Open House schedule for the spring semester. Thank you!
December 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
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!
Please stay tuned for our Open House schedule for the spring semester. Thank you!
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! ➡️
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…
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December 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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! ➡️
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. ➡️
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…
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December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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. ➡️
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 ➡️
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…
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December 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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 ➡️
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. ➡️
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.
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December 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM
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. ➡️
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 ➡️
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,…
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December 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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 ➡️
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
More Here ➡️ buff.ly/On8T5Pn
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…
ssri.psu.edu
December 1, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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
More Here ➡️ buff.ly/On8T5Pn
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. ➡️
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.
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November 26, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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. ➡️
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. ➡️
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…
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November 25, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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. ➡️
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 ➡️
SSRI Open House - C-SoDA Part 1 | Social Science Research Institute
"Toward Accountable AI: A Pipeline Framework for Evaluation Generative Models in Social Science"
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November 24, 2025 at 3:00 PM
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 ➡️
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! ➡️
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…
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November 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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 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
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.psu.edu
November 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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
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. ➡️
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…
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November 19, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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. ➡️