CSDE-news Bulletin

October 23, 2007

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CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR: Stephen Matthews -- Measuring Neighborhoods: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Science Researchers
CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS: You're invited to the CSDE Library Open House
CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST: Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Sara Breslow; Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Kevin P. Murphy; IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling -- Jeff Brantingham; Program on the Environment-- Michael Shellenberger & Ted Nordhaus
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Lecturer/senior lecturer in Demography and Population Studies at University of Witwatersrand; Visiting Faculty Position in Social Demography at Brown University
OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST: The Population Reference Bureau has added new content to its website; Census News Brief -- Temporary Funding Bill Creates Budget Crunch; The Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Rafael Lozano

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CSDE WEEKLY SEMINAR

Stephen Matthews, Pennsylvania State University

Measuring Neighborhoods: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Science Researchers

Friday, October 26
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Parrington Hall Commons

CSDE ANNOUNCEMENTS

You're invited to the CSDE Library Open House

After much planning and heavy lifting, we're ready to unveil the new CSDE Library. Please join us at the CSDE Library Open House! Mingle with friends, admire the new facility and learn about the Library's services. Refreshments will be served.

Friday, November 2nd
2:00 - 3:00 pm (after the CSDE Seminar)
Raitt 114

CAMPUS SEMINARS & EVENTS OF INTEREST

Environmental Anthropology Forum -- Sara Breslow

Sara Breslow

The Last Best Place: An experiment in performance ethnography
Wednesday, October 24
3:30 - 5:00 pm
Denny Hall, 401

More info on the EA Forum is here: http://depts.washington.edu/anthweb/news_events/EAForum.php

Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Seminar -- Kevin P. Murphy

Kevin P. Murphy, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia
"Bayes Net Structure Learning from Uncertain Interventions"

Wednesday, October 24
12:30 - 1:20 pm
Denny 401

IGERT Program in Evolutionary Modeling -- Jeff Brantingham

Jeff Brantingham (UCLA, Anthropology)
"The style-function trichotomy"

Thusday, October 25
3:30 - 5:00 pm
Live videoconference participation at UW in Kane 019
Fall seminars originate from WSU-Pullman

Program on the Environment-- Michael Shellenberger & Ted Nordhaus

Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus
BreakThrough: From the Death Of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility

Thusday, October 25
3:00 pm
Mary Gates Hall, Room 206

Two years ago, in a provocative article that sent shockwaves through the environmental movement, Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus announced “The Death of Environmentalism.” Please join us for an informal conversation with the authors as they discuss issues such as the end of cheap oil and the politics of global warming in a post-environmental world.

More info on POE events at: http://depts.washington.edu/poeweb/news/poe_events.cgi

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellows

The fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for exceptional mid-career health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health care policy to experience and participate in the policy process at the federal level and to use that leadership experience to improve health, health care and health policy. Selected fellows receive up to $94,000 for the Washington stay (September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009) plus fringe benefits corresponding to the level of salary support. Continued pre-approved leadership development activities may be conducted with remaining funds within the 20 to 24 months following the Washington year. Total support for the fellowship may not exceed $165,000. Fellows will receive an additional allowance for relocation subject to limitations provided in detail in a separate document.

Key Dates and Deadlines
November 16, 2007-Deadline for receipt of applications
January 17, 2008-Selection of semifinalists
February 6, 2008-Board interviews of semifinalists and announcement of selections

The University is allowed to nominate more than one individual (no limit), but only one AWARD per university will be allowed. Although the application materials state that the nomination should come from the 'CEO' of the organization, I checked with the Foundation and verified that Deans can nominate individuals, so there is no need to coordinate nominations beyond the level of the School.

David L. Eaton, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Center for Ecogenetics & Environmental Health;
Associate Vice Provost for Research University of Washington
4225 Roosevelt Way, NE, Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98105-6099
Phone: 206-685-3785 Fax: 206-685-4696
deaton@u.washington.edu

Click For More Details [ PDF ]

TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Lecturer/senior lecturer in Demography and Population Studies at University of Witwatersrand

The Demography and Population Studies Programme at Wits was introduced in 2003 as an inter-school initiative involving Public Health, Social Sciences, Statistics, Economics, and Computing and Applied Mathematics. The honours-masters-PhD programme, with unique interdisciplinary strengths, and a growing methodological and technical emphasis, has expanded rapidly and seeks to appoint a senior lecturer or lecturer on a 2-year renewable contract beginning early 2008. The programme offers opportunity to participate in highly productive rural and urban longitudinal research (including the MRC/Wits-Agincourt health and demographic surveillance system and Birth-to-20 cohort). It enjoys close ties with African and international centres of excellence including the INDEPTH Network.

The successful applicant will join a hard-working team in one of sub-Saharan Africa’s leading academic centres. S/he will be expected to contribute to excellence in teaching, supervision and academic development, while also establishing an active research and publication portfolio. Ample opportunity exists to network and build collaborations in South Africa, the region and internationally.

Click here for PDF details

Visiting Faculty Position in Social Demography at Brown University

The Sociology Department of Brown University seeks an experienced scholar/teacher in the area of Social Demography for a one semester position in the Spring of 2008, with rank dependent upon record. This position would involve teaching of two substantive courses in social demography, with exact offerings to be determined. The successful candidate will also be appointed as a rank-appropriate visiting faculty associate of Brown’s Population Studies and Training Center. Within the Department of Sociology the successful candidate will find a diverse faculty which includes scholars with international reputations in the areas of demography, medical sociology, organizations, environmental studies, disability studies, spatial analysis, and comparative development. In the Population Studies and Training Center the individual will have opportunity to join in the interdisciplinary life of a highly active, collegial research center. There is a possibility of renewal of this position during fall and/or Spring semester of the academic year 2008-2009.

Candidates should send a letter of application and curriculum vita, as soon as possible, electronically (only) to:

Professor Dennis P. Hogan
Department of Sociology
Email: Dennis_Hogan@brown.edu

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled or closed.

CLOSING DATE: October 31, 2007

PDF Announcement

OTHER NEWS OF INTEREST

The Population Reference Bureau has added new content to its website: www.prb.org

U.S. MILITARY

Latinos Claim Larger Share of U.S. Military Personnel

At 35 million, Hispanics are the country’s largest ethnic minority. But they have been underrepresented in the all-volunteer armed forces, especially among officers. The situation is beginning to change, with dramatic increases in Hispanics among active-duty enlisted personnel, particularly in the Marine Corps. Moreover, despite the traditionally masculine culture of the military, the Hispanic share of military women has been increasing faster than the Hispanic share of military men. Mady Wechsler Segal and David R. Segal, associate director and director, respectively, of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, College Park, based this article on their research on racial and ethnic change and other socioeconomic characteristics of the U.S. armed forces. (October 2007)

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2007/HispanicsUSMilitary.aspx

FAMILY PLANNING AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Unmet Need for Family Planning Persists in Developing Countries

Rates of unmet need for family planning remain high in developing countries, according to a recently released report from the U.S.-based Guttmacher Institute. Survey data show that one in seven married women in these countries has an unmet need for contraception. But in sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio is nearly one in four. This article was written by Sara Maki, an intern at PRB.

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2007/UnmetNeed.aspx

GLOBAL HEALTH

Grow Old Along With Me—And 690 Million Other People by 2030

As more people in developing countries reach 60 and beyond—having made it safely past the threat of infectious disease, malnutrition, and pregnancy or childbirth-related complications—many countries will face new challenges. A top priority: How will they fight the chronic diseases and conditions that older people tend to succumb to? This article is based on a fact sheet written by Beryl Lieff Benderly and published by the Disease Control Priorities Project.

www.dcp2.org/features/56

UNITED STATES

The Growing Color Divide in U.S. Infant Mortality

How one fares in the United States has been characterized by a racial division that begins at birth with disparities in health care. Inadequate health care can have a significant effect on the future social and economic path of newborns. Despite continued improvements in the health of the African American population, black babies are still nearly 2.5 times more likely than white babies to die before reaching their first birthday. To make matters worse, recent data show rising infant mortality among blacks in some states. This article was written by Rogelio Saenz, professor of sociology at Texas A&M University.

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2007/ColorDivideinInfantMortality.aspx

The Upskilling of Appalachia: Earnings and the Improvement of Skill Levels, 1960 to 2000

This report examines the convergence between Appalachia's economic fortunes and those in the rest of the United States since 1960, particularly among men and women of prime working age. It also examines the effect that social and demographic factors have had on this convergence. This report was published by the Population Reference Bureau and the Appalachian Regional Commission, and was written by Dan Black, University of Chicago; Kelvin Pollard, Population Reference Bureau; and Seth Sanders, University of Maryland, College Park.

http://www.prb.org/pdf07/UpskillingAppalachia.pdf

Standards of Living in Appalachia, 1960 to 2000

This report addresses improvements in living standards in Appalachia and whether these living standards are approaching the typical standards for families in the rest of the United States. Poverty rates in Appalachia are still high, particularly in more isolated rural areas, but conditions have improved dramatically relative to national averages. This report was published by the Population Reference Bureau and the Appalachian Regional Commission, and was written by Dan Black, University of Chicago; Mark Mather, Population Reference Bureau; and Seth Sanders, University of Maryland, College Park.

http://www.prb.org/pdf07/LivingStandardsAppalachia.pdf

Younger U.S. Baby Boomers Less Likely to Divorce by 40 Than Older Boomers

The share of baby-boomer men who divorced by age 40 fell from a high of 29.2 percent of those born from 1945 to 1949 to 25.4 percent of later baby boomers born between 1960 and 1964. The pattern is similar for women, according to data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau and based on the 2004 Survey of Income and Program Participation. The share of women divorced by 40 was 34.4 percent for early baby boomers and 30.3 percent for tail-end boomers.

http://www.prb.org/Articles/2007/PopWireOct2007.aspx

TAKE A NUMBER

Population, Health, and Environment News You Might Have Missed

This month: Remittances stimulate reforestation; air pollution linked to preterm births in United States; and socioeconomic gap in child death rates widens in United States.

http://www.prb.org/Journalists/TakeANumber.aspx

Census News Brief -- Temporary Funding Bill Creates Budget Crunch

PLUS: Senate considers 2008 appropriations bill; Census director nominee awaits confirmation hearing; 2010 communications contract awarded; and more.

Plans for the 2008 Census Dress Rehearsal are up-in-the-air after Congress passed, and the President signed, a temporary funding measure (Public Law 110-92) that leaves the Census Bureau operating at 2007 funding levels until November 16, when the stop-gap Fiscal Year 2008 (FY2008) Continuing Resolution (CR) runs out. The President’s 2008 budget request of $1.23 billion for the Census Bureau is 38 percent higher than the 2007 funding level of $893 million; the requested increase for 2010 census preparations alone is almost 50 percent greater than the 2007 funding level.

For full news report, click here.

The Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation -- Rafael Lozano

Rafael Lozano
Health Metrics Applications: The Mexican Experience

Thursday, October 25
4:00 - 5:30 pm
1616 Eastlake Avenue E, Suite 300

We have limited space so please come early