Population Science News

Weekly News – May 28, 2018

EVENTS
BIDS Training:  Click on the links for precise times and information about registration.
June 11-12Introduction to Shell, Git and R.  BIDS. 190 Doe Library
July 16-17Introduction to Shell, Git and PythonBIDS. 190 Doe Library
August 6-7Introduction to Genomics Data Wrangling BIDS. 190 Doe Library. 

WORKSHOPS
Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training (RT2) in Los Angeles Sept 5-7, 2018
 To be considered for financial support, applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm PDT June 4, 2018. Notifications of acceptance for applicants with financial support will be sent no later than June 12, 2018. RT2 provides participants with an overview of tools and best practices for transparent and reproducible social science research. The curriculum is developed and delivered by academic leaders in the open science movement and there is space for collaborative work and hands-on skill building. Participants are encouraged to bring existing research questions and ideas based on their own interests to seek support and feedback from instructors and other attendees. BITSS will consider applications for self-funded participants on a rolling basis through 11:59 pm PDT August 20, 2018.  For more information, https://www.bitss.org/events/research-transparency-and-reproducibility-training-rt2-los-angeles/

CONFERENCES 
2018 NCFR Annual Conference, Nov. 7–10. San Diego | Town and Country Resort & Convention Center. Learn more and register here: https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-2018/registration-details

EVENTS
BIDS Training:  Click on the links for precise times and information about registration.
June 11-12Introduction to Shell, Git and R.  BIDS. 190 Doe Library
July 16-17Introduction to Shell, Git and PythonBIDS. 190 Doe Library
August 6-7Introduction to Genomics Data Wrangling BIDS. 190 Doe Library. 

WORKSHOPS
Research Transparency and Reproducibility Training (RT2) in Los Angeles Sept 5-7, 2018
 To be considered for financial support, applications must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm PDT June 4, 2018. Notifications of acceptance for applicants with financial support will be sent no later than June 12, 2018. RT2 provides participants with an overview of tools and best practices for transparent and reproducible social science research. The curriculum is developed and delivered by academic leaders in the open science movement and there is space for collaborative work and hands-on skill building. Participants are encouraged to bring existing research questions and ideas based on their own interests to seek support and feedback from instructors and other attendees. BITSS will consider applications for self-funded participants on a rolling basis through 11:59 pm PDT August 20, 2018.  For more information, https://www.bitss.org/events/research-transparency-and-reproducibility-training-rt2-los-angeles/

CONFERENCES 
2018 NCFR Annual Conference, Nov. 7–10. San Diego | Town and Country Resort & Convention Center. Learn more and register here: https://www.ncfr.org/ncfr-2018/registration-details

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), November 14-18, Boston MA at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts and will focus on the theme, “The Purposes of Longer Lives.” To learn more, visit here: https://www.geron.org/meetings-events/gsa-2018-annual-scientific-meeting

26th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues, 10/22/18 to 10/23/18, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park campus, State College, PA. For more information, visit: http://www.pop.psu.edu/event/2536/26th-annual-national-symposium-family-issues

Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS) Conference, October 3-5, 2018 – Washington DC. “Pushing the Boundaries of Population Health Science: Social Inequalities, Biological Processes, and Policy Implications.” For more information, visit https://iaphs.org/conference/
Last call for poster abstracts for this conference on Latino aging (due May 31; conference is September 18-20 in Tucson, AZ). 

Latino Aging and Health in Social, Institutional, and Environmental Context: Foundations and Frontiers (2018). This conference will focus on Latino aging and health in social, institutional, and environmental context. The conference will extend previous iterations of the ICAA series by addressing established foundations in caregiving and the social determinants of health in aging Latino populations. The conference will also address new topics like the health impacts of environmental inequality and religious involvement. Conceptual themes will include (1) social determinants of health the U.S., (2) social determinants of health in Mexico, (3) environmental inequality across the life course, (4) religious institutions and religious involvement, and (5) caregiving and dementia in later life. Methodological diversity will be a hallmark of this conference, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method designs. The overarching theme of the conference will be the social patterning of health and related risks in aging Latino populations. The general questions will include the following: What are the social causes and social consequences of health in later life? How do aging Latinos experience environmental inequality? How do aging Latinos experience religion and religious institutions? What are the major benefits and barriers to caregiving for Latinos in later life? For details see https://sites.utexas.edu/caa/2018-2/

FUNDING
IRLE Working Groups: Call for 2018-19 proposals. IRLE will award $500-$1,000 to interdisciplinary working groups of faculty and students focusing on topics related to IRLE’s mission. Apply by Friday, May 25 for 2018-19.http://irle.berkeley.edu/opportunities/working-groups/.

CEDA pilot proposals. As CEDA winds up the 4th year of its 5-year P30 Center grant, we are preparing a new competitive renewal proposal, including pilot projects, for submission to NIA later this summer. We are looking for innovative studies that will push the science forward and help to make a compelling case to NIA for CEDA’s continued funding.  The basic parameters for pilots remain the same, with budgets in the $15,000 – 30,000 range, and a one-year award period starting in the summer (2019).  We welcome ideas for studies that fall under any of CEDA’s existing thematic foci, which we expect will remain substantially the same for the renewal: (a) Health, Disability, and Mortality; (b) Biodemography of Aging (c) Behavioral Economics and Aging; (d) Demographic and fiscal consequences of global aging (with an emphasis on health outcomes). Our pilot process is relatively simple but there is a process, including review by our advisory committee, and all of this can take time.  If you have ideas for a pilot, please contact Will Dow or Liz Vasile, the earlier the better, to get this started.

The Retirement Research Foundation is accepting proposals from nonprofit organizations for local and national projects designed to improve the quality of life for older Americans. Grants will be awarded in support of projects that provide direct services, advocacy, education, and training programs for professionals working with elders, as well as for research that investigates causes and solutions to significant problems faced by older adults. Projects with a local focus will be considered from organizations based in seven states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Florida. However, advocacy, training, and research projects of national relevance are considered from organizations located anywhere in the United States. Link to RFP: http://www.rrf.org/grants/responsive-grants. Deadline:August 1, 2018.

Healthy Eating Research, an RWJF national research program, is funding $2.6 million toward research on actions and strategies that will help improve children’s physical, social, and emotional development through the consumption of healthy foods and beverages. Proposals for studies that promote health equity and address disparities, such as high rates of overweight and obesity experienced by children from low-income rural and urban communities and racial and ethnic minority populations, will be prioritized. Learn more about eligibility and an informational webinar.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Longitudinal Survey Methods: Current Issues – Special Issue of Longitudinal and Life Course StudiesOn the occasion of the Second International Conference on the Methodology of Longitudinal Surveys (www.mols2.org.uk), a special issue of the journal Longitudinal and Life Course Studies (http://llcsjournal.org) is planned, with Guest Editors Mick Couper (University of Michigan), Peter Lynn (University of Essex) and Nicole Watson (University of Melbourne). The theme is “Longitudinal Survey Methods: Current Issues”. All researchers working in this field are invited to submit their paper for consideration for publication in the special issue. Submissions should focus on methodological issues that are specific to the context of longitudinal survey data collection. By this, we mean any type of quantitative survey that involves collecting information on multiple occasions from the same subjects. Topics of interest include, but need not be limited to:

  • Dynamic sampling for the representation of dynamic populations, including sample rotation and refreshment sampling;
  • Methods for tracking mobile sample members over time;
  • Methods for maintaining co-operation over time;Targeted design features for response maximisation;
  • The use of longitudinal survey paradata for field management;
  • Measurement error issues specific to longitudinal surveys, including respondent conditioning;
  • Advances in dependent interviewing techniques;
  • Instrument design for longitudinal surveys;
  • New data collection methods and technologies to improve or extend longitudinal survey measurement;
  • Maximising consent to data linkage – and understanding the informed consent process – in a longitudinal context;
  • The opportunities and challenges of longitudinal data linkage;
  • The design of longitudinal surveys for cutting-edge biosocial research;
  • Mixed mode designs for longitudinal surveys;
  • Imputation methods for longitudinal surveys;
  • Advances in statistical modelling for complex longitudinal survey data;
  • Analysis methods for repeated measures, duration and event data;
  • Methods for dealing with sampling and nonsampling errors in the analysis of longitudinal data;
  • Issues in weighting for longitudinal surveys.

Papers should not exceed 7,000 words in length (around 5,000 is preferred) and should include an abstract of not more than 250 words. Papers should be submitted as a Word document or in a compatible format. Supplementary material for online publication can be included but must be submitted at the same time as the main text. Papers should comply to the journal’s guidelines (http://llcsjournal.org/index.php/llcs/about/submissions). There will be a two-phase review process. Submissions will first be screened by the Guest Editors for suitability. Papers that pass this phase will then be formally submitted to the journal and will be sent to independent reviewers, following the journal’s usual procedures. Submissions must be made via the online form, by 24 September 2018. The Guest Editors will then screen the submissions. We aim to inform all authors whether or not their submission has passed this stage and to start the formal review process by mid-December 2018.

DATA
CROss-National Online Survey (CRONOS) edition 1.0 data release was published on the European Social Survey website (www.europeansocialsurvey.org). The CROss-National Online Survey (CRONOS) panel is a cross-national web survey pilot panel, run in three countries in Europe: Great Britain, Slovenia, and Estonia. CRONOS is part of the project Synergies for Europe’s Research Infrastructures in the Social Sciences (SERISS), which is a four year project that aims to strengthen and harmonise social science research across Europe. The project brings together leading European Research Infrastructures in the social sciences – the European Social Survey (ESS ERIC), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE ERIC) and Consortium of European Social Science Data Archives (CESSDA ERIC) – alongside organisations representing the Generations and Gender Programme (GGP)European Values Study (EVS) and the WageIndicator Survey. SERISS received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 654221. CRONOS was also supported by ESS ERIC Work Programmes (2015-2017) and (2017-2019).
CRONOS is the first attempt to establish a cross-national probability-based online panel following a harmonised approach throughout—from the recruitment stage to data processing. Also, CRONOS is a proof of concept to evaluate the effectiveness of panel recruitment on the back of an existing cross-national survey – The European Social Survey (ESS) – in terms of costs, sample representativeness, participation and attrition rates, and data quality. 
CRONOS data will allow researchers to conduct exploratory substantive analysis on topics of key contemporary relevance (e.g. attitudes, trust and social capital, welfare, personality traits, wellbeing, parenting and gender roles). Furthermore, CRONOS experimental data provide an opportunity for producing sound methodological research, on questionnaire design, incentives, mode of pre notifications, and reminders, etc
CRONOS data is available free for download and on-line analysis for non-commercial use. Documentation on the CRONOS panel is available here. The release includes data from one welcome survey and 6 waves of data collection; it also contains survey paradata and information on the correspondence with sample members. The CRONOS datasets has also been linked to the ESS Round 8 data. 

Sage Stats:  Sage Publishing has an online statistics data set portal.  Here’s their blurb: “SAGE Stats makes research easy by providing, in one place, annual measures dating back more than two decades. It features statistical data series created from more than 400,000 government and non-government datasets, covering popular topics of research interest for U.S. states, counties, cities, metropolitan areas, and ZIP codes. By harmonizing carefully-vetted data from multiple sources into the same format– allowing quick downloads, comparisons, and visualizations–SAGE Stats provides power and context for researchers at all levels.”  Explore here: http://data.sagepub.com/sagestats/?priorityCode=8L0213A

D-LAB
D-Lab offers training in Data Science
 this summer for students as well as pedagogical training for instructors. Visit the D-lab website for more information. D-lab regularly offers workshops and training in courses, one-on-one consulting for faculty, grad students and undergraduates, and working groups of focuses topics. One-on-one consulting also available. For more information and registration, visithttp://dlab.berkeley.edu. You can now add D-Lab workshops to your bcalendar directly from D-Lab workshop description. 

JOBS
All jobs and postdoctoral fellowships
 are posted as we receive them on the Demography Department Jobs Listserv, http://lists.demog.berkeley.edu/mailman/listinfo/jobs. This list advertises positions of all sorts relevant for social and behavioral scientists with advanced degrees.

MIGRATION MAILING LIST
Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative
 (BIMI.berkeley.edu) is a research center for the study of immigrants and immigration. BIMI has a mailing list (immigration_group@lists.berkeley.edu), which is where a good deal of immigration and migration announcements are posted, and not all of that material is posted on the PopSciences Weekly News.

Posted in Newsletter.