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Category: Grant Related

Study explores effects of intergenerational family dynamics on child well-being

Weiman Xu, MAP Academy graduate research assistant, is exploring the association between intergenerational co-parenting and child social-emotional development. Lean more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

Family dynamics among caregivers tend to be complicated. They can become even more complex when grandparents take on co-parenting roles.

Weiman Xu, graduate research assistant at the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics (MAP Academy) and a doctoral student in the Global Family Health and Well-being program within the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, is exploring the association between intergenerational co-parenting and children’s social-emotional development. Full Article

Research aims to reduce rural child obesity with responsive feeding practices

Dipti Dev, associate professor of child, youth and family studies and Nebraska Extension specialist, is spearheading a five-year project to help rural child care programs foster healthy eating habits among young children. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

In early childhood, healthy eating habits lay the foundation for lifelong wellness, helping prevent many chronic health issues.

Promoting these habits is particularly important for children in rural communities, where resources are sometimes limited. Research shows that rural children are 26% more likely to experience obesity than their urban peers. Full Article

Researchers using brain-connected technology to enhance life for children with speech and physical impairments

Kevin Pitt, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, is leading a five-year project that uses brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to facilitate better communication for children with severe speech and physical impairments. Learn more about this study in the CYFS Research Network.

Approximately 97 million people worldwide have disabilities that require alternative communication (AAC) devices for communication support. However, many disabled children do not possess the motor abilities and spelling skills needed to use such devices, leaving them marginalized and unable to benefit from this technology. Full Article

Research supports vulnerable youth in the journey from expulsion and juvenile detention to graduation

Project researchers include, front row from left: Loukia Sarroub, Alex Mason and Sarah Staples-Farmer. Back row from left: Randy Farmer, Natalie Koziol, Debbie Minter and Eric Buhs. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

The journey from detention to diploma is a challenging one for students transitioning from expulsion or the juvenile justice system to the classroom.

More than 25,000 youth reside in detention facilities on any given day in the United States. About two-thirds of those youth do not successfully re-engage with school upon their release, due to the lack of effective transition supports. Full Article

Study targets effects of substance misuse on hearing, balance

Michelle Hughes, professor of special education and communication disorders, is leading the University of Nebraska’s portion of a large-scale, multi-site project examining the implications of illicit drug use on both hearing and balance. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

A few years ago, Michelle Hughes, an audiologist and professor of special education and communication disorders, came across a journal article about an individual who experienced a drug overdose and ended up with sudden hearing loss.

Then she found more articles featuring similar stories. She was fascinated. Full Article

MAP Academy opens call for 2024-25 ‘Catalyst’ proposals

Applied Analytics & Data Infrastructure Catalyst Call for Proposals

A new funding opportunity is available to support faculty engaged in field-based human subjects research.

The MAP Academy invites interdisciplinary faculty across all campuses to submit proposals for the Applied Analytics and Data Infrastructure (AADI) Catalyst Program — an initiative to support the rigor of high-quality, field-based human research at the University of Nebraska. The program launched last fiscal year and is made possible through a grant from the Nebraska Research Initiative. Full Article

Project examines public perceptions on poverty’s causes, solutions

Jamy Rentschler, MAP Academy postdoctoral fellow, is researching people’s changing perception of poverty and government assistance to the poor.

Public opinion toward poverty in the United States — and financial assistance from the government — is divided.

According to research, many Americans support federal spending on assistance to the poor, but not federal spending on welfare.

To better understand this disparity, a pilot project led by Jamy Rentschler, MAP Academy postdoctoral fellow, and Brandi Woodell, UNL graduate and current Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University, are exploring how people determine a person’s deservingness of receiving financial assistance, and the types of assistance they view as acceptable. Full Article

Cross-campus collaboration helps sharpen focus on teacher shortages, job satisfaction

Aprille Phillips, associate professor of educational administration at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, is exploring teacher job satisfaction and retention in rural Nebraska in a project funded by the Nebraska Department of Education. (Photo courtesy of Ana Salazar, UNK videographer and multimedia specialist).

Last fall, more than 900 teacher positions in Nebraska were either vacant or filled by underqualified personnel, according to the Nebraska Department of Education.

With so many vacancies, school districts are forced to compete for candidates from a relatively small pool — something that can have long-term negative effects on rural Nebraska communities. Full Article