2019-2020 Speaker Series

2019 Penn State R Bootcamp

R Bootcamp is a three-day workshop for Penn State researchers and graduate students to provide a broad introduction to the use of the R programming language for social science research. Co-sponsors include the CSC’s Open Data and Developmental Science (ODDS) Research Initiative, as well as the Department of Psychology, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State’s Teaching and Learning with Technology, and the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center. Following is a list of instructors:

Visit the webpage here.

Child Maltreatment Solutions Network Annual Conference

“The Future of Foster Care: New Science to Address Old Problems”

Co-Sponsored by the Child Study Center

“Alcohol Harm Reduction is Health Promotion: A 15-year Journey Examining Patterns and Predictors of Alcohol Treatment Outcomes”

Abstract: Abstinence from alcohol is often viewed as the most desirable and ideal outcome for individuals with alcohol use disorder. Yet, most individuals with alcohol use disorder do not want to abstain from drinking and do not seek treatment. Several studies of treatment seeking and population-based non-treatment seeking samples have found that significant reductions in alcohol use during and following treatment, or over time in the absence of treatment, are common among individuals with alcohol use disorder. Reductions in drinking are associated with significant improvements in health, quality of life, and other consequences of alcohol use disorder, and also stable over time. Over the past 15 years, there have been several significant methodological advances in studying patterns and predictors of alcohol use and drinking reductions, yet most of the work has not had a major influence on clinical practice, and has had no effect on regulatory guidance for clinical trials examining new medications for alcohol use disorder in the United States. The current talk will provide a broad overview of this literature and present new data on the validity of World Health Organization drinking risk levels as a harm reduction endpoint. Results from several recent studies provide evidence that reductions in World Health Organization drinking risk levels are a viable alternative to abstinence as a harm reduction strategy and as an endpoint for alcohol clinical trials. The talk will also highlight the importance of drinking reductions as a significant public health priority.

Co-Sponsored with the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center

Dr. Witkiewitz is also presenting the BENNETT LECTURE

Tuesday, October 15, 2019
4:00 – 5:00 p.m., 110 Henderson/Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center Living Center

27th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues: Families and Food

Co-Sponsored by the Child Study Center

“Childhood Gender Diversity: Latest Findings and Current Controversies”

Abstract: Upon birth, doctors, midwives, and parents around the world declare, “It’s a boy,” or “It’s a girl.” Today, more and more children are defying these declarations, identifying as a gender that did not align with this pronouncement at their birth. Dr. Olson will present work exploring the gender development and well-being of this generation of transgender and gender-nonconforming children, suggesting ways in which their lives are both remarkably unique and surprisingly similar to their more gender-conforming peers. She will address questions about the continuity and discontinuity of identity, examine researcher biases in assessing gender, and discuss the implications of social support and transitioning on well-being in transgender and gender-diverse youth.

CSC Innovation Hub Symposium 2020

“Family-Level Perspectives on Sleep and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood”

A symposium highlighting research on intervention, family sleep, and self-regulation.

View the presentation here.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies

When They See Us: Interpersonal Experiences during the Pubertal Transition

Abstract: Pubertal development is a salient individual change for both the child experiencing it and the adults and peers in their immediate social environment.  In this talk, I will discuss how different aspects of puberty are related to shifts in interpersonal experiences during this developmental period. Specifically, how pubertal timing and tempo, seeing oneself as off-time, and the ways that adults and peers respond to pubertal growth contribute to changes in interpersonal relationships and experiences.