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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

U.S. Policy Communication Training Program (Due 3/5/2023)

The training program has two main components. The week-long workshop in Washington, D.C. in June 2023 focuses on the role of research on the policy process and techniques for effective communication of research findings to decisionmakers, media, and nontechnical audiences. During the 2023-2024 academic year, participants will apply the lessons learned during the workshop in their preparation of two policy communication materials (for example, policy briefs, blogs, or op-eds) based on their dissertations or related research topics. We are inviting applications from U.S. citizens and permanent residents (Green Card holders) who are between their 3rd and 5th year of doctoral studies in demography, reproductive health, or population health.

Professor of Sociology – University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a position in the area of Social Genomics, beginning August 2022. Social Genomics is a field of research that integrates theories, data, and methods across the social, behavioral, health, and genetic sciences. This position is the final of three hires in this area and is part of an interdisciplinary cluster hiring initiative ( https://facstaff.provost.wisc.edu/cluster-hiring-initiative/ ), designed to foster innovative, outstanding research programs that will stimulate productive interactions among faculty and students interested in the integration of genetics and social science research across the campus and to expand interdisciplinary research in this area. Tenure home will be determined at time of hire.

Swanson Publishes New Article Examining New Disclosure Avoidance System from US Census Bureau

CSDE External Affiliate David Swanson has published an article entitled “The effect of the differential privacy disclosure avoidance system proposed by the Census Bureau on 2020 Census Products: Four case studies of census blocks in Mississippi” in Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences. This paper utilizes a demonstration product file provided by the Census Bureau to assess the errors introduced by the system at the census block level in Mississippi. The authors conclude that some of the errors found in their analysis at the census block level could be identified in other states as well, rendering this data unusable for now.

*New* Gathering Collaborative & King County Announce $25m Grant Program to Address Racism is a Public Health Crisis (Due 3/26/2023)

The Gathering Collaborative along with King County government invites community and business partners across the region to join in continuing the critical work to undo the harms of systemic racism, which was declared a public health crisis by King County in 2020. Envisioned jointly by community members and King County in August 2021 and launched in March 2022, The Gathering Collaborative is a group of trusted community members who are involved to uplift Black and Indigenous people and their communities – those who are most directly harmed by racism. The members largely reflect these communities and have lived experience in these communities that they serve.  The application portal is now live via King County’s Zoom Grants portal.

We encourage all applicants to read over the Grant Program Overview and the Invitational Document in order to get grounded in this work. Please read these foundational documents that show how the Gathering Collaborative shaped these grants, as well as other important details such as reporting and other legal requirements.

The Office of Research Invites Applicants to Apply for the Royalty Research Fund Program for Spring 2023 (Due 3/6/2023)

The “Royalty” in RRF is the royalty and licensing fee income generated by the University’s technology transfer program. These funds are awarded as small grants to advance new directions in research, particularly:

  1. In disciplines for which external funding opportunities are minimal, and/or
  2. For faculty who are junior in rank, and/or
  3. In cases where funding may provide unique opportunities to increase applicants’ competitiveness for subsequent funding.

It is competitive process, and proposals must demonstrate a high probability of generating important new creative activities or scholarly understandings, new scholarly materials or resources, significant data or information, or essential instrumentation resources that are likely to significantly advance the reputation of the university, lead to external funding, or lead to the development of a new technology.

Essentially, if you have an innovative idea, want to run a pilot project, and/or gather preliminary data, funding from the RRF can help launch your idea.

Application instructions can be found at the Office of Research web site:

http://www.washington.edu/research/or/royalty-research-fund-rrf/

 

New this round: Application requires a statement of broader impacts. New language on conflict of interest for suggested reviewers.

 

Contact the RRF administrative staff with questions about the program; new applicants may contact Peter Wilsnack, doogieh@uw.edu, 206-685-9316.

As evidenced by these recent RRF awards to CSDE affiliates, topics range across all disciplines:

  • “Measuring Consumer Response to Sweetened Beverage Taxes using Household Data,” PI Melissa Knox
  • “Feasibility Study for Puget Sound Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing Data Project: Sound Data for a Healthy Sound,” PI Nathalie Williams
  • “Minimizing Sound Transmission of Mass-Timber Floor Systems by Means of Structural Stiffness,” PI Tomas Mendez Echenagucia
  • “We Should Have Blackmailed the EU Like Turkey Did”: Syrian Refugees and Governance in Jordan,” PI Rawan Arar

Call for Project Proposals for Data Science for Social Good Summer Program (Due 2/13/23)

The University of Washington Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) summer program at the eScience Institute brings together data scientists and domain researchers to work on focused, collaborative projects for societal benefit. Through DSSG summer program projects, Student Fellows work on interdisciplinary teams led by project leads from academia, nonprofits, and government, along with data scientists at the eScience Institute who offer technical expertise and guidance. Authors of accepted proposals will become Project Leads in the UW DSSG program, and will work on a team with a Data Scientist from the eScience Institute, and four Student Fellows who will be selected and paid by the eScience Institute. This year, while we plan to have student fellows work primarily on campus, Project Leads may be able to participate remotely for most or all of the program if desired. The Call for Project Proposals is open now through February 17th. The Call for Student Applications is open now through February 13th.

The University of Washington Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) summer program at the eScience Institute brings together data scientists and domain researchers to work on focused, collaborative projects for societal benefit. Through DSSG summer program projects, Student Fellows work on interdisciplinary teams led by project leads from academia, nonprofits, and government, along with data scientists at the eScience Institute who offer technical expertise and guidance. 

 

New Article On Global Patterns of Migration for Zagheni

In his latest article “Global patterns of migration of scholars with economic development” in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, CSDE External Affiliate Emilio Zagheni utilizes metadata to estimate migration of scholars based on information on changes in their institutional affiliations over time. The authors produce a database of yearly international migration flows of scholars, for all countries from 1998 to 2017. Utilizing the open-access database to provide descriptive evidence on the relationship between economic development and the emigration propensity of scholars. Statistical analysis using generalized additive mixed models reveals that emigration rates initially decrease as GDP per capita increases. Then, starting from around 25,000 dollars (2017 constant international dollars at purchasing power parity), the trend reverses and emigration propensity increases as countries get richer. This U-shaped pattern contrasts with what has been found in the literature for emigration rates for the general population and calls for theoretical frameworks to understand the heterogeneous responses of migration to development.

Guiding End-of-Life Care Planning with Cultural Contexts and Cognitive Impairment in Mind: Findings from Qualitative Interviews in South Korea and the US

Student Lunch will take place following the seminar. Sign ups for 1-on-1 talks can be found here.

CSDE will be hosting Dr. Jung-Hwa Ha, Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University for her talk on Guiding end-of-life care planning with cultural contexts and cognitive impairment in mind.

Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of making plans and decisions regarding end-of-life care (EOLC) when one still has the physical and cognitive capacity to do so. By engaging in ACP, family members and health care professionals can gain insight into their loved one’s or their patient’s preferences and goals concerning EOLC. In this presentation, I share a series of studies related to ACP in Korea and the US. The first study examined cultural differences in ACP and various strategies that social workers use to initiate conversations on ACP in South Korea and the US. We conducted qualitative interviews with twelve social workers and a thematic content analysis of the transcribed data. Our findings showed that different cultural norms and generational viewpoints surrounding death and health-related decision-making influenced how people prepared for EOLC. Whereas principles of self-determination and autonomy guided ACP practices in the US, decisions regarding EOLC were more often made in consultation with family members in Korean and Korean-American communities. Nevertheless, social workers in both countries identified relationship-building, empowerment, and individualized approaches as common strategies in initiating discussions on ACP. In the second study, we examined the benefits and challenges of ACP specifically for persons with dementia and identified the individual, societal, and cultural factors that needed to be considered for ACP to be helpful for this growing population. Finally, I share a coaching manual for dementia-specific ACP that our team has developed and discuss plans for future study to test its feasibility and effectiveness among older Koreans.