CSDE Affiliate Ann Bostrom and an international, interdisciplinary team of co-authors recently published “Scientists’ mental models of microplastics: insights into expert perceptions from an exploratory comparison of research methods” in the journal, Microplastics and Nanoplastics. The article presents results from two complementary studies of the causal beliefs—that is, the “mental models”—microplastic scientists hold related to the risks of microplastics in freshwater systems, an emerging global environmental problem. Study 1 examined core concepts in their mental models from a decision analysis perspective. In Study 2, microplastics scientists used a visual mental mapping tool (the M-Tool) to draw causal connections between core ideas about microplastics. Across both studies, scientists emphasized household consumption of plastics as a direct and indirect source of microplastics, but there were gaps in how they talked about dose–response functions. To read more, click here.
Tom publishes article on Religion and Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models
CSDE External Affiliate Joshua Tom (Seattle Pacific) and co-authors recently published an article titled, “Religion and Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models” in Socius. Tom and co-authors examine if LLMs hold implicit assumptions with regard to religious identities by prompting LLMs to generate religious sermons, specifying different combinations of race and religious tradition of the clergyperson. Evangelical Protestant pastors had easier to read AI–generated sermons, whereas Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams had more difficult to read synthetic texts. To read more, click here.
Martin co-authors opinion piece on youth prisons in The Imprint
CSDE Affiliate Karin Martin (Public Policy) and co-authors recently shared an opinion piece in The Imprint on the incarceration of youth, which overwhelming evidence shows does not work and disproportionately affects communities of color. Drawing on their article published in the American Journal of Public Health, Martin and co-authors highlight the recent trend in closure of youth prisons and call on policymakers to redirect resources and attention to community-based alternatives. To read more, click here.
Dunbar Publishes on Development and Protocols of the Brain Health Study (BHS)
CSDE Research Scientist Matthew D. Dunbar, PhD, and co-authors recently published an article in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, titled “The companion dog as a translational model for Alzheimer’s disease: Development of a longitudinal research platform and post mortem protocols.” The authors describe the objectives, infrastructure, platform development, and protocol of the Brain Health Study (BHS). The BHS aims to establish the role of privately owned companion dogs as a translational model for Alzheimer’s Disease research.
Why dogs? Companion dogs share genetic diversity, environmental exposures, and cognitive traits with humans. Their condensed lifespans and human-like aging patterns make them an ideal model for understanding cognitive decline. The study’s research infrastructure is in place for longitudinal data collection, annual biospecimen collection and postmortem sample collection, with 500 dogs enrolled and 21 postmortem specimens already collected.
Dr. Dunbar, in his role as the Data Core Director for the Dog Aging Project, helped build the operational infrastructure for the BHS to support this diverse national cohort of companion dogs for an in-depth, longitudinal analysis of brain and cognitive health over their lifespan. A complex and well-maintained research platform was critical to facilitate enrollment, retention, ongoing participant surveys, and biobanking of biofluids and postmortem tissue. Dr. Dunbar has decades of experience designing primary data collection systems, managing field data campaigns, and he currently oversees CSDE’s own REDCap instance supporting population researchers.
To arrange a consultation appointment with Matt Dunbar or any of CSDE’s scientific support staff, please use the CSDE Science Core Consultation Request form.
*New* eScience Institute Tutorial Series on Deep Learning for Images (starts 10/15/25)
*New* Tenure Track Position in Economics, Gender – Colgate University (11/15/25)
*New* Assistant Professor of Anthropology in Human Reproductive Ecology – Penn State (ongoing)
Cha Publishes Article on Education and Dementia Risk in Demography
CSDE Affiliate Hyungmin Cha (Sociology) and co-authors just published an article in Demography, titled “How Does the Risk of Dementia Change With Each Additional Year of Education?”. The authors leverage the 2000–2018 Health and Retirement Study to evaluate how dementia risk changes with each year of education among non-Hispanic White and Black older adults. The results show a linear decline in dementia incidence with increasing years of educational attainment, both before and after 12 years of education. This pattern is consistent across population subgroups. To read more, click here.
Glass Develops Roadmap for Causal Inference in Human Biology
CSDE external affiliate and former CSDE T32 Fellow Delaney Glass (University of Toronto) and co-authors recently published an article, “Toward New Directions in Human Biology: A Roadmap for Anthropological Causal Inference With Observational Data” in the American Journal of Human Biology. The roadmap that Glass and co-authors developed begins with theory development, defines causal questions and estimands, employs directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to clarify assumptions, and evaluates key identification criteria prior to statistical analysis. To read more, click here.
Sharygin and PSU Publish Resource for Finding Federal Data During Shutdown
The Population Research Center at Portland State University, directed by CSDE External Affiliate Ethan Sharygin (Portland State University), has published a resource guide for finding federal data during the shutdown. These sources include Census Reporter, Esri, PolicyMap, IPUMS, NHGIS, and the Data Rescue Project Portal.