Center for Policy Research in Environment, Energy, and Community
About the Center for Policy Research in Environment, Energy, and Community
The Social Science Research Institute has established a Center for Policy Research in Environment, Energy, and Community to further current policy activities in the social sciences in Penn State colleges and institutes, and to work to develop additional catalytic activities that encourage collaboration, facilitate research, augment teaching, and inform public policy realms through effective outreach. This institutional capacity will boost the ability of faculty to compete effectively for grant opportunities and facilitate the creation and dissemination of new and important knowledge across units, across the University, and within the realms of environment, energy and community well-being. Such an institutional context will enable the University to support the widest range of research interests and research projects from the individual to the multi-investigator scale.
The Center is organized around three functional areas--research and grant writing, community outreach, and policy communication. Investments in the Center may yield greatly enhanced research services, outreach and engagement, and a stimulating intellectual environment that ultimately can lead to greater research productivity and impact throughout and outside the University.
The activities of the Center will initially focus on four areas:
Pennsylvania Policy Notes will be a communication tool used to disseminate faculty research. Pennsylvania Policy notes will be 1500-1800 word data-oriented documents that convey the essence of a policy problem using well-know and widely available data sets. These may emerge from policy analysis reports, reflect a synthesis of relevant research on a subject, or report early findings of research.
Pennsylvania Policy Studies will offer deeper and more rigorous policy analyses addressing critical issues facing the Center's primary areas of expertise. These reports will include a focus on unique and highly relevant data sources, a policy frame either in existence, under revision or currently under review, or a problem facing communities, environments, and families in the state.
Policy Briefings for State Legislators and Agency Personnel. The fruits of research have significance to state and national policy makers. Short, clear and detailed briefings about "hot button" issues can have major significance to local, state and federal elected and appointed officials. Topics could include: The special needs of Pennsylvania's population in preparation for the 2010 Census, Data sources for policy making; Changes in federal legislation concerning energy, water, commerce, immigration; Carbon sequestration; life style choices and public health outcomes; infectious disease transmission and propagation mitigation, and a host of other complex problems.
Policy Database Development and Management
For More Information
Contact:
Amy Glasmeier, Director
akg1@ems.psu.edu
Last modified: 06/12/08 | Contact Webmaster
