UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will host the second Summer Institute in Migration Research Methods from June 9-16 at the Millennium Science Complex at University Park.
The institute helps train early career researchers in best practices and in methodologies particularly relevant to the study of immigration and migrant populations. Penn State, in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded a Russell Sage Foundation and Carnegie Corporation training grant to host the institute.
The institute is being organized by Jennifer Van Hook, Roy C. Buck Professor of Sociology and Demography and Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member at Penn State, and Irene Bloemraad, Thomas Garden Barnes Chair of Canadian Studies and director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative at the University of California, Berkeley.
According to Van Hook, prior to the first institute held in the summer of 2018, rigorous training in analysis of migration data remained inaccessible to many.
“The institute fills this training need,” Van Nook said. “Our goal is to train a new generation of migration researchers in a variety of innovative methodological approaches and inspire them beyond the training they would typically receive in their graduate programs.”
New for the 2019 institute will be a session on the use of administrative and linked, longitudinal data sources to study change over time and across generations. As with the previous institute, sessions on ethics and best practices for mixed methods research design and estimating causal relationships in research on immigrants and immigration policy also will be included.
Additional sessions include professionalization for young scholars and how to translate the research for policy discussions and general audiences. There also will be ample opportunities for students to discuss their ideas and research with national and international experts for a unique, on-site mentorship opportunity.
Travel expenses for up to 30 accepted participants will be provided. The application deadline is Feb. 18. For more information, download the 2019 Summer Institute Announcement (PDF), which includes application requirements.
Additional support for the institute is being provided by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Social Science Research Institute, both at Penn State.