| CSSI News and Opportunities | Dear CSSI community,
I am pleased to share a few updates in this final newsletter of the semester. I encourage you to explore upcoming opportunities to further develop your research skills—particularly the summer workshops offered by ICPSR.
I would also like to highlight the survey findings summarized below. I hope those of you conducting or supporting social science research take a moment to recognize that this work continues to enjoy strong public support and is widely viewed as essential to improving quality of life. At CSSI, our entire team is committed to ensuring that this work continues to thrive.
Sincerely,
Mark Berg
Director, Center for Social Science Innovation
Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology  | | | | CSSI has selected three faculty members as 2026 awardees of its Summer Researcher-in-Residence program, which supports impactful, social science research addressing pressing social, civic, and health-related challenges.
Congratulations to:
- Chelsea Howland, assistant professor in the College of Nursing,
- Haelim Jeong, assistant professor of social work in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), and
- Bingbing Zhang, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication in CLAS.
Read about their projects. | | | A recent survey found that most Americans believe social science research helps policymakers and community leaders make informed decisions and that investing in this research improves quality of life in the United States. "The survey findings indicate strong public recognition of the value of social science research," said Mark Berg, director of CSSI. "They reinforce our mission to elevate social scientists and cultivate interdisciplinary innovation."
Explore the survey results. | | | | Bodi Vasi, associate professor of sociology and criminology in CLAS and a CSSI researcher affiliate, studies how organizations engage in environmental sustainability. As researchers gain access to increasingly large amounts of text data, many are beginning to explore how AI tools can advance their work. To inspire others, Vasi led a CSSI workshop titled “Using LLMs to Develop Variables for the Social Sciences,” using his preliminary data. The workshop explored how social scientists can use LLMs to create novel measures that can be used in quantitative research.
Read CSSI's feature of Professor Bodi Vasi. | | | | During Graduate Student Appreciation Week in April, we interviewed Chase LaSpisa, PhD student in political science in CLAS and a CSSI graduate consultant. His work with CSSI has helped him grow skills needed for his future career while helping faculty solve research challenges. LaSpisa is also participating in the Dissertation Completion Program (DCP). Applications for next year's DCP will open at the end of the summer.
Read CSSI's Q&A with Chase. | | | From May 18 to Aug. 14, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) will be holding Topical Workshops ranging from introductions to R, causal inference, and mixed methods, to deep dives into data visualization, machine learning, and network analysis. ICPSR is also offering General Sessions, which are four-week courses featuring workshops and lectures covering specific quantitative methods and statistical techniques. Most workshops and courses are offered in dual-mode (hybrid) format and UI participants receive institutional member pricing.
See how to join a class. | | | Social Science Research in the News | | Democracy Works host Chris Beem speaks with Julianna Pacheco, professor and chair of political science and a CSSI researcher affiliate, about how the politicization of health issues is affecting physicians across the country. She also discusses emergent findings from her recent survey launched through CSSI's Surveying the Social World initiative.
Listen to the Democracy Works podcast episode. | Ethan Kutlu, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders and a CSSI researcher affiliate, discusses his research and work in the Speech, Signs, and Systems Lab at the University of Iowa. He was recently named an Outstanding Reviewer by Cognition, one of the most prestigious journals in psycholinguistics.
Read the story from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. | | | |
