COSSA Member Spotlight
COSSA Members among World’s Top 100 Social Science Universities
The London-based magazine Times Higher Education has released its 2015-2016 World University Rankings for the social sciences. The U.S. leads in terms of number of universities represented, with 43 in the top 100, 35 of which are COSSA member universities. COSSA congratulates all the universities and colleges that made the list. In an article accompanying the rankings, James Wilsdon, chair of the UK’s Campaign for Social Science, suggests that the relative dominance of American universities on the list should give pause to those in Congress looking to cut funding for the social and behavioral sciences. “If I was [looking at…
AERA Hold Annual Brown Lecture on “Indigenous Pathways toward Justice”
Teresa L. McCarty, professor of education and anthropology and world-renowned scholar on indigenous language planning, policy, education, and revitalization, presented the 2015 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Brown Lecture in Education Research, “So That Any Child May Succeed—Indigenous Pathways toward Justice and the Promise of Brown,” in October. McCarty is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and professor emerita at Arizona State University. McCarty’s lecture considered the legacy of the 1953 Brown v. Board of Education case and the “broader issues of education equality, in the context of research, policy, and practice in Indigenous education.” She also…
Kenneth Prewitt Receives SAGE-CASBS Award
Kenneth Prewitt, Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs and the Vice-President for Global Centers at Columbia University and a past President of COSSA, has been named the recipient of the 2015 SAGE-CASBS Award. The Award is given by SAGE and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University (a COSSA member) in recognition of “outstanding achievement in the understanding and advancement of the behavioral and social sciences as they are applied to pressing social issues.” Prewitt will accept the award at the 2015 CASBS Summit on November 5. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
SRCD Seeks Applications for 2016-2017 Policy Fellowships
The Society for Research and Child Development (SRCD), a COSSA governing member, is accepting applications for its 2016-2017 Policy Fellowship. The fellowship provides an opportunity for scientists to use their research skills in child development to inform public policy by working as resident scholars in congressional offices or executive branch agencies. Applications are due by December 15, 2015. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Congressional Briefing Explores the Impact of Education on Mortality
On July 27, the Population Association of America (PAA) held a congressional briefing, “Live Long and Prosper: The Impact of Education on Mortality,” which focused on the federal investments in longitudinal demographic research that have allowed researchers to identify and measure how educational attainment affects important life factors, including long-term health and mortality. COSSA joined PAA, a COSSA Governing Member, along with several other COSSA member organizations in sponsoring the briefing. Sharing the latest findings with a standing-room-only audience, the panel of distinguished researchers included Robert M. Kaplan, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and former director of the…
CASBS Is Accepting Applications for Its 2016-2017 Residential Fellowship
Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is currently accepting applications for residential fellowships for the 2016-17 academic year. The CASBS fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity for scholars to pursue innovative research and expand their horizons while engaging in a diverse, interdisciplinary community. A CASBS fellowship has been considered a career milestone for any scholar, and most recipients report that the year had a transformative effect on their work. Online applications will be accepted at the Center’s website through November 6, 2015, for the 2016-2017 fellowship year. For more information, guidelines, and application requirements,…
COSSA Welcomes Virginia Tech
COSSA is thrilled to welcome Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) as its newest university member. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Tech receives more than $7 million annually in federal social and behavioral science research awards and is home to the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment. COSSA’s full membership list can be viewed here. Interested in joining COSSA? More information here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
AERA Holds Congressional Briefing on LGBTQ Issues in Education, Shares Research Agenda
On July 9, four distinguished scholars shared the results of an initiative and subsequent publication, LGBTQ [Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer] Issues in Education: Advancing a Research Agenda, by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA Governing Member. The report “exemplifies one of the most important objectives of AERA as a scientific and scholarly association: to bring rigorous and relevant knowledge to bear on salient issues in education and to help chart future directions of inquiry,” states Felice Levine, AERA executive director, in the preface of the recently released report and moderator of the congressional briefing held on…
APA Briefing Explains the Psychology behind False Confessions
The American Psychological Association (APA), a COSSA governing member, held a Congressional briefing on April 29, in conjunction with the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) Exhibition. The briefing featured Saul Kassin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (also a COSSA member), who spoke about his research on false confessions. Kassin observed that it is often difficult for people to understand why someone would admit to a crime they did not commit. However, in his analysis of a database of convictions overturned by DNA evidence, Kassin found that more than a quarter of the wrongly…
PAA/PRB Briefing Explores the Changing Landscape of Marriage
The Population Association of America, a COSSA governing member, and the Population Reference Bureau, also a COSSA member, held a congressional briefing on April 17 called “The Vow Factor: Marriage, Divorce and Family Formation & their Impact on Health and Well-Being.” COSSA was a co-sponsor of the briefing. Moderated by Robert Moffitt of Johns Hopkins University, the briefing featured presentations on trends and consequences of changes in marriage and parenthood. Andrew J. Cherlin, Johns Hopkins University, gave a presentation on the education-based gap in the marriage rate. Lisa Berkman, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, discussed how single motherhood…
COSSA Welcomes Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
COSSA is pleased to welcome the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) as its newest member. Headquartered in New York, NY, ABCT works to promote “advancement of scientific approaches to the understanding and improvement of human functioning through the investigation and application of behavioral, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to the assessment, prevention, treatment of human problems, and the enhancement of health and well-being.” COSSA’s full membership list can be viewed here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes Fielding Graduate University
COSSA is thrilled to welcome Fielding Graduate University as its newest university member. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, Fielding boasts scholarship and practice in fields such as clinical psychology and media psychology, human and organizational development, and educational leadership and change. COSSA’s full membership list can be viewed here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
ACJS Introduces Policy Notes
The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), a leading authority on criminal justice education, research, and policy analysis, has announced the creation of Policy Notes, a new series of free online, policy-focused abstract summaries that highlight the findings and implications of leading peer-reviewed research from ACJS’ flagship publication Justice Quarterly. The first Policy Notes looks at what the latest research on residence restrictions for sex offenders mean for future housing policy and is available here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Rebecca Blank Named 2015 Moynihan Prize Winner
The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS), a COSSA member, has named Rebecca Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, winner of the 2015 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize. The prize is awarded annually to individuals “who use sound analysis and social science research to inform public policy, while also contributing to the public discourse on society’s most pressing issues.” Among her many contributions, Blank is being recognized for her work at the U.S. Department of Commerce, as a member of the Council of Economic Advisors during the Clinton Administration, and during her various faculty positions. Blank will give…
APA Seeks New Executive Director for Science
The American Psychological Association (APA), a COSSA Governing Member, is looking for its next Executive Director for Science (see here). Former COSSA Executive Committee Chair Steven Breckler vacated the position and left APA in late 2014; Howard Kurtzman, current deputy, is serving as the acting executive director until the new head is named. The position oversees the APA Science Directorate. Applications are sought by March 13. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Welcomes New Members in 2015
COSSA welcomes two new members this year. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) has joined as COSSA’s 19th Governing Member association. As a Governing Member, SPSP holds a seat on the COSSA Board of Directors. SPSP is the largest organization of social psychologists and personality psychologists, with more than 5,500 members. COSSA is also pleased to welcome the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR) at the University of Georgia as a new member in the Centers and Institutes category. OIBR strives to “catalyze high-impact interdisciplinary research” in the social and behavioral sciences across the university. COSSA’s full membership…
Steven Breckler, COSSA Chair, to Leave APA
Steven Breckler, Executive Director for Science at the American Psychological Association (APA), will leave APA at the end of the year after 10 years in the position. APA is a COSSA Governing Member and Breckler currently serves as chair of the COSSA Executive Committee. He is praised for his service to APA in the announcement of his departure released last month. Breckler’s service to COSSA as well cannot be overstated; he is a longtime member of the COSSA Board of Directors, served as chair of the Executive Committee for the last two years, and chaired the 2013 search committee for…
APSA Releases Report on Improving Perception of Political Science
The American Political Science Association (APSA), a COSSA governing member, has published a report entitled Improving Public Perceptions of Political Science’s Value. The report was written by a task force chaired by Arthur Lupia, University of Michigan (a member of COSSA’s Board of Directors), charged with identifying ways APSA and its members can better explain to the public, policymakers, and the media the contributions political science makes to society. This project comes in the wake of several high-profile attacks by policymakers on the discipline, notably Sen. Tom Coburn’s successful attempt to restrict funding of political science projects at the National…
SPSSI Seminar Explores the Psychology of Human Rights
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), a COSSA member, held the last seminar in its 2014 series, Psychological Insights into Legislative Issues, on October 8. The topic was “Who Cares about Human Rights? The Psychology of Human Rights Support,” and featured Sam McFarland of Western Kentucky University. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) sponsored the event series and shared how he first became passionate about human rights through his work during El Salvador’s civil war in the 1980s.
AERA to Host 11th “Brown Lecture in Education Research” — October 23
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA Governing Member, will be hosting the 11th Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research on October 23 in Washington, DC. This year’s lecture, “A Long Shadow: The American Pursuit of Political Justice and Education Equality,” presented by James D. Anderson of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will observe the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The annual lecture highlights the important role research plays in broadening understanding of education equality. You may register to attend the lecture here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.