Communication, Science & Society Initiative awards four interdisciplinary grants

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Communication, Science & Society Initiative (CSSI), a research partnership between Penn State's Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in the College of the Liberal Arts, has announced the grant recipients from its 2025 request for proposals. The initiative has awarded $52,000 to four projects that bring together teams of life scientists, humanists and social scientists who aim to address multi-dimensional societal problems.

The projects will be showcased at an on-campus mini-conference on Sept. 11.

"All four projects showcase the promise of interdisciplinary research for addressing complex real-world problems," said James Dillard, distinguished professor of communication arts and sciences and the director of the initiative.

The four awarded teams are:

"Obstacles to Countering the Spread of Aedes aegypti in Rural Peru"

Kara Fikrig, assistant professor of vector ecology; Leann Andrews, assistant professor of landscape architecture; Emily Pakhtigian, assistant professor of public policy; Alfredo Reyes, postdoctoral researcher in entomology; Margarita López-Uribe, Langstroth Early Career Professor Associate Professor of Entomology; Chris Skurka, associate professor of media studies

Rural communities across the Peruvian Amazon are experiencing a rapid invasion of Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue virus. This spread is likely exacerbated by human actions involving household water storage and solid waste management. This project integrates human behavior and health communication perspectives into an ongoing stepped-wedge study evaluating a combined solid waste management system and community health worker program aimed at reducing Ae. aegypti infestation and solid waste pollution. The research team will use knowledge, attitudes and practices surveys and focus groups to assess behavior change and identify key facilitators and barriers to intervention uptake. Findings will inform improvements to intervention strategies in future years and, if successful, provide a scalable framework to address the growing rural threats of both dengue transmission and plastic pollution.

"Family Communication, Youth Digital Media Engagement, and Physical Health"

Weimiao Zhou, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences; Orfeu Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health; Priya Kumar, assistant professor of information sciences and technology; Shawn Whiteman, professor of human development and family studies, Utah State

Today's youth grow up in technology-saturated conditions that can contribute to identity exploration and social connection, as well sedentary behavior, unhealthy adiposity, poor sleep quality and risk to cardiometabolic health. The project begins with secondary analysis of multi-year and weekend daily diary intensive longitudinal datasets that include proxies for family communication and self-reported sleep health. Results will guide mixed-methods formative research on the family socialization processes that shape adolescents' digital media engagement and physical health.

"Community Awareness of Health Risks associated with Aedes japonicus mosquito in Pennsylvania Through Laboratory Diagnostics and Educational Field Ecology Approaches"

James Mutunga, assistant professor of biology, Penn State Harrisburg; Joshua Barnett, associate professor of communication arts and sciences; Coren Jagnow, data research analyst, Center for Survey Research; Drew Lysaker, vector-borne disease education program specialist, Penn State Extension

The fast-expanding range of Asian bush/rock-pool mosquito in the U.S. and, specifically Pennsylvania, corresponds with increased threat of disease outbreaks involving Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile Virus, and the La Crosse virus. There are recent reports of the James Canyon Virus being potentially vectored by Ae. japonicus. This project aims to enhance awareness of the public health risks of Ae. japonicus in the vector control industry by integrating species identification approaches with mosquito ecology and management practices. They aim to develop lab-based molecular diagnostics to complement morphological vector identification, then conduct an educational workshop on mosquito biology, human-environment interactions, field ecology and control.

"Mapping Against the Binary in the Mexico-US Borderlands"

Melissa W. Wright, professor women, gender, and sexuality studies and of geography; Anthony Robinson, professor of geography; Lily Houtman, doctoral student in geography

Despite its ecological and social intricacies, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands are persistently visualized through cartographic representations that reinforce a binary geopolitical division. The project aims to nuance that distinction by creating maps that capture variations in poverty, health care access and degraded environmental conditions for the purpose of better understanding disease dynamics. By integrating data to represent the intersection of public health, community integration and ecological interdependence, these maps will provide tools for public health and ecological stewards, community educators and scholars.

More information may be found on the Communication, Science, & Society Initiative website.