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Nebraska researchers expand reach of TAPP family-school intervention

From left, Amanda Witte, CYFS research assistant professor, and Susan Sheridan, CYFS director, are leading efforts to expand the reach of TAPP. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

A family-school intervention program that has seen success in Nebraska and surrounding states is expanding its reach.

Susan Sheridan, director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, and Amanda Witte, CYFS research assistant professor, are working with University of Wisconsin researchers to bring the Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) intervention to schools in their state, along with ongoing studies in the region. Full Article

Grand Challenges research effort leverages STEM to inspire climate action

The RISE with Insects research team includes, from left, Susan Weller, director of the University of Nebraska State Museum; Sarah Roberts, Extension educator in science and nature education for early childhood; Ana María Vélez Arango, assistant professor of insect toxicology; Louise Lynch-O’Brien, assistant professor of insect biology and Extension specialist; and Holly Hatton-Bowers, associate professor of child, youth and family studies and Extension specialist. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

After decades of work, many researchers believe climate change poses the greatest global threat to human health — and that youth are the most vulnerable to the impacts and most-dire consequences, both today and in the future.

Black, Latinx, Native American and other youth of color may be disproportionately affected by climate change with deepening inequalities in access to clean air and water, healthy foods and forced migration. Full Article

Grand Challenges research effort aims to prevent sexual violence among Indigenous youth

Funded by a $3.2 million UNL Grand Challenges Catalyst Award, Nebraska researcher Katie Edwards is leading a four-year project to establish an Indigenous-led sexual violence prevention facility on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Learn more about the project in the CYFS Research Network.

For the past six years, Nebraska educational psychologist Katie Edwards has worked with Native American communities and organizations to combat sexual violence — a trauma Indigenous peoples experience at rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Full Article

RISE Project aims to improve integrated STEM instruction in elementary classrooms

Teachers participate in a STEM education class at Henzlik Hall in 2019. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

By Haley Apel, CEHS Director of Strategic Communications

Because today’s fast-paced world demands constant innovation in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM-related occupations continue to grow at a faster rate than those in non-STEM related fields. Full Article

Multi-institutional study explores how students approach course work once class ends

Researchers investigating undergraduate students’ strategies for completing out-of-class homework include, front row, from left: Allison Upchurch, Dana Kirkwood-Watts and Brian Couch. Back row, from left: Lorey Wheeler, Kati Brazeal, Sarah Spier and Gabrielle Johnson. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

As learning environments increasingly rely on online course formats that work with busy college student schedules — particularly after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — a better understanding of how students complete out-of-class assignments is crucial to ensuring equitable opportunities for academic success. Full Article

Misperceptions may increase problem drinking, dating violence among LGBTQ+ youth

Recent surveys found LGBTQ+ teens tended to overestimate the level of alcohol consumption by their LGBTQ+ peers. The results shed light on the influence of social norms and misperceptions among sexual minority teens. Learn more about the project in the CYFS Research Network.

As researchers strive to develop and expand affirming prevention and intervention efforts for sexual and gender minority youth, an ongoing project’s preliminary findings are bringing into focus the impacts of dating violence and problem drinking — and the strengths of LGBTQ+ youth. Full Article

Study: Sleep deficits add up during busy seasons for farmers, ranchers

Data from a recent study found that during peak seasons — planting, harvesting and calving — farmers and ranchers spent about 25 fewer minutes in bed and 28 fewer minutes actually sleeping each night. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

As any agricultural worker will readily admit, occasional sleep deprivation is all part of the job.

But for farmers and ranchers who routinely work around livestock and machinery, bad things can happen when sleepiness leads to lack of concentration, slower reaction times or distractibility. Full Article

Interdisciplinary program takes long-range view of visual impairment instruction

Mackenzie Savaiano, associate professor of practice in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, is leading a project to recruit and train new teachers to meet the needs of students with visual impairments. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology, the number of American preschool children with visual impairment is projected to increase by more than 25 percent in the coming decades, with most visual impairment resulting from simple uncorrected vision problems that interfere with clear sight. Full Article