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Afterschool program

Afterschool programs evaluated for community support, resources

2/25/13

Afterschool programs seem to be most effective when their organization and implementation is supported by both organizational and community resources, according to Penn State human development researchers. Using a tool to help bridge the gap between research and real life, the researchers evaluated an afterschool program called the Good Behavior Game.

Jennifer Zosh, Brandywine Assistant Professor of HDFS

Children learn better when they figure things out for themselves

2/21/13

Toddlers learn new words more effectively by using their knowledge about the world to infer the label of an object, rather than by simply being instructed and told which word goes with which object, according to a Penn State human development and family studies researcher.

Organizations need new architectures to remain competitive

2/21/13

Increasingly dynamic and complex business environments necessitate a retooling of hierarchical organizational schemes according to research co-authored by Penn State Smeal College of Business Professor Charles Snow. In place of these traditional structures, organizations must provide individuals and groups with greater freedom to act in collaborative ventures and respond more efficiently to business challenges.

Red Cell Lab IST-002

Red Cell Lab offers realistic terrorism lessons for future intelligence analysts

2/20/13

Whether intelligence analysts are trying to predict the next moves of an insurgent group or determining how to best deliver aid after a hurricane, an excess of information can often cause just as many problems as a lack of it. Red Cell Analytics Lab, a laboratory in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology, uses cutting-edge technology and the latest analysis to turn information into intelligence during fluid, complex situations that are as timely as today's headlines.

A computer-generated image representing the complex networks that lead to the spread of infectious diseases

Flu outbreaks modeled by new study of classroom schedules

2/14/13

Classroom rosters combined with human-networking theory may give a clearer picture of just how infectious diseases such as influenza can spread through a closed group of people, and even through populations at large. Using high school schedule data for a community of students, teachers and staff, Penn State researchers have developed a low-cost but effective method to determine how to focus disease-control strategies based on which individuals are most likely to spread the infection.

Probing Question: Can a shy person be an actor?

2/6/13

You're the type of person who stands back in a crowd, taking it all in. When out with a group of friends, you linger on the edges, contributing to the conversation only when you feel you have something worthwhile to share. You avoid being the center of attention.

For some reason, though, you're drawn to the stage. You don't want to be a star; you want to act. But can a shy person succeed as an actor? Susan Russell, Penn State assistant professor of theatre, shares her perspectives.

Probing Question: Can we reduce the risk of school shootings?

1/29/13

In the wake of every school shooting, the nation struggles to make sense of senselessness, asking how and why such tragic violence could occur in places tasked with nurturing and protecting our children. Is it possible to reduce the risk of deadly violence in our schools?

Spring Break iStock PeskyMonkey

Portrayal of spring break excess may be stereotypes gone wild

1/16/13

The popular perception that college students are reaching new levels of self-indulgence and risky behavior during spring break excursions may be based on media coverage and scholarship that oversimplifies what has become an annual rite for many young adults, according to researchers.

The researchers, who reported their findings in the current issue of Tourism Review International, said that since much of the research is based on data derived from self-reporting surveys, students may skew their actual behaviors.

Attitude

Protective communities may reduce risk of drinking in teens

1/9/13

Living in a caring community may help curb teenage alcohol use, while hanging out with antisocial peers can have the opposite effect, according to Penn State researchers studying substance abuse patterns.

The researchers evaluated how seven different categories of risk and protective factors predicted teen alcohol use. Risk factors included antisocial attitudes, antisocial behaviors, association with antisocial peers and family risk. Protective factors were positive community experiences, positive school experiences and family strengths.

Untitled

SIA professor receives grant to study international mediation behavior

1/9/13

Swedish-based organization the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) has provided a $25,000 grant to Professor Scott Gartner of the School of International Affairs (SIA) and Penn State Law to conduct experiments in international mediation. The grant in part will cover funding for two SIA student fellowships. The research will take place in a new laboratory which has been set up in the Lewis Katz Building's Laddie Montague Jr Library. The lab has been outfitted with computers equipped with experimental software in a mediation roundtable-like setting which will allow test subjects to come together to review and simulate mediation scenarios.

Olduvai Gorge

Fluctuating environment may have driven human evolution

12/24/12

A series of rapid environmental changes in East Africa roughly 2 million years ago may be responsible for driving human evolution, according to researchers at Penn State and Rutgers University.

"The landscape early humans were inhabiting transitioned rapidly back and forth between a closed woodland and an open grassland about five to six times during a period of 200,000 years," said Clayton Magill, graduate student in geosciences at Penn State. "These changes happened very abruptly, with each transition occurring over hundreds to just a few thousand years."

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Marques Paige, recent Penn State Harrisburg graduate

Undergrad theses examine topics from body image to recycled tires

5/15/13

Eight seniors in the Penn State Harrisburg Capital College Honors Program presented their theses -- on topics ranging from body image to green roofs and recycled tires -- just before graduation May 4. All said working on their projects -- which in some cases took two years to complete -- has given them direction.

Benner's Hill on the Gettysburg Battlefied

Guide adds new voices to history of Gettysburg battle

5/15/13

For three days in July 1863, thousands of Gettysburg civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers were caught up in a battle that left often conflicting data and anecdotes. This makes writing about the Battle of Gettysburg both a dream and a nightmare for Civil War historians, according to a Penn State researcher.

three women researchers sitting around a table

The Mexican Children of Immigrants Program: Interpreting the numbers

5/8/13

Language barriers, fear of deportation, and community prejudice are problems often faced by Mexican immigrants that contribute to dramatic disparities in health and well-being between immigrants and the native-born U.S. population. These problems may be compounded by family and community characteristics, making it especially difficult for the children of immigrants to receive the basic services needed to promote a healthy future. Such complexities are the focus of a three-pronged program of investigation by a research team at Penn State's Penn State's Population Research Institute (PRI).

A seller's conspicuous consumption may undermine bond with consumers

5/7/13

What kind of judgments do buyers make based on the way a sellers present themselves? How do these judgments impact buyers’ willingness to close a sale? Researchers addressed these questions in a recent Penn State Smeal College of Business study, specifically examining the effects of sellers’ conspicuous consumption on the buyer-seller relationship.

female student crossing police line at mock crime scene

Probing Question: Do women dominate the field of forensic science?

5/7/13

Exhuming corpses, analyzing bloodstained clothing, collecting "crime scene insects" (yes, maggots)...these are some of the grittier realities of life as a forensic scientist. Yet defying the stereotype that females tend to be squeamish about such things, an entire generation of young women have become entranced by the profession. In fact, they've pursued this career in such numbers that—unlike almost every other scientific discipline—one could argue that the booming field of forensic science is a female domain.

avatar wearing a backpack

Bonding with your virtual self may alter your actual perceptions

5/2/13

When people create and modify their virtual reality avatars, the hardships faced by their alter egos can influence how they perceive virtual environments, according to researchers presenting their findings at 2013 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Paris today (May 2).

tissues in white boutique box

People may welcome talking tissue boxes and other smart objects

5/1/13

Just as people have embraced computers and smart phones, they may also give their blessing to talking tissue boxes and other smart objects, according to Penn State researchers. "Smart objects will become more and more a part of our daily lives," said S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory.

2 young men with game controllers

Leadership emerges spontaneously during games

4/29/13

Video game and augmented-reality game players can spontaneously build virtual teams and leadership structures without special tools or guidance, according to researchers. Players in a game that mixed real and online worlds organized and operated in teams that resembled a military organization.

A group of Penn State faculty visit Taiwan

Penn State teams up with Taiwanese university to create learning sciences center

4/24/13

Penn State University and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) have developed a collaboration to establish the Advanced Center for the Study of the Learning Sciences. Under a proposal funded by the Taiwan National Science Council, center researchers will devise ways for educators to keep pace with rapidly changing information and technology in society. Behavioral and neuro-cognitive research will serve as focal points for the center’s work.

Marketing Professor Rajdeep Grewal

Marketing activities can lead to better IPO performance

4/22/13

If managers want to position their young firms for better performance as they enter the public market, they should devote more resources to marketing activities early in the firm’s lifecycle, says a recent study from researchers at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

elemental symbol for helium

Probing Question: Are we running out of helium?

4/22/13

Some scientists are sounding the alarm about the wastefulness of using helium -- a rare, non-renewable gas -- to fill party balloons. Why? As an essential resource in technologies such as medical imaging, rocket engines, and surveillance devices, it turns out that helium does a lot more than give our balloons a lift. And despite being the second most abundant element in the universe, most of our supply in the Earth’s atmosphere simply floats off into space and is lost.