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Affiliates in the News

CSSI researcher affiliate Brian Ekdale peels back the surface of digital media
Thursday, February 6, 2025
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This article is part of a new series that profiles CSSI researcher affiliates. These profiles reveal the person behind the research, spotlighting their personal and academic trajectories and what they love about conducting research. Continue reading to discover how Brian Ekdale peels back the surface of digital media to understand people's experience and perception of the world.

CSSI researcher affiliates investigate the link between the Peruvian government’s response to natural disasters and political violence
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Written by
Sara Mitchell and Elise Pizzi, researcher affiliates in the Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI), analyze how the Peruvian government’s response to natural disasters influenced political violence in the country.

Reckless Driving Isn’t Just a Design Problem
Thursday, January 23, 2025
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Ever wonder what would happen if the police just stopped enforcing traffic laws?

CSSI researcher affiliate Bingbing Zhang examines how media messages can promote scientific and political literacy
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Written by
This article is part of a new series that profiles CSSI researcher affiliates. These profiles reveal the person behind the research, spotlighting their personal and academic trajectories and what they love about conducting research. Continue reading to learn more about how Bingbing Zhang studies the relationship between media messages and scientific and political literacy.

CSSI researcher affiliate James Wo connects city design to crime levels
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Written by
This article is the first in a new series that profiles CSSI researcher affiliates. These profiles reveal the person behind the research, spotlighting their personal and academic trajectories and what they love about conducting research. Continue reading to learn how James Wo connects city design to crime levels.

CSSI researcher affiliate studies equity in high school Spanish classrooms across Iowa
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Written by
David Cassels Johnson, researcher affiliate in the Center for Social Science Innovation, examines how Iowa high school Spanish teachers accommodate and uplift heritage Spanish-speaking students.

CSSI researcher affiliate investigates how introductory STEM courses affect academic success
Monday, November 18, 2024
Written by
Nicholas Bowman, professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies in the College of Education, recently published a study examining the impact of STEM course placement on the short- and long-term academic success of undergraduate students.

Patrick Barlow, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Research Areas: Survey Research; Program Evaluation; Psychometrics; Medical Education; Text Analysis

Nicholas Bowman, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
Research Areas: College Students; Student Success; Educational Interventions; College Rankings; College Admissions

Katherine C. Britt, PhD, MSN, RN
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Gerontological Nursing
Research Areas: Spiritual and Religious Activities; Dementia; Caregivers; Cognitive Health

Katharine M. Broton, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
Research Areas: Sociology of Education; Social Stratification; Higher Education Policy

Ken Brown, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Educational Policy & Leadership Studies
Professor, Management & Entrepreneurship
Research Areas: Workplace Training and Learning; Higher Education

Colin Case, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Research Areas: Elections, Congress, Text Analysis

David Cassels Johnson, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning
Research Areas: Language Policy; Critical Discourse Studies; ESL and Bilingual Education; Education Policy

Amy Colbert, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Department of Management & Entrepreneurship
Research Areas: Leadership; Motivation; Identity; Social Impact, Interpersonal Relationships

Ece Demir-Lira, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences
Research Areas: Parent-child Interaction, Neurodevelopment, Socio-economic Status, Cognitive Neuroscience, Academic Development

Brian Ekdale, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Research Areas: Media; Algorithms; Global Production

Megan Gilster, MSW, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Research Areas: Housing Insecurity; Communities; Participation; Neighborhood Social Organization

David Greenwood-Sanchez, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Research Areas: Environment; Agricultural Policy; Latin America; Survey Research

Cara Hamann, PhD, MPH
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology
Research Areas: Injury Epidemiology; Transportation Safety; Injury Prevention
Sarah Hofmeyer, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Planning and Public Affairs
Research Areas: Sustainable Community Food Systems; Administrative Burdens; Urban Affairs and Planning; Hazard Mitigation

Bogdan Kapatsila, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Planning and Public Affairs
Research Areas: Travel Behavior; Sustainable Transportation Modes; Transport and Land Use

Sang Jung Kim, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Research Areas: Journalism, Misinformation, Artificial Intelligence, Visual Politics, Political Communication

Caglar Koylu, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences
Research Areas: Geographic Information Science; Cartography and Geovisualization; Spatial Analysis and Statistics; Human Mobility; Social Networks

Julie Lee, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Instructor, Department of Health Management and Policy
Research Areas: Workforce; Healthcare; Aging; Employee Work-Family Balance; Negotiation

Duhita Mahatmya, PhD
Title/Position
Research Design Specialist
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Research Scientist, College of Education
Research Areas: Positive Youth Development; Social Emotional Learning; Family Resilience; Research Methods

Daniel McGehee, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Research Areas: Vehicle Safety Policy; Driver Performance and Response; Crash Analysis, Automated Driving

Sara McLaughlin Mitchell, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Department of Political Science
Research Areas: Conflict; Institutions; International Law; Environment

Elizabeth Menninga, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Research Areas: Civil War; Conflict Resolution; Social Network Analysis

Sylvia Mikucki-Enyart, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Communication Studies
Research Areas: Relational Uncertainty, Uncertainty Management, Communication Goals, Family Relationships, Sexual Communication

Sarah Nash, PhD, MPH
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology
Research Areas: Cancer Surveillance; Health Equity; Indigenous Health

Julianna Pacheco, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Department of Political Science
Research Areas: Population Health; Political Determinants of Health; Political Behavior; Voting; Polarization

Isaac Petersen, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Research Areas: Developmental Psychopathology; Externalizing Behavior Problems; Self-regulation; School Readiness; Clinical Child Psychology

Elise Pizzi, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Political Science
Research Areas: Development, Public Goods Provision, Hazard Response and Mitigation, Ethnic Politics, Environmental Politics

Amber Joy Powell, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology
Research Areas: Crime, Law, and Social Control; Gender, Law, and Justice; Race, Crime, and Justice
Heather Reisinger, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Internal Medicine
Research Areas: Implementation Science; Ethnographic Methods; Telemedicine; Community-Engaged Scholarship

Meghan Rogers, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology
Research Areas: Cross-national Crime; Measurement of Crime and Its Correlates; Quantitative Research Methods; Criminological Theory; Social Structures and Crime

Allison Rowe, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning
Research Areas: Art Education; Community Engaged Art; Arts-based Research; Arts Integration; Socially Engaged Art
Aynsley Scheffert, PhD, LICSW
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
Research Areas: Organizational Interventions to Address Workers' Mental and Occupational Health; Coping and Stress; Mental and Behavioral Health; Occupational Health

Gregory Shill, JD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, College of Law
Research Areas: Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation; Cities and Local Government Law; Transportation Law and Policy

Caroline J. Tolbert, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Professor, Political Science
Research Areas: Governance, Election Administration and Election Policy, Voting and Participation, Technology Policy, Research Methods

Melissa Tully, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Research Areas: Misinformation; News; Audiences; Mixed Methods; Africa

James Wo, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology
Research Areas: Criminology; Urban Sociology; Planning and Public Affairs

Bingbing Zhang, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Research Areas: Media Effects; Media Psychology; Political Communication; Health and Science Communication; Emerging Technology
Samantha Zuhlke, PhD
Title/Position
Researcher Affiliate
Assistant Professor, School of Planning and Public Affairs
Research Areas: Public Policy; Public Administration; Environmental Policy and Politics; Drinking Water; Nonprofit Organizations