Millennium Café

The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)

Social and behavioral science research deepens our understanding of the forces that shape how people live as well as interact within their families, communities, and broader society and cultures. This knowledge is crucial for informing public policy, developing innovative solutions to global challenges, and ultimately improving the quality of life and well-being for people and communities. SSRI and the research we support builds the path towards impact. Like other STEM fields, social and behavioral science research is grounded in theory, employs conceptual frameworks, uses rigorous analytic methods, and seeks ultimately to understand causal pathways and moderating factors. By collecting multilevel data with novel methods, social science research offers insights and potential solutions to a broad array of problems. Ultimately, research supports evidence-based recommendations that inform practice, programs, and policy in areas ranging from healthcare and education to economic development and disaster response. Understanding human behavior and human networks also helps ensure that new innovations are successfully applied and implemented with a focus on public impact. 

We will illustrate segments of the breadth and depth of social and behavioral science research here at Penn State by describing three currently NIH-funded projects coalesced around the research area of maternal and child health. Research in this field is critical to better understand and reduce infant and maternal mortality rates, both higher in the US than in other high-income countries. Each illustrates a different study design, innovative uses of primary data collection and secondary data sources, and the strong potential for impact on real-world practice,  programs, and policy.

Deborah Ehrenthal | Director, SSRI
Professor of Biobehavioral Health

Danielle Symons Downs | Associate Director, SSRI
Professor of Kinesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology

Koraly Pérez-Edgar | Associate Director, SSRI
McCourtney Professor of Child Studies

The Biodefense/Biosecurity Initiative at the Applied Research Laboratory works with faculty across the spectrum of PSU research expertise to develop novel ideas into applied solutions for the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and other government agencies. Whether your expertise is in Agriculture, AI, Data Science, Engineering, Health and Medicine, Infectious Disease, Materials Science, or any other discipline, and you think that your research could be applied to national biosecurity risks, we want to hear about your ideas.  This talk will give a brief overview of our program and some of the topic areas where our government customers have current needs that you may be able to assist with. 

Amanda Clase  |  ARL - Huck Institutes - Biodefense Initiative

Young people are reshaping how we think about climate solutions by bringing imagination, culture, and creativity into the conversation. Our research explores how students connect everyday choices, community engagement, and global concerns into new ways of thinking about sustainability. These perspectives highlight overlooked dimensions of culture and emotion in climate solutions, pointing toward more resilient and inclusive pathways for the future.

Harman Singh  |  Geography & Climate Science

Mark Ortiz  |  Geography & IEE & SSRI

At the Materials Research Institute (MRI), we serve as Penn State’s hub for interdisciplinary materials research, uniting faculty, students, and staff across colleges to tackle pressing scientific and societal challenges. MRI integrates world-class facilities, expert staff, and vibrant research centers to advance materials synthesis, characterization, computation, and manufacturing, enabling discoveries that transform energy, health, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. This talk will highlight how MRI fosters collaboration through open-access laboratories, convergent research initiatives, and seed grant programs, and how it connects Penn State researchers with global partners and industry leaders to accelerate innovation and broaden impact. At MRI, we are building an inclusive, future-focused community where research excellence, education, and innovation intersect, accelerating discovery, training the next generation, and amplifying Penn State’s impact worldwide.

Zoubeida Ounaies | Distinguished Professor and MRI Associate Director

Quantum materials lie at the heart of the next wave of transformative technologies, enabling advances in computing, sensing, and secure communication. At Penn State’s Materials Research Institute, researchers are pushing the frontiers of this field by combining expertise in synthesis, fabrication, characterization, and theory to uncover the fundamental mechanisms that govern quantum behavior at the nanoscale. In this talk, I will introduce the promise of quantum materials broadly, then highlight Penn State efforts such as developing high-purity materials for stable qubits and engineering functional oxides to precisely tune quantum states. These examples illustrate how interdisciplinary teams spanning physics, engineering, and materials science are driving new approaches to quantum information and sensing. I will close by introducing the new Quantum Hub at Penn State, which will bring together expertise across the university to catalyze collaboration, foster innovation, and position Penn State as a leader in quantum materials research and technology development.

Stephanie Law | Associate Director of the Quantum Hub Wilson Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

The Institute of Energy and the Environment

Energy and environment are intertwined. At Penn State, we do not have separate institutes for energy and environment: we have a single institute encompassing both topics because they should often not be viewed separately. The types of energy sources and fuels we use, and the products for our lifestyles enabled by our energy infrastructure, combine to present the greatest challenges for our natural and built environment. Like the other institutes at Penn State, IEE works to foster collaborations and fuel interdisciplinary research in the areas central to our institute's mission. Our research topics span a huge scale, from molecules polluting our environment that could last forever to the need to have energy sources spanning the scales of milliwatts to terawatts. The IEE has identified five themes to open up silos and create new playing fields where we can work together to address challenges of climate change, water sustainability, providing safe, equitable, and healthy communities, and ensuring resilience in our built environment. In this talk, I will briefly describe what IEE is doing to enable groups to come together through developing our theme-based communities and providing funding to launch new research directions across departments, colleges, and other research institutes at Penn State. 

Bruce Logan  |  Director, IEE