Bone remodeling is the process by which old bone is broken down and rebuilt, helping to maintain bone mineral density (BMD) and overall bone health. Chronic dysregulation of this process can lead to osteoporosis, lower mineral reserves, and increased fracture risk. In a recent study published in the American Journal of Human Biology, CSDE Trainee Cristina Gildee and Professor Patricia A. Kramer (Anthropology) explore how parity (the number of live births) affects BMD in different anatomical regions. Initial results showed that higher parity was linked to lower BMD in most areas, but also suggest that more rigorous statistical modeling and selection of variables that proxy reproductive cost, socioeconomic status, and other lifestyle factors could help advance future research on relevant mechanisms. Read the full study here.

Advocates on both sides of the minimum wage debate have claimed that recent wage increases would lead to dramatic effects in the local labor market. In a recent article from KNKX, CSDE Research Affiliate Jacob Vigdor (Evans School) and External Affiliate Mark Long (UC Riverside) were quoted about the nuanced effects of recent policy changes. Both researchers emphasized how the costs and benefits of minimum wage increases differ for workers of different experience levels. Read the full article here and click here for more results from the Evans School Minimum Wage Study.

Monetary sanctions (also referred to as legal financial obligations, or LFOs) are a common form of punishment in criminal convictions. Despite their prevalence, little research has examined how different court actors such as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and clerks understand their use. In a recent study published in Criminology, CSDE Affiliates Alexes Harris (Sociology) and Karin Martin (Evans School) along with several co-authors present evidence from guided interviews with 447 court actors across eight states focused on this topic. Among other findings, the article presents evidence of competing – and sometimes conflicting – penal and fiscal explanations for the use of monetary sanctions. Read the full article here.

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), in collaboration with other NIH institutes, centers, and offices, is seeking applications to support the development of short courses focused on cutting-edge methodologies and analytics in behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR).

This request for applications aims to enhance education and training in innovative data collection and analysis techniques, big data applications, and underutilized research designs that are essential for advancing BSSR but are not widely available through existing programs. Learn more here.

The proposed educational programs should:

• Integrate transdisciplinary skills and approaches, ensuring broad applicability across various BSSR domains.
• Provide knowledge and skills essential for advancing BSSR and/or integrating BSSR with other scientific and technological fields.
• Focus on widely applicable research methodologies and analytical techniques rather than specific disease areas to support broader advancements in BSSR.

The Institute for the Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is hosting a Professional Development Training Series on Poverty and Economic Mobility Research during 2025–2026 academic year. This series is a virtual quarterly training series from Fall 2025 through Spring 2026. The application Deadline is April 30^th, and there is an optional webinar about this series on April 11^th at 10am PST.

In April 2023, civil war erupted in Sudan. To mark the second anniversary of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, “From Sudan to Seattle” will provide space for local Sudanese to share their stories of survival and migration, acknowledge the conflict’s connections to local African and Sudanese populations, and offer insights on the current state of US-Sudan relations. This event is co-hosted by the UW Center for Human Rights, Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities, Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, Department of Geography, Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Center for American Politics and Public Policy, Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures Program, and the Law, Societies and Justice Department.

The event will be held on Saturday, April 12^th from 9am to 12pm PST in HUB 250 and online. This event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be provided. The event will provide space for local Sudanese to share their stories of survival and migration, acknowledge the conflict’s connections to local African and Sudanese populations, and offer insights on the current state of US-Sudan relations. Learn more and register here.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

• Mubarak Elamin is a Sudanese community organizer and member of the Muslim Association of Puget Sound.
• Dr. Ushari Khalil is a human rights advocate who focuses on the rights of internally displaced populations and children affected by armed conflict in Sudan. A former Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law, Dr. Khalil has worked with UNICEF and is the recipient of a Human Rights Watch Monitor Award.
• Dr. Khidir Haroun is a former Sudanese Ambassador to the United States. Dr. Haroun currently serves as a Dean of Faculty at the International University of Africa.
• Dr. Christopher Tounsel is an associate professor of History and Director of the African Studies Program at the University of Washington. Dr. Tounsel has written two books on Sudan (Chosen Peoples and Bounds of Blackness) and has provided commentary on Sudanese affairs for Al Jazeera, BBC, and NPR.
• Dr. Mehari Worku is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Washington. Dr. Worku’s research focuses on Christianity in Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
• Yasir Zaidan is a PhD Candidate in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the Middle East’s growing influence in the Horn of Africa, and his commentaries have appeared in Foreign Policy, African Arguments, and World Politics Review.
• Samira Mohamed is a Sudanese pharmacy student and mother who escaped from Khartoum to Port Sudan when the war began in April 2023.

The Biological Anthropology Seminar Series will meet next Tuesday, 4/8/2025 at 3:30 pm in Denny 313. Dr. Taylor van Doren, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska will speak on her research: “Biodemographic dimensions of the 1918 influenza pandemic and tuberculosis in Alaska.”

This meeting will be hybrid, and you can also choose to join via Zoom. Refreshments will be available for in-person attendees.