News

A new study published in Science on Dec. 24 shows that early human foragers and farmers adopted an inefficient high-risk, high-reward strategy to find food. They spent more energy in pursuit of food than their great ape cousins, but brought home much more calorie-rich meals that could be shared with the rest of their group. This strategy allowed some to rest or tackle other tasks while food was being acquired.

DUPRI’s Giovanna Merli, UNC’s Ted Mouw and co-authors have a new paper in Demography which evaluates a novel network sampling approach for hidden and rare populations ("Network Sampling with Memory" [NSM]). They show the feasibility of using this approach to efficiently and cost-effectively recruit a sample of Chinese immigrants in the Raleigh-Durham area, the accuracy with which the sample represents this population of immigrants and the benefits of multiple forms of network ties collected as part of the survey for the study of immigrant social incorporation.

Kenneth Dodge, William McDougall distinguished professor of public policy studies, has received a 2021 Outstanding Achievement Prize in Mental Health from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). Dodge is the BBRF Ruane Prizewinner for Outstanding Achievement in Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Research. He is the founding and past director of the Center for Child and Family Policy, the founder of Family Connects International and a leading scholar in the development and prevention of aggressive and violent behaviors.

The NextGenPop team is excited to share the website and application for this summer’s inaugural program hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Please help spread the word, particularly to students from underrepresented groups. Application deadline February 15. This program uses the pressing growth of inequality as a lens for studying population composition and change, with the goal of increasing the pipeline of undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds into the population sciences.  It has three specific aims: 1) to introduce advanced undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds to foundational demographic concepts and tools; 2) to integrate students’ training in research and professional development; 3) to foster ongoing engagement of program participants in population research and allied fields.