STRENGTHENING RESEARCH BY CONNECTING FACULTY 2015-2016
SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES RESEARCH CONSORTIUM UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN
Our first annual report is dedicated to the memory of Prem S. Paul, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development from 2001 to 2016. The Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium (SBSRC) is a direct result of Prem’s belief in the potential for substantial increases in the research productivity and funding in the social and behavioral sciences at the University of NebraskaLincoln. Starting with his development of a Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Initiative (SBSRI) in 2012, Prem led the campus through a systematic assessment of our respective strengths, potential, and current barriers for increased interdisciplinary research. He then moved quickly to implement the recommendations of a task force to develop a central coordinated operation to support the planned growth in social and behavioral science research. As with all of his research and economic development activities, Prem approached the creation of SBSRC with enthusiasm and a firm belief that this strategic investment could produce significant growth in UNL’s research profile. It was Prem’s belief in the ultimate potential of UNL’s social and behavioral research that gave SBSRC its start, and we are honored to be part of fulfilling his aspirations. At a more personal level, the SBSRC leadership team would like to recognize Prem’s positive impacts upon their professional development. Prem was very active in recruiting Dan Hoyt, along with his colleague Les Whitbeck, to the University of NebraskaLincoln in 2001, and provided critical support in moving their research program and associated grants to Nebraska. In 2006, Prem brought together an interdisciplinary team which ultimately resulted in Mindy Anderson-Knott being recruited away from her position at Penn State University to become the Manager of the the Survey, Statistics, and Psychometric (SSP) Core Facility. Then, following the recommendations of the SBSRI Task Force report, the SSP Core Facility was moved into SBSRC and formed the foundation for the Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility which Mindy directs. These stories show Prem’s passionate commitment to the social and behavioral sciences dating back to Prem’s first days at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We know that our stories are not unique. Prem was an inspirational and visionary leader who worked actively to build, grow, and foster research and relationships across the university. We are all better for having had the opportunity to work with him. Dan Hoyt, Director SBSRC Mindy Anderson-Knott, Director of Evaluation and Development, SBSRC
05
SERVICES
Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility - 05 MERC Project Spotlight: Native Families for Native Children - 07
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Year in Review - 03
11
SUPPORTING RESEARCH
Summer Grant Writing Workgroup - 09 SBSRC Voucher Program - 11 Minority Health Seed Grants - 13
A YEAR IN REVIEW 5 The Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium (SBSRC) was established at the recommendation of the faculty-led Social and Behavioral Sciences Research Initiative (SBSRI) Task Force and is inspired by a vision of the University of Nebraska’s premier excellence in social behavioral sciences research, characterized by highly visible, well-funded, coordinated, transdisciplinary research that solves vital societal problems.
17
CAMPUS INITIATIVES
Interdisciplinary Initiatives - 15 Central Plains Research Data Center - 17 Minority Health Disparities Initiative - 19
23
COLLABORATIONS
Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations - 21 Cross-Campus Collaborations - 23 Reaching Across NU Campuses and Beyond - 25
In its inaugural year, the SBSRC has launched or assisted with numerous activities, initiatives, and programs aimed at bolstering social and behavioral sciences research. Whether providing one-on-one mentoring to new faculty members, or spearheading UNL’s involvement in a multi-million dollar Big Ten Academic Alliance Health Equity Initiative, our emphasis is upon creating connections and fillings gaps—both large and small. To date, we estimate having facilitated more than 250 connections, conducted more than 30 outreach activities, and provided services for upward of 100 projects. In addition, we have established offices in Whittier Research Center to enhance our proximity to both UNL campuses; surveyed the needs of UNL social and behavioral sciences researchers; begun an in-depth inventory of available expertise; increased UNL’s capacity to develop and use new technologies for data collection, database management, analysis, and reporting; and established the Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility (MERC). The ultimate gauge of our success will be the extent to which UNL increases its impactful, externally funded social and behavioral sciences research. Over time, we expect our efforts to facilitate factors that lead to measurable growth in the number of funding applications and awards across social and behavioral science departments and centers. Fundamentally, of course, the SBSRC’s success relies on the success of those we connect and serve. Therefore, this report celebrates not only those leading and working within the SBSRC, but also the entire consortium of social and behavioral sciences researchers.
SERVICES
The SBSRC’s Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility provides essential research services to the University of Nebraska system faculty, community organizations, and government agencies.
METHODOLOGY AND EVALUATION RESEARCH CORE FACILITY The SBSRC was awarded a grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative that established the Methodology and Evaluation Research Core Facility (MERC) to provide state-of-the-art methodological support and services that promote and sustain excellence in the social and behavioral sciences through active collaborations with existing centers, initiatives, and units. Primary data collection is supported through MERC’s Data Acquisition Unit, which connects researchers with existing university resources to collect high quality data. This unit also supports the development of new technologies necessary for state-of-the-art digital data collection needs, including mobile device data collection. Database support and consulting on statistical models and analyses is provided through MERC’s Database and Analysis Unit. Services include data de-identification, designing and maintaining secure databases and data repositories, supporting secondary data storage, facilitating access to secure data, analytic modeling consultation, and facilitating the connection of researchers to experts in the appropriate advanced statistical analysis techniques.
The MERC facility’s Sampling Unit provides assistance with optimal sample designs by consulting on sample size and power calculations, and developing grant proposal narratives justifying sample strategies. The unit also provides services for reaching hard-to-reach populations and facilitates access to participants. The MERC Evaluation Unit provides consultation on evaluation designs and implements evaluations for funded grants. Evaluation services previously provided by UNL’s Survey, Statistics, and Psychometrics (SSP) operation are now provided through this unit. MERC provides evaluation services for numerous projects across campus, serving a variety of evaluation roles to best fit the investigators’ needs, including serving as an internal evaluator, an external evaluator, an evaluation consultant, a social science expert, or providing trainings to build evaluation capacity.
7
SERVICES
The SBSRC’s MERC Facility provides evaluation services for many communitybased projects. Native Families for Native Children is one example.
MERC PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: NATIVE FAMILIES FOR NATIVE CHILDREN Native Families for Native Children (NF4NC) utilizes MERC’s program evaluation and training services. NF4NC, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, is a partnership between four tribes and Nebraska and Iowa state child welfare agencies. The project aims to build collaboration and cooperation among state and tribal child welfare agencies and to increase the number of Native American resource families for Native children in out-of-home care. MERC staff members provide formative and summative program evaluation by designing and testing data collection materials, conducting interviews and focus groups, assisting with data access and analysis, and writing process and summary reports. MERC also offers training for NF4NC project staff and partners to build capacity, covering topics such as data collection and logic model development. Specifically, the NF4NC identified a need for planning tools that are a better fit for the traditions and culture of the Native tribes involved. In response to this need, MERC staff led a session on circular logic models as an alternative to traditional, linear logic models. MERC presented the session to a group of child welfare staff from both state and tribal agencies, state administrators, and federal grant facilitators.
9
THE KNOWLEDGE I GAINED HAS IMMENSELY HELPED IN ADDRESSING THE PROPOSAL REVISIONS. DIPTI DEV
Assistant Professor Child, Youth and Family Studies
Dr. Dipti Dev applied what she learned from the SBSRC Grant Writing Workgroup to her revision of a USDA Multi-State Hatch proposal. She was awarded this $375,000 grant during the summer of 2016.
SUPPORTING RESEARCH
The SBSRC provides mentoring and training opportunities for researchers to enhance their capacity to secure external funding.
SUMMER GRANT WRITING WORKGROUP In line with recommendations from the SBSRI taskforce report, the SBSRC launched its first Grant Writing Workgroup in the summer of 2016. Through Workgroup meetings and activities, the SBSRC provided training and mentoring to nine faculty members. Faculty represented diverse departments and units including Agricultural Economics; Boys Town; Child, Youth and Family Studies; Communication Studies; Educational Administration; the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools; and Nutrition and Health Sciences.
11
Grant Writing Workgroup activities included: * explicit instruction on best practices for writing grants in general and for specific agencies * panel discussions with experienced grant writers, grant review panelists, and Consortium Partners providing on-campus resources * guidance and ongoing support for personal goal setting and motivational management * protected time for writing of specific grant sections, peer review, and revision * individual consultations and feedback from facilitators Through these activities, participating faculty receive a comprehensive overview of the grant process including how to identify potential funding opportunities, develop a concept paper, contact program officers, respond to initial reviews, and move to a successfully funded grant.
SUPPORTING RESEARCH
The SBSRC initiated a new internal funding mechanism to connect researchers with system resources to promote cooperation and relationship building.
SBSRC VOUCHER PROGRAM The SBSRC initiated a novel voucher seed grant program to facilitate new connections between NU faculty and research support services leading to published research and grant submissions. The vouchers are designed to allow researchers with novel ideas to use system resources to address their research needs, promoting cooperation and building relationships among the many entities that are part of the University of Nebraska. A total of 22 vouchers were awarded during FY2016 to faculty from more than a dozen different departments. 2016 Awarded Vouchers Included: Hair-derived Assay as a Feasible Measure of Latent Trait Cortisol (LTC) levels. Will Spaulding and Cynthia Willis Esqueda of the Department of Psychology utilized the services of the Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior (CB3) Salivary Bioscience Laboratory (SBL) to assess the role of stress and related factors in racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations. Evaluation of Adult and Youth Learning Experiences at Raising Nebraska. Jamie Lozzio of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication and Elizabeth Janning, Extension Educator, worked with the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR) to assess Raising Nebraska, a joint effort between the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nebraska Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska State Fair, in preparation for submitting proposals to USDA and NSF. Development and Pilot Testing of a Community Engagement Survey Instrument. Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Public Health partnered with the Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) to develop a survey and community engagement protocol for use in future research. Integration of Software Engineering into Computer Science Courses. Suzette Person of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering partnered with the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS) to conduct a pilot study of a software engineering course, which will be used for an NSF Revolutionizing Engineering Departments proposal. Creation of a Coupled Model of Water Basin and Human Systems Interactions for Decision Making. Craig Allen of the School of Natural Resources, Francesco Munoz-Arriola of Biological Systems Engineering, and Christine Reed of the University of Omaha worked with the Public Policy Center (PPC) on a proposal to the NSF’s Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems program.
13
SUPPORTING RESEARCH
Minority health research was supported through the SBSRC’s seed grant program.
MINORITY HEALTH SEED GRANTS Four minority health projects were supported through SBSRC seed grants during FY2016. These funded projects, awarded to faculty from the Departments of Communication Studies, Psychology, and Sociology have enabled researchers to generate multiple publications and NIH grant submissions. One example from this initiative is the project “Family Dynamics, Identity, and Psychological Well-being in Multiethnic-racial Individuals” led by Associate Professor of Communication Studies Jordan Soliz. Dr. Soliz began studying the growing population of multiracial-ethnic individuals because he feels their voices deserve to be heard and that it can provide important insight into how race and ethnicity function in today’s society. The SBSRC’s minority health seed grant helped Dr. Soliz address the challenges of access and to design recruitment strategies that are both successful and respectful to the population, which is key when studying any minority population. The seed grant financial support allowed him to implement innovative recruitment strategies in conducting his study with support from the Bureau of Sociological Research. In addition, Dr. Soliz also benefited from enhanced collaborations with the Minority Health Disparities Initiative and the SBSRC.
“IN ADDITION TO THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT, BEING ABLE TO TALK WITH COLLEAGUES AFFILIATED WITH THE SBSRC HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE EQUALLY BENEFICIAL.” JORDAN SOLIZ
Associate Professor Department of Communication Studies
15
innovation
CAMPUS INITIATIVES ta
co
lle
The SBSRC strengthens interdisciplinary initiatives by facilitating collaborations with social and behavioral scientists.
social science
campus resources
n
m io
tiu
ct
sor
behavioral science
da
con
ta
se
ts
to
ol
s
s
ch
ce
ar
ur
se
so
re
re
application
collaborations
data analysis
da
collaboration data suppor t
methods
information
interdisciplinary
initiatives
multidisciplinary
connection teamwork
INTERDISCIPLINARY INITIATIVES Interdisciplinary research is increasingly emphasized in federal research opportunities. The SBSRC has worked to build awareness and engage faculty in these types of collaborations. We organized a session on “Building Transdisciplinary Research Collaborations” at the UNL Fall Research Fair, which showcased a number of researchers who are successfully collaborating across disciplines. In addition, the SBSRC promoted interdisciplinary connections by hosting a social and behavioral sciences focused session for the University of Nebraska multi-campus Food for Health Initiative. This session was attended by more than 20 researchers from across campus, and featured an attendee from UNMC in order to promote cross NU-campus collaborations. Several attendees went forward and applied for and were awarded Food for Health grants. As a result, more than half of the funded projects involved one or more social or behavioral scientists as part of their team.
17 The SBSRC also supported the NU FEWS (Food, Energy, and Water Systems) Initiative by participating in initial interest meetings and presenting on the potential human dimensions of food, energy, and water systems research. Representatives from the SBSRC attended the NU FEWS Scoping Workshop and provided mentoring and linkages to social and behavioral science expertise at the Jumpstart workshop. A key way in which the SBSRC supports initiatives and helps UNL to take advantage of fast-arising opportunities is by facilitating the creation of new teams. In response to the Big Ten Academic Alliance Health Equity Initiative, the SBSRC served as the primary organizing force behind UNL’s participation. The SBSRC coordinated efforts with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and formed the UNL Health Equity response team, comprised of 16 faculty recruited from across a number of disciplines. Representatives from SBSRC participated in meetings at the Big Ten Headquarters and submitted a successful UNL-led pre-proposal. Currently, UNL is actively participating in the development of the full collaborative grant proposal, and representatives from the SBSRC are playing leadership roles in two of the four proposal writing workgroups.
CAMPUS INITIATIVES
The SBSRC supports the Central Plains Research Data Center which provides researchers with unique opportunities to access restricted-use data.
CENTRAL PLAINS RESEARCH DATA CENTER UNL successfully secured a National Science Foundation grant to initiate the Central Plains Research Data Center (CPRDC), with Mindy Anderson-Knott (SBSRC) playing a key role in forming the research team, led by Principal Investigator Robert Belli. This Federal Statistical Research Data Center, a partnership between federal statistical agencies and the research institutions participating in the CPRDC consortium, opened its doors in 2015. UNL is extremely fortunate to have this secure facility providing researchers with unique opportunities to access restricted-use data. The CPRDC, directed by John Anderson and managed by U.S. Census Bureau employee Veronica Roth, has four primary areas of expertise: Great Plains data, survey research methodology, statistical modeling, and research on health and social disparities. In addition to UNL, the CPRDC consortium currently includes Iowa State University, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the University of South Dakota, and the University of Iowa. The SBSRC supports the CPRDC by assisting with outreach connecting faculty with restricted federal data sets. Several CPRDC presentations were held over the past year to raise awareness of UNL’s new Research Data Center, its available data, and how to access that data. The SBSRC organized and publicized such events, which were attended by interested researchers from across campus. In light of the NU Food for Health Initiative, the SBSRC also created a resource highlighting RDC data that are relevant to food and health issues, and hosted a presentation to showcase this information. Currently, the SBSRC is developing a new initiative to encourage and facilitate faculty in the synergistic development of proposals that serve dual purposes – both benefiting the Census Bureau and leveraging the CPRDC data for high impact fundable projects. For more information on how to use the CPRDC, visit http://cba.unl.edu/outreach/central-plainsfederal-statistical-research-data-center/
19 CENSUS DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
CENSUS ECONOMIC DATA
LINKED BUSINESS AND HOUSEHOLD DATA
PUBLIC HEALTH DATA
CAMPUS INITIATIVES
The Minority Health Disparities Initiative supports research to understand and address health disparities.
MINORITY HEALTH DISPARITIES INITIATIVE
UNL’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) is supported by funding awarded through the SBSRC. The mission of MHDI is to create and support a community of minority health scholars and increase the participation of minority scholars at all levels of health-related research. This year, MHDI launched four new community-based community health projects in Nebraska, and oversaw the submission of more than 20 new NIH, CDC, and NSF funding proposals. In addition, a number of ongoing efforts aimed at promoting research were undertaken including a multi-institutional conference, external speakers, community conversation events, and an MHDI writer’s retreat that produced a new book on health disparities in the Central Plains. To support the next generation of minority health scholars, MHDI supported postdoctoral scholars, completed the third year of an NSF-supported Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, and created an Undergraduate Research Assistant Program in collaboration with the McNair Scholars program. MHDI was established in 2012 by Psychology Professor Rick Bevins and Mindy Anderson-Knott (SBSRC). Currently, the work of MHDI is led by Sociology Professor Kirk Dombrowski, coordinated by Kimberly Gocchi Carrasco, and overseen by an Advisory Board chaired by Dr. Bevins. SBSRC faculty and staff continue to be actively involved with MHDI by connecting faculty with research projects, mentoring MHDI staff, participating in MHDI strategic planning, and connecting UNL with statewide stakeholders by serving on the Nebraska Minority Health Council. In addition, the MERC Evaluation Unit collaborates with MHDI in evaluating minority health projects across the state of Nebraska. For more information, or to get involved with MHDI, please visit mhdi.unl.edu, where events, resources, and contact opportunities are updated frequently.
21
COLLABORATIONS
The SBSRC supports researchers in creating new collaborations that address important societal issues.
CROSS-DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATIONS One of the SBSRC’s primary goals is to facilitate promising cross-disciplinary collaborations. SBSRC supports the creation of new, synergistic partnerships through referrals, team building activities, and funding. As one example, the SBSRC’s first voucher award connected Dr. Virginia Chaidez, Nutrition and Health Sciences assistant professor, with the Bureau of Sociological Research (BOSR), and also facilitated the development of her interdisciplinary collaboration with Dr. Angela Palmer-Wackerly, an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies. The BOSR provided transcription services for Dr. Chaidez’s Community Health Worker (CHW) interviews, which allowed her time to spend on higher-level research activities. In the time it would have taken her to transcribe the interviews, she was able to focus on a new collaboration with Dr. Palmer-Wackerly. Together, they conceptualized and mapped out a series of projects that grew from the original voucher project. Dr. Chaidez initially thought she would focus on CHW research as a means to addressing nutrition-related chronic disease, such as obesity and diabetes. But after meeting with Dr. Palmer-Wackerly, she quickly came to realize that this work has implications for an array of health problems in a state with growing diversity. This collaborative work prepares the researchers for new opportunities to measure the effects of best practices on various health outcomes, helps inform best practices for utilization of CHWs, and has potential to inform future healthcare policy in Nebraska.
“WE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, BUT TOGETHER WE MAKE A GREAT TEAM BUILDING ON THIS THEME OF USING COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TO ADDRESS POPULATION HEALTH.” VIRGINIA CHAIDEZ Assistant Professor Nutrition and Health Sciences
23
COLLABORATIONS
The SBSRC facilitates connections between researchers, Centers, and NU campuses.
CROSS-CAMPUS COLLABORATIONS Over the past year, the SBSRC facilitated many connections between faculty and resources within UNL, as well as across NU campuses. In addition to facilitating collaborations through NU initiatives, the SBSRC referred faculty to researchers and resources across campuses and awarded cross-campus vouchers. The SBSRC connected Dr. Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, from UNMC’s College of Public Health, with researchers from UNL’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI). The collaboration was facilitated through the SBSRC voucher program, which provided Dr. Watanabe-Galloway with support to work with MHDI. The work revolved around the Community Engagement Survey Instrument Development project, a capstone project for Nithal Kuwa, graduate student at UNMC. Dr. Kirk Dombrowski and Kim Matthews, MHDI researchers, supported the project by consulting on the research design, conducting focus groups with Sudanese community stakeholders, developing a survey, pilot testing the survey, and creating a community engagement protocol. Kim Matthews provided vital expertise with collecting qualitative data. This voucher helped build a significant and sustainable research bridge between UNMC and UNL.
“THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE HAD A PROJECT WITH UNL. I AM VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURES AT UNL.” DR. WATANABE-GALLOWAY Associate Professor UNMC Department of Epidemiology
25
Bureau of Business Research
COLLEGE ARTS & SCIENCES 32
90
145
Center for Entrepreneurship
6
Anthropology
Chemistry
Biochemistry
Communication Studies
Biological Science
Computer Science
Economics Management Marketing
Center on Children Family Law
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences English
Modern Language and Literature
Ethnic Studies
Philosophy
History
Physics and Astronomy
Mathematics
2
18
Political Science
The SBSRC advances its mission, through enhancing connections across, between, and beyond the University of Nebraska campuses. Toward these ends, the SBSRC engages in outreach activities through presentations, meetings, and events (see story on p. 15); awards funding to enhance promising collaborations (see stories on pp. 11-13); and offers training to faculty members (see story on p. 9); supports existing resources (see stories on pp. 17-19) and provides services for internal and external partners (see stories on pp. 5-7). This graphic illustrates the reach of these activities across campuses and beyond.
4
COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SCIENCES
Women’s & Gender Studies
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE 9
Training
Numbers for each college indicate the approximate number of persons reached in a college. Department bar graphs show the relative distribution of SBSRC’s reach within specific college departments.
Psychology
Statistics
Service
COLLEGE OF LAW 1
Sociology
Outreach
Funding
6
75
39
5
4
1 Advertising
Children, Youth and Family Studies Educational Administration
Architecture
Educational Psychology
Community and Regional Planning
Nebraska Center for Research on Youth, Family and School Nutrition and Health Sciences
Special Education and Communication Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education Textile, Merchandising and Fashion Design
Architectural Engineering
BEYOND UNL 3
Biological Systems Engineering Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Civil Engineering
29
23
1
UNK
Other Academic Institutions
UNMC
Nebraska State Agencies
UNO
Other External Entities
REACHING ACROSS NU CAMPUSES AND BEYOND
Electrical Engineering
HIXSON-LIED COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS
Mechanical Engineering
2
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Arts and Art History
36
29
OTHER UNL 1
CASNR AND IANR 4
124
48
56
24
Buros Institute 2
Plant Health Plant Pathology
4-H Youth Development Agricultural Economics
School of Natural Resources
Center for Brain, Biology & Behavior Museum Nebraska Innovation Campus Nebraska Rural Initiative
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication Agronomy and Horticulture
UNL Extension
Public Policy Center Raikes School of Computer Science and Management
Animal Science Center for Plant Science Innovation Entomology Food Science and Technology Geography
University Libraries
27
The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.
402.472.7670 SBSRC.UNL.EDU SBSRC@UNL.EDU 234 PREM S. PAUL RESEARCH CENTER AT WHITTIER SCHOOL 2200 VINE STREET