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Posts Tagged ‘Institute for Social Research’
Detroit area science teachers selected for U-M/WSU research fellowship
Four Detroit area science teachers have been selected to participate in an innovative new research fellowship at the Michigan Center for Urban African American Research (MCUAAAR), a collaborative program jointly operated by the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. MCUAAAR is one of six national resource centers for minority aging research focusing on investigating and reducing disparities between minority and non-minority older adults. The one-year fellowship—the African American Aging Summer Immersion for Science Teachers—is designed to provide middle school, high school, and community college teachers with an opportunity to learn about the field of minority aging, and to enrich the social science and science curricula with this new knowledge. [Read more...]
Viewing sneezing and coughing in public raises fears
Seeing other people sneeze and cough affects how people view the U.S. health care system and how likely they are to support federal spending to develop a flu vaccine, a University of Michigan study shows. "We found that exposure to public sneezing and coughing increased risk perception even for risks that are completely unrelated to the flu," said Norbert Schwarz, a research professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research, a professor in the U-M Department of Psychology and a professor at the U-M Ross School of Business. "We also found that people were unaware that exposure to public symptoms of the flu had influenced their judgments of risk, their views about government spending on flu research or their opinion of the U.S. health care system." [Read more...]
ISR to conduct second survey of investigator experiences in human research
This fall the Institute for Social Research (ISR) will conduct the second online Survey of Investigator Experiences in Human Research. The results from the first survey, conducted in fall 2007, established a set of empirically based benchmarks describing experience with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and approval process, the usability of the eResearch system, access to and use of resources related to human subjects research, and attitudes towards research practices. The results also provided information to IRB administrators on the Ann Arbor campus about investigator experience with the regulatory system for conducting human subjects research. The surveys are being conducted in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Research. ISR retains all data from the surveys and results are reported only in summary form. [Read more...]
U-M professor testifies to Congress on health trends among former NFL players
The author of a U-M study on the needs of retired NFL players testified before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday on the role of his research in the debate over how to best address dementia in former pro athletes. David Weir, associate director of the Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research, told the panel that “faced with the aging of the U.S. population, we are all looking for policies and programs to serve the needs of people after a lifetime of hard work. This unique population of retired football players is an intriguing place to look for challenges and solutions.” [Read more...]
U-M study: Costs of plug-in cars key to broad consumer acceptance
A University of Michigan survey released Oct. 21, 2009 shows widespread consumer interest in buying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). But the cost of the cars is much more influential than environmental and other non-economic factors as a predictor of purchase probabilities. "The data provide strong evidence that a combination of economic and social incentives may be most effective in successfully introducing these vehicles," said economist Richard Curtin, director of the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, conducted by the U-M Institute for Social Research. [Read more...]
U-M researcher discusses how the state of Michigan can rebound from poverty
As poverty’s grip continues across the nation, a high unemployment rate in Michigan has weakened the state’s economy and financially devastated many families. In this podcast, Institute of Social Research expert Reynolds Farley, Research Professor Emeritus at the Population Studies Center and Professor Emeritus of Sociology, talks about the state's poverty rate and how Michigan can rebound in this podcast. [Listen to podcast...]
Consumer survey suggests slow economic recovery
Consumer spending will lag rather than lead the recovery from the current recession, according to University of Michigan economist Richard Curtin. "In the coming years, U.S. consumers will save more and spend less," said Curtin, director of the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. "The recovery will be slow and uneven, and it could take a decade or more for consumers to restore their sense of financial security to pre-recession levels." [Read more...]
U-M joins other leading research universities to launch futurity.org
A group of leading research universities has launched Futurity (www.futurity.org), an online research channel covering the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health and more. The University of Michigan is one of 35 partners supporting the project. Given the changes occurring in the news business, the partner universities are looking for ways to share important breakthroughs with the public in a new and direct way. [Read more...]