News from Human Development and Family Studies
New study to give detailed picture of behavior, health, and well-being
A familiar technology is giving Penn State researchers a new view of human behavior and interpersonal interactions. Armed with cell phones, research participants will be submitting data in real time after every significant interaction (five minutes or longer) for three straight weeks. Researchers aim to provide a detailed description of how emotions, physical health, and personal interactions affect each other throughout the day. The project received $1 million from the National Institute on Aging as part of the National Institutes of Health’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
Read the full story at www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/2009/11_18_09_nia_grant.html.
Graduate Student wins award for paper
Frank Infurna won an Emerging Scholar & Professional Organization (ESPO) Interdisciplinary Paper Award for his paper titled, “Longitudinal Evidence for Differential Linkages in Midlife and Old Age.” Frank will be recognized at the ESPO event during the Gerontological Society of America's annual conference in November.
Work-Family Stress Research Highlighted at Congressional Briefing
Penn State researchers are examining how stress at work impacts employees and their families, using a data collection method known as the "daily diary." Dr. Susan McHale, professor of human development and director of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute, and three other investigators on the multisite Work, Family & Health Network presented data at a congressional briefing in October, titled "Workplace Practice, Health and Well-Being: Initial Research Findings from the Work, Family & Health Network." McHale's presentation focused on studying the effects of workplace stress using a daily diary.
Read the full story at
www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/2009/11_04_09_work_family_stress.html.
Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award
Dr. Steven Zarit, professor and head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, will be receiving the Distinguished Career Contribution to Gerontology Award from the Gerontological Society of America.
This award is presented annually to an individual whose contributions over the course of his or her career have articulated a novel theoretical or methodological perspective or synthesis that addresses a significant problem in the literature. The award presentation will take place at GSA's 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting, being held from November 18 to 22 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta Hilton and Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
Graduate student awarded travel grant
A Urie Bronfenbrenner travel grant has been awarded to Max Crowley, HDFS graduate student, to attend the 2009 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Fall Research Conference in Washington, DC. These funds are provided by the Foundation for Child Development to encourage participation in the conference by doctoral students interested in child development and its linkages with public policy research.
Gerontology Center appoints new director
Dr. Martin Sliwinski, professor of HDFS, has been appointed director of the Gerontology Center. Dr. Sliwinski has significant experience in gerontology, statistics and psychology, which includes over 15 years of continuous funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Currently, he is the principal investigator on an NIA grant examining stress, aging and working memory. His past research experience has focused on aging and its effects on cognitive functioning, and in the course of this research he has collaborated with many Penn State faculty members.
Read more about it....... http://live.psu.edu/story/41239
New partnership provides volunteer opportunities to students
Penn State students from all majors have a new way to volunteer, thanks to a partnership developed between the Human Development and Family Studies Undergraduate Student Organization (HDFS USO) and the Centre County Youth Service Bureau (YSB). The partnership will provide volunteer opportunities that can positively impact the lives of children from Centre County directly—through hands-on educational activities with children—or indirectly, through food drives and other charity events.
Read more about it....... www.hhdev.psu.edu/news/2009/8_26_09_hdfs_uso.html.
New Research Grants Awarded to HDFS Faculty
Caring for an elderly family member can be stressful and can pose health threats to caregivers. Steven Zarit, professor and head, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State, received a $3 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study the effects of caregiving on familial caregivers. He will look at people who care for family members with dementia and how adult day care impacts the stress levels of all individuals involved. Read more about it....... http://live.psu.edu/story/40331
A pilot prevention program targeting fifth graders and their younger siblings, "Siblings are Special," recently received $1.45 million from the National Institute on Drug Abuse as part of the National Institutes of Health's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The award is for two years. The program aims to enhance the quality of sibling and family relationships and thereby decrease risky behavior and use of drugs among youth as they move into middle school. Mark Feinberg, senior research associate, Prevention Research Center, Penn State's College of Health and Human Development and Susan McHale, professor of human development and director, Penn State's Social Science Research Institute, developed the program and are co-principal investigators on the project. Read more about it...... http://live.psu.edu/story/4034540345
HDFS Graduate Student Research in the News
Restaurants in Germany legally sell alcohol to teenagers after their sixteenth birthdays and French children drink wine with dinner at an early age, but U.S. parents who follow this relaxed European example, believing it fosters a healthier attitude toward alcohol, should be careful -- it may increase the likelihood that their children binge drink in college.
Research conducted by Caitlin Abar, graduate student, human development and family studies and member of Penn State's Prevention Research and Methodology Centers suggested that parents practice a zero-tolerance policy in the home and said that there is no scientific basis to the common belief that prohibiting alcohol turns it into a "forbidden fruit" and encourages abuse. She presented her results at the 2009 meeting of the Society for Prevention research, Washington, D.C. and they appear in the current issue of Addictive Behaviors.
Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/40114/nw63
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Can arguing predict developmental problems in infants?
When parents fight, children's development can suffer, which can lead to emotional problems later in life. But just how severe are those problems, and how early in their lives are children affected? As the recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health training grant, Nissa Towe-Goodman, human development and family studies doctoral candidate in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development, will be seeking the answers to these questions.
Read the full story on Live: http://live.psu.edu/story/40045/nw4
AAUW Scholarships Awarded
Jana Rohrbach and Valerie Saunders, two of our outstanding HDFS undergraduate adult learners, have received AAUW scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year. Congratulations to them both!!
Congratulations Graduates!
Alice Davidson, Cara Poon and Sam Sturgeon will be receiving their Ph.D.'s at the graduation ceremonies on May 17.
Congratulations to Stephanie Ohlson, the HDFS student marshall of the Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 16.
New Grants Awarded
The William T. Grant Foundation recently announced 6 new research awards in the area of understanding and improving youth settings. Two of the awards were made to HDFS faculty.
A team that included Susan McHale, Dave Almeida, Nan Couter, Laura Klein and Rob Stawski received an award for "The Effects of a Workplace Intervention on the Family Settings and Health of Employees' Children."
A team of Emilie Smith, Daniel Perkins and Linda Caldwell received an award for "Stregthening After-School Programs."
Please join me in extending congratulations to our colleagues.
Undergraduate Wins Award
HDFS student, Sarah Lawrence, received an Alumni Recognition for Student Excellence Award that is sponsored by the College of Health and Human Development Alumni Society. It was presented to her for outstanding performance, achievement, and contributions to the major.
Graduate Student wins Travel Fellowship
Amanda Leggett, first year HDFS graduate student, won a travel fellowship to the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD) in Vienna, Austria, in July. She will be presenting her poster titled, "Burden Among Caregivers in Lewy Body Dementia." Congratulations Amanda!