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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Call for Papers: Rural Policy Institute Research Conference

Abstracts are being accepted for a multidisciplinary social science conference on rural poverty in the United States on the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 report of the President’s National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty entitled The People Left Behind. This report focused attention on the economic and social conditions of the 14 million rural people living in poverty, and called for policies that would improve opportunity and living conditions in rural America.

The conference will bring together leading and emerging scholars to explore historical and contemporary rural poverty issues and examine strategies to reduce poverty. It will also engage these scholars in developing a wide-ranging research agenda for rigorous research that will improve economic opportunity and the well-being of low-income people in rural and small town America.

Scholars are invited to submit abstracts for papers that

  • examine the geography of U.S. poverty and opportunity
  • explore the challenges that have affected the nation’s progress in reducing rural poverty over the past half century
  • examine the nation’s policies and programs to reduce rural poverty, assessing the effectiveness of poverty-reducing strategies, policies and programs in rural areas, or exploring regional innovations in policy

Examples of relevant issues include (but are not limited to) rural economic development, new immigrants, service provision in rural areas, rural labor mobility, local politics of inequality, persistent poverty, and intergenerational economic mobility. We encourage submissions from early-career scholars and scholars from underrepresented populations. Limited travel funds will be available for one conference presenter per accepted paper.

Submission guidelines: Email a two-­page abstract (or completed paper) to info@rupri.org by October 1, 2017. Acceptance decisions will be made no later than October 21, 2017. Completed papers are expected at least two weeks in advance of the March 21-22, 2018 conference.

CSDE Awarded $2.9 million Five-Year Grant by NICHD

On July 1, the UW’s Center for Studies in Demography & Ecology (CSDE) was awarded $2.9 million for a five-year grant from the Population Dynamics Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). CSDE was one of only three awards granted by NICHD’s Population Dynamics Centers Research Infrastructure Program following a competitive selection process. CSDE received strong scores in all of its core areas, and was recognized for its outstanding science and technical research services and its innovative proposal for initiating and supporting new population science research. This award demonstrates continued Federal support for CSDE since its first, successful application in 2001.

Considering its alignment with UW’s Population Health Initiative—an  interdisciplinary effort that seeks to advance the health of people around the world by leveraging capabilities and opportunities at UW and beyond—the award is a particularly exciting opportunity for UW and CSDE. The Population Dynamics Branch of NICHD supports research and training in demography, population health, and reproductive health. In the field of demography, the Branch supports research on the scientific study of human populations, ranging from fertility, to family demography, to the causes and consequences of demographic change. In the area of population health, it supports data collection and research on human health, productivity, behavior, and development at the population level—using methods such as inferential statistics, natural experiments, policy experiments, statistical modeling, and gene-environment interaction studies. In the discipline of reproductive health, the Branch supports behavioral and social science research on sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, family planning, and infertility.

Founded in 1947, CSDE’s mission is to provide strategic resources that advance population science and place its affiliates’ research at the forefront of their fields. CSDE’s 95 affiliates advance NICHD’s mission to ensure that every person is born healthy and wanted; that women suffer no harmful effects from reproductive processes; and that everyone is ensured health, productivity, independence, and well-being. With its home within the College of Arts & Sciences, CSDE exemplifies UW’s boundless aspirations with its support of the research and training of population scientists across UW campuses and beyond.

The grant review committee underscored CSDE’s key contributions to population science in its five primary research areas: 1) Demographic Measurement and Methods, 2) Environments and Populations, 3) Health of People and Populations, 4) Migrations and Settlements, and 5) Well-being of Families and Households. Affiliates were recognized for innovative methods and groundbreaking scientific leadership in probabilistic population estimates, statistical demography, biodemography, data science and demographic methods, spatial demography, and the statistics of social networks and infectious disease.

Overall, reviewers were impressed by the Center’s production of high quality population science and accomplished network of affiliates, along with strong support from the University of Washington and partnerships with the School of Public Health, School of Social Work, Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, eScience Institute, and urban@uw. For these and other reasons, CSDE’s application was judged to be “exceptionally strong”.

 

Adrian Raftery’s Research Indicates that Global Temperatures Will Increase Beyond 2 Degrees Celsius This Century

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.

 

Paula Nurius Examines Mental Health Problems Among Court-Involved Youth

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.

Ann Bostrom Analyzes the Effect of Policy Framing on Support for Carbon Mitigation

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.

Donald Chi’s Research Explores the Intersection of Obesity and Dental Health in Children

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.

Carole Lee on Opening the Black Box of Peer Review

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.

Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Systems and Urban Environments

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: Population Association of America 2018 Annual Meeting

Call for Papers: PAA 2018 Annual Meeting

General Instuctions

The Call for Papers lists topic areas, session titles, and session organizers. Submitters must specify a first choice session, and have the option of specifying a second choice session.

Submissions must include the names, affiliations, and email addresses of all authors, a short abstract, and an extended abstract or full paper. In addition, submitters must identify the co-author who will present the paper or poster.

Submitting authors will receive an email containing instructions on how to manage their submission(s), as well as an email with a link to the PDF of the Extended Abstract/Full Paper submitted. Submitting authors may modify their abstract at any time between submission and the deadline, using the assigned ID# and password. All authors listed on the submission will receive an email with a link for viewing the submission.

New for #PAA2018: All presenting authors must pre-register by January 28, 2018 to confirm presentation.

More detailed instructions are available in the downloadable Call for Papers.

Assistant Professor of Economics

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/