Bodi Vasi, associate professor of sociology and criminology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and CSSI researcher affiliate, studies how organizations engage in environmental sustainability. As researchers gain access to increasingly larger amounts of text data, many are beginning to explore how AI tools can advance their work. To inspire others, Vasi will lead an April 22 CSSI workshop titled “Using LLMs to Develop Variables for the Social Sciences,” using his preliminary data. The workshop will show how social scientists can use LLMs to create novel measures that can be used in quantitative research. Read our feature of Bodi Vasi.

During Graduate Student Appreciation week in April, we interviewed Chase LaSpisa, PhD student of political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and CSSI graduate consultant. His work with CSSI has helped him grow skills needed for his future career while helping faculty solve research challenges. Read his Q & A.

Last year, Julie Lee, assistant professor of health management and policy in the College of Public Health and CSSI researcher affiliate, was an awardee of CSSI’s inaugural Surveying the Social World initiative. Now, she is using the survey data to explore how public perceptions of healthcare affordability and quality impact support for public health initiatives, such as vaccination programs and quitting smoking campaigns, and how individual health attitudes and behaviors shape those views.

The University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) awarded two University of Iowa researchers the Surveying the Social World (SSW) opportunity, a competitive program that provides UI researchers with funding and support to collect high-quality, nationally representative survey data from 1,000 U.S. adults.

A new University of Iowa study found that mental illness is linked to violence overall, but not specifically to firearm violence or mass shootings. Mark Berg, professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and director of CSSI, led the study. Co-authors include Andrew Krajewski, Yi-Fang Lu, postdoctoral research scholar at CSSI, and Ethan Rogers, associate director of CSSI.

Brian Ekdale, professor of journalism and mass communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been selected for the 2026-2027 CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship. Ekdale will be advancing his project "Outliers and Amplifiers: Understanding How People and Platforms Drive Political Polarization."

CSSI’s research services team is helping researchers focus on what they do best – social science. Whether they’re assisting University of Iowa faculty in refining their project proposal, helping them navigate administrative components of the research process, or designing and executing web and telephone surveys, they help relieve the administrative burden that comes with research.

CSSI affiliate Ashley Rila, clinical assistant professor of special education in the College of Education, studies burnout experiences of school staff, including paraeducators, in Iowa, where critical shortages of these professionals persist. Last summer, Rila participated in CSSI’s Summer Researcher-in-Residence program, which gave her dedicated time and space to develop her manuscript on burnout among paraeducators.

The Center for Social Science Innovation seeks faculty and scientific staff to participate in its Summer Researcher-in-Residence program. The 10-week program provides researchers with space and resources to conduct high impact social science research. Participants also receive up to $1,500 for research-related expenses, such as support from a graduate research assistant. Apply by March 27, 2026.

CSSI researcher affiliates Ken Brown and Brian An recently purchased 10 questions through CSSI's SurveyHarvest initiative. Results from the survey of 1,000 U.S. adults yielded surprising results as to how people are using artificial intelligence tools in their personal and professional lives, prompting a drive to dive deeper. Read about the findings from Iowa Capital Dispatch.