Covid-19 & the Classroom: Back to School in a Pandemic

As schools reopen (and don't reopen) for the fall, we're gathering a group of education experts for an #AskReuters Twitter chat. Join us Wednesday, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m. ET.

Data 4 Action Project continues with community survey, antibody testing

A research project is allowing Centre County residents to share their pandemic experiences and participate in decision-making as the region moves forward.
Penn State's Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and the Clinical and Translational Science…

Why Social Science? Because Collective Behavior Change is the Only Way We Can Stop the Spread of COVID-19

By Jolanda Jetten (University of Queensland), Stephen D. Reicher (University of St Andrews), S. Alexander Haslam (University of Queensland), and Tegan Cruwys (University of Queensland)

The idea that led us to write the book titled Together Apart: The Psychology of COVID-19 was…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on increasing privacy risks

Penn State researchers have observed that social media users who may be looking for ways to stay close during isolation appear to be sharing more personal information online. This is a concern because we know that personal information shared voluntarily through social media is vulnerable to…

Mood of the Nation Poll offers a snapshot of life during pandemic's early phase

As COVID-19 swept across the country this spring, most Americans reported feeling fearful of at least one daily activity that they did not think twice about before the pandemic, according to findings from the latest McCourtney Institute for Democracy Mood of the Nation Poll.
The poll, conducted…

MASC initiative helps unite Penn State in the COVID-19 fight

An interdisciplinary team of almost 400 Penn Staters are helping healthcare workers at Penn State Health and local hospitals fight COVID-19 through the Manufacturing And Sterilization for COVID-19 (MASC) initiative, and the story behind it highlights the power of partnership at Penn State to help…

Impacts of the coronavirus on non-COVID related medical care

Much of the attention surrounding COVID-19 has focused on the incidence, the risk factors, and the medical needs of COVID-19 patients as well as the profound economic impact of the pandemic. However, an increasing area of emphasis is the profound effect the pandemic has had on non-COVID related…

New online event series brings virtual conversations to the Penn State community

A new virtual event series launched earlier this year by the College of Health and Human Development has become a hub of activity for interactive engagement among friends and alumni of the Penn State community. The “HHD On Location: Home Edition” events, which feature discussions between an…

Impacts of the coronavirus on economic recovery in Pennsylvania

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound affect on Pennsylvania’s economy, in a way that has no recent historical comparison, with potentially long-lasting effects. In this article, Göktuğ Morçöl, Penn State professor of public policy and administration in the School of Public Affairs, discusses…

Faculty helping develop online course on coronavirus science for K-12 schools

During the COVID-19 outbreak, faculty at Penn State’s Center for Science and the Schools are helping to create a course to help engage middle and high school students in multiple explorations to help them better understand the science behind the pandemic and learn how scientists create new…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on restaurant and food service businesses

Restaurants and foodservice businesses were some of the first economic activities severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dining in restaurants virtually stopped overnight in cities and states as social distancing guidelines took effect. A Penn State research team has been working to develop…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on state responses and economic health

While some states have either completely reopened their economies or are in the process of phased re-openings, in others COVID-19 cases are increasing significantly and experts warn further shut-downs may be necessary to avoid large spikes. The public within these states pay close attention to…

New funding to test impact of research communication strategies on policymakers

Penn State’s Research-to-Policy Collaboration (RPC) is responding to legislators’ needs for social and behavioral research related to the coronavirus pandemic, with support from the William T. Grant Foundation.
Housed under the Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative (EIC), a unit of Penn State’s Social…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on building a community in medical education

Over the past 3 months, nearly 30,000 medical students across the United States have been displaced from their traditional health care roles. With relatively little warning or time for preparation, students, faculty, and administrators scrambled to create platforms, structures, and processes to…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on bridging research and policy

Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on bridging the gap between research and policy, focusing on the many intersections between existing social issues and COVID-19 that require policymakers’ attention. Since the beginning of the outbreak,…

Penn State influences PA governmental response to pandemic

Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) is making an impact in Pennsylvania’s governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic through an increased presence in state-level activities.
Michael Donovan, associate director of SSRI’s Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative and the director of…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on supply chain mobility

Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronava virus pandemic on supply chain enterprises, focusing on the transport and logistics operators in their role as front-line, essential service providers. The transportation and logistics industry provides a vital link…

COVID-19 commentaries cover diverse topics

With the continued spread of COVID-19, Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI), in collaboration with the Center for Health Care and Policy Research (CHCPR), are providing informed commentary on the spillover effects of the pandemic from leading social, biomedical and other scientists…

Residents of some cities unwilling to comply with COVID-19 prevention behaviors

Several U.S. cities may be at increased risk of surges in COVID-19 cases as they reopen their economies because their residents are unwilling to follow practices that reduce the spread of the disease, according to Penn State researchers.
Dr. Robert Lennon, an associate professor of family and…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on scientific field work

Penn State researcher Jon Nese provides informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on postponing or delaying scientific field campaigns, some involving Penn State meteorology and atmospheric science faculty members.
In some cases, projects have been cancelled because NASA…

Project to study pandemic impacts on Alaskan salmon season

Bristol Bay, Alaska is home to the world's largest commercial sockeye salmon fishery, attracting thousands of fishermen, crews, and seasonal workers and tripling the region’s population. Running from early June to late July, the short salmon season is facing a new challenge this year, the…

Impacts of big data on the coronavirus pandemic

What is big data and how could it make an impact in the COVID-19 pandemic? Big data means having real-time access to current and historical data from multiple sources and the ability to analyze those data in real time. Right now, big data could help identify potential clues about the impact of…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on air quality

Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavrus pandemic on improvements in air quality. With a decline in travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, the atmosphere has responded with significant short-term improvements in air quality. In this video, which first aired…

Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on aggressive parenting

Penn State researchers provide informed commentary on the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on aggressive parenting. During the pandemic, closed schools and daycare centers, parents working at home, and financial insecurity are increasing stress levels and frictions at home. These conditions lead…

Congressional roundtable addresses domestic issues during COVID-19

Domestic violence prevention during the coronavirus pandemic was the topic of a recent congressional virtual roundtable Penn State’s Research-to-Policy Collaborative (RPC) participated in.
For the roundtable, the RPC connected one of their Rapid Response Network researchers, Apryl Alexander,…