According to research by affiliate Adrian Raftery and colleagues, global temperatures are likely to surpass the 2 degrees Celsius “tipping point,” beyond which the effects of climate change will be severe, before the end of the century. Based on statistically-derived projections, Raftery, a Professor of Statistics and Sociology, and his co-authors find a 90% chance that temperatures will increase by 2 to 4.9 degrees Celsius this century. Their work has been featured in a number of major news outlets, including CNN, News Week, Scientific American, The Guardian, and the Washington Post.
Of particular interest to demographers, the authors note that population growth will not be the primary factor driving future warming. Rather, the extent to which we can decrease carbon intensity–the amount of carbon produced per dollar of economic activity–will determine whether we can keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.
The UW News story on their work, which links to the authors’ published analysis in Nature Climate Change, is available below.
In a recent paper on mental health problems among court-involved youth, affiliate Paula Nurius, Professor of Social Work, and colleagues consider these problems as a function of adverse childhood experiences. Their findings indicate that maltreatment during childhood is a strong contributor to mental health problems, though these effects can be moderated by social support. The full paper is available on ResearchGate by request.
In an article published in the July issue of Global Environmental Change, Ann Bostrom and colleagues explore public support for carbon emissions mitigation and related actions to address ocean acidification and other global change outcomes. Bostrom, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and her colleagues found that support for carbon mitigation policies varies depending on the policy frame presented. Of the frames presented, an ocean acidification frame elicited the least support, likely due to relatively low public awareness about the topic. On the other hand, an air pollution frame elicited the most support for carbon emissions mitigation, ahead of climate change and global warming frames. You can read the full article below.
In a recent paper, affiliate Donald Chi–Associate Professor of Oral Health Sciences–and colleagues sought to determine the modifiable and non-modifiable factors that contribute to childhood obesity, and how this understanding can inform oral health professionals’ approach to dental caries (i.e. cavities and tooth decay) in children. The authors concluded that identifying common risk factors for obesity and dental caries can help to prevent these conditions and improve health outcomes for children. You can read more about their work, which was published in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry, below.
Affiliate Carole Lee, Associate Professor of Philosophy, co-authored a commentary on transparent reporting practices in academic journals that was recently published in Science. Lee and her co-author identify means by which journals could improve the transparency and reproducibility of published research, and contend that “open[ing] the black box of peer review” will necessitate investment and leadership on the part of publishers in order to ensure the effectiveness of their peer review processes. You can read more about their commentary below.
The Department of Geography at Western University invites applications for two probationary (tenure-track) appointments in the area of Geographic Information Science (GIScience) and Urban Environments at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, effective July 1, 2018 or as negotiated. If qualifications and experience warrant a higher rank, consideration may be given to an appointment at the tenured level. Salary and rank will be commensurate with experience. Deadline for receipt of applications is Sept 30, 2017.
For more information on the Dept of Geography see: http://www.geography.uwo.ca/
The full job posting is available here: https://www.uwo.ca/facultyrelations/faculty/advertisement_gisci_2017_v5_lm.pdf
Call for Papers: PAA 2018 Annual Meeting
The Department of Economics at The Pennsylvania State University seeks to fill several untenured, tenure-track junior positions over the next three years. We will consider highly qualified candidates in all fields of economics. Candidates must demonstrate the capacity for high-quality instruction and the potential for significant research.
Review of applications will begin on November 1, 2017, and continue until the positions are filled. To be considered, you must complete a brief Penn State application (no downloads required) at https://psu.jobs/job/72904 in addition to downloading application materials at https://www.econjobmarket.org/
The Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professor position in Cognitive Psychology, with a focus on high-level perception. We are seeking a scholar whose research investigates perceptual processes that are downstream from the early stages of sensory input. Topics might include perception of scenes; person perception (e.g., face recognition, body movement perception, emotion perception); cross-modal interactions (e.g., auditory-visual, visual-haptic, synesthesia); or the integration of perception with other cognitive processes (e.g., perception-attention, perception-action, memory, embodied cognition). We seek a colleague who will complement our existing strengths in memory, language, perception, and human-computer interaction using behavioral, computational, technological and or psychophysiological methods.
Applicants should be actively engaged in research with promise of continued research productivity. In addition, they should be capable of teaching graduate and undergraduate courses (including classroom) and contribute significantly to the mentoring of graduate students. An ability to teach statistics and or neuroscience at the undergraduate and or graduate level is desired, but not necessary. We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of our academic community through their research, teaching, and service. The successful candidate must be able to work with students, faculty and staff from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds. UC Santa Cruz is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with a high proportion of first-in-family undergraduate students.
TO APPLY: Applications are accepted via the UCSC Academic Recruit online system, and must include (a) a letter of application briefly summarizing your qualifications and interest in the position, (b) a research statement describing your program of research, (c) a teaching statement describing your teaching experience and teaching interests, (d) a curriculum vitae, (e) two to five most significant reprints or preprints, and (f) least three confidential letters of recommendation.* (g) a statement addressing their past and or potential contributions to diversity through research, teaching, and or service. Documents/materials must be submitted as PDF files.
Apply at https://recruit.ucsc.edu/apply/JPF00465. Refer to Position #JPF00465-18 in all correspondence.
The Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at UW-Madison is searching for a tenure-track (junior) faculty member with an outstanding record of teaching and research relevant to environment and health. The position requires a PhD in sociology or related field. Candidates from historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
The successful candidate will teach and mentor in our top-ranked graduate and undergraduate programs, and will carry out a vigorous research program that improves the ability to understand and intervene on the intersecting social causes and consequences of environmental and health problems. Consistent with the mission of the University of Wisconsin System, the candidate will be committed to service to the community, state, nation, and profession for the benefit of all citizens.
Review of applications will begin 15 September 2017.
For further details, including instructions to applicants, a list of possible areas of expertise, and the many opportunities for contribution and collaboration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, please browse for 90808 at http://jobs.wisc.edu.
Questions about the position are welcome, and should be directed to: Search@dces.wisc.edu