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Category: Grant Related

Resource toolkit enables Nebraska Extension personnel to Reach Out for Wellness

Nebraska researchers have developed a toolkit of resources to help Extension professionals cope with the challenges of their work — and seek support — through better understanding of their own well-being. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

As frontline caregiving professionals, Nebraska Extension professionals provide vital assistance to communities during the state’s disaster response and recovery efforts, and offer a lifeline for many struggling to cope during times of crisis.

Holly Hatton-Bowers, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies, is the program director of a national project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and housed at CYFS, focused on supporting the wellness of Extension personnel following natural disasters. Full Article

Brain-computer interface enhancing communication for those with severe physical impairments

Kevin Pitt, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, prepares an EEG cap for use on a P300 speller device (Photo by Kelcey Buck, Special Education and Communication Disorders). Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

As computer technology continues to evolve and become more routine in daily life, researchers and engineers alike are working to find new ways to link computer technology with the human brain.

Using a direct communication pathway between a wired brain and an external device to produce commands is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Brain-computer interface, or BCI, is now evolving reality — and one that promises enhanced quality of life for people with severe physical impairments (SPIs). Full Article

Community-based research aims to improve support for sex trafficking survivors

Researchers and practitioners are collaborating to better understand sex trafficking survivors’ perceptions of services they are receiving — and to learn what services they find most helpful in supporting their recovery. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Katie Edwards, director of the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory and associate professor, CYFS and educational psychology, is leading research to better understand how sex trafficking survivors regard the services they receive — and to learn what services they find most helpful. Full Article

CYFS releases 2020-21 annual report

View the 2020-21 CYFS annual report: Interactive | PDF

Despite the unusual circumstances of the past year and a half, the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools has remained focused on impacting lives through research that advances learning and development.

With diverse partners in research, practice and policy, CYFS has continued work to address the social, behavioral and educational needs of communities in Nebraska and beyond — both amid and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Article

Study assesses modified evaluation method for students placed at risk

HyeonJin Yoon, research assistant professor, Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics, is assessing the validity of a new evaluation method for targeted educational interventions for students placed at risk. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

HyeonJin Yoon, research assistant professor, Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics, is assessing the validity of a new evaluation method for targeted educational interventions for students placed at risk.

Regression discontinuity design (RDD) is an evaluation that assesses the impact of a need-based, targeted intervention. It relies on a cutoff point on an assignment measure that typically evaluates participants’ need, or threshold, above or below which an intervention is assigned. By comparing post-test scores around the cutoff, researchers can identify the intervention’s impact on a given outcome. Full Article

Study examines bonds between babies, parents

Patty Kuo, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies, is leading a pilot project to explore how attachment security to mothers and fathers develops in a baby’s first 18 months — and how those attachment configurations predict outcomes in the child’s first three years. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

It may seem obvious, but the emotional bond babies develop with their parents is crucial — not only for their survival, but also to ensure positive outcomes throughout life.

Less-obvious, however, is how this bond — known as attachment — develops. Full Article

Youth Arise encourages youth civic engagement, entrepreneurship

Kieu-Anh Do, Youth Arise project coordinator, helps a student during the July 2021 Youth Arise camp in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. (Photos by Evan Choi) Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

With the world becoming more complex each day, the importance of civic knowledge and community engagement is on the rise — especially among younger generations.

Nebraska researchers are leading a project designed to provide civics, entrepreneurship and leadership education to underserved youth through an innovative learning program based on interactive online games and simulations. Full Article

Nebraska part of nationwide study on infant, toddler cerebral palsy interventions

Nebraska researchers are part of a multi-institution project to compare the effectiveness of two physical therapy interventions for young children with or at risk for cerebral palsy. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of infant-onset physical disability, affecting 17 million worldwide.

Physical therapy is often used to help infants and toddlers in this population strengthen their ability to sit and move, but recent findings emphasize the importance of also offering opportunities to advance children’s cognitive development in addition to motor skills. Full Article