Category: Research

Operation ME logo contest submission now open

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

If you are a youth in sixth to 12th grade, the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University invites you to compete in a logo contest for its latest research study, which focuses on military adolescents. Parental permission is required. You don’t have to be a military child to submit a design, and your parent does not need to still be serving.

Best of all, if you are the winner, you and your parent or guardian will receive a trip to Washington, D.C., among other prizes.

The winning logo will be used on materials for Operation Military Experience (Operation ME), a study focused on learning more about adolescents whose parent(s) deployed while they were ages six or younger. 

All logo submissions must be 600 DPI (dots per inch) and include the color purple. Purple represents all branches of the military.

The top four runners up will each receive a $50 Amazon gift card. The winner and one parent or guardian will receive transportation and lodging* for a 4-day, 3-night trip to Washington, D.C. in time for the July 24, 2019 award presentation at the Military Child Education Coalition’s National Training Seminar. The winner will also receive a $100 Amazon gift card. The award will be presented July 24 at a distinguished lecture given by MFRI Director Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Ph.D.

Submissions are due June 2 at midnight. For details and to submit a design, visit bit.ly/operation_ME

*Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel

MFRI director moderates work and family panel

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

The Military Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University’s director, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, is leading a panel discussion about work and family at the Families in Canada Conference this week, hosted by the Vanier Institute of the Family.

The national, pan-Canadian conference is cohosted by university partners across the country, and has simultaneous satellite events. Individuals and organizations that study, serve and support families are focusing on this year’s theme: THINK BIG: How can we use “Big Data” to inform and inspire big ideas to optimize family well-being in Canada?

The conference includes a research lightning round, where presenters share information and insights on innovative research, programs and projects focused on families and family well-being. Fast-paced, engaging and inspiring, this round provides delegates with snapshots of leading and emerging activities and initiatives under way across Canada, along with opportunities to connect and collaborate. Researchers from diverse disciplines, backgrounds and professions can also share new research on topics related to families and family well-being at poster sessions.

About the Vanier Institute of the Family

The Vanier Institute of the Family is a national, independent, charitable organization dedicated to understanding the diversity and complexity of families and the reality of family life in Canada. The Institute offers access to a range of publications, research initiatives, presentations and social media content to enhance the national understanding of how families interact with, have an impact on, and are affected by social, economic, environmental and cultural forces.

Purdue Ideas Festival event on war and security May 14

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

As part of Purdue’s Giant Leaps campaign, a symposium on ethics, technology and the future of war security will be held on May 14 at Purdue University.

The Purdue Symposium on Ethics, Technology and the Future of War and Security will include a series of panel discussion designed to explore emerging technologies through the lens of their ethical, legal and social implications. The symposium will also explore these technologies’ impact on the future of war and security.

This Ideas Festival event will bring together preeminent thought leaders, practitioners and stakeholders from across government, industry and academia. These experts will help us better understand and plan for the ethical and societal impacts of new technologies.

Panel topics include:

  • The Future of War: Ethical, Legal and Social Implications
  • The Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence in Warfare
  • Global Perspectives on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the Future of War

The event is sponsored by the Purdue Policy Research Institute. It is open to the public. To learn more or register click here.

About the Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI)

The PPRI team creates and participates in interdisciplinary grant activities in strategic areas. PPRI is hosts a “Policy Lab” where faculty and students (fellows and affiliated faculty) work together producing new ideas and research, and supports faculty teams in incorporating policy into their projects. PPRI works closely with the director to ensure these efforts reflect the overall goals of Discovery Park.

Participants sought: Conversations about post-deployment adjustment

Posted on | by Linda Kirchubel

University of South Florida researchers are seeking eligible military spouses or significant others to participate in a study that seeks to understand the experiences of partners who have (or have had) concerns about their service member’s post-deployment adjustment.

The research results may inform programs that assist military and veteran families.

Participation in the study involves two steps. First, spouses/significant others will take a 10-minute online survey to make sure they are eligible. The survey will also ask about their relationship history. Second, those interested in participating in a 45-60 minute follow-up video chat interview will be asked to provide contact information for scheduling purposes. The interviewer will inquire about their ideas and experiences as a military spouse or partner.

Those who complete the survey will receive a $5 digital Amazon gift card. Those who elect to participate in the interview will receive an additional $20 Amazon gift card upon its completion.

Only the researchers will see the information provided, except as may be required by law. No military organizations will have access to this data. If a report of this study is published or presented at a professional conference, no identifying information will be used.

In order to be eligible for the research, participants must:

  • be the spouse/significant other of a military service member or veteran;
  • have been married or together since before the service member’s most recent deployment;
  • have had one or more conversations with the service member about the challenges of readjusting to civilian life post-deployment; and
  • be 18 years old or older.

The service member or veteran must have (a) served in the U.S. military, (b) been deployed abroad (outside of the United States), and (c) returned from the most recent overseas deployment within the last two years.

For more information, or to participate in the research, email milfamstudy@usf.edu.

MFRI director recognized with mentoring award

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) awarded Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Ph.D., a national award to recognize her career of outstanding mentorship to junior colleagues, graduate students and undergraduates.

MadDermid Wadsworth, who directs Purdue University’s Center for Families and Military Family Research Institute, received the Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring on Nov. 10 at NCFR’s national conference.

The award is given in honor of Dr. Felix Berardo, a well-known and beloved professor from the University of Florida, who went above and beyond expectations in mentoring many students to become outstanding leaders in the family field. According to NCFR, “Outstanding mentoring goes beyond classroom teaching and includes the provision of support, guidance and opportunities for professional development.”

“It is an honor to receive this award,” MacDermid Wadsworth said. “Throughout my career I’ve had the privilege to mentor and interact with many students. It is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.”

MacDermid Wadsworth’s primary research interest is in the relationship between work conditions and family life. During her tenure she has studied differences between small and large workplaces, how adults grow and develop as a result of their work experiences, and how different kinds of organizational policies make it easier or more difficult for works to be successful at work and home.

As the director of MFRI and the Center for Families, she encourages student engagement, graduate and undergraduate research and offers student growth opportunities.

Christine McCall is one of MacDermid Wadsworth’s current graduate students, and focuses her doctoral research on military and veteran families. She admires MacDermid Wadsworth’s ability to think about the big picture and mentor each student according to their previous experiences and future goals.

“Shelley facilitates an environment where her students can become independent researchers,” McCall said. “Her focus on strong theoretical arguments and methodologies continually pushes her students to develop work that has clear implications for both academic and military communities. She encourages us to develop a variety of professional skills such as data collection in community samples and leadership and mentoring development through work with undergraduate students.”

About MFRI

The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University conducts research on issues that affect military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs and practices that improve their well-being. Founded in 2000, MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands the most pressing needs of military and veteran families. To achieve this, MFRI collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. This internationally-recognized organization is located at Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

About NCFR

The National Council on Family Relations, founded in 1938, is the oldest nonprofit, nonpartisan, multidisciplinary professional association focused solely on family research, practice, and education.

MFRI helps organizations advance change for military and veteran families

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI), in partnership with the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), hosted “Building Your Battle Plan to Support Military and Veteran Families” on Nov. 13 in Arlington, Va.

Led by experts and authors of MFRI’s initiative, “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families,” guests from nonprofit and veteran service organizations came together to create specific, targeted plans to support and advance transformational change in family support for military and veteran families. The text (Hughes-Kirchubel, MacDermid Wadsworth & Riggs, 2018), offers key insights that focus on how organizations can produce powerful supports for military families before, during and after major conflicts. Contributors integrated knowledge gained during their work with families and distilled recommendations into practical, experience-based chapters.

Panel discussion precedes guided exercises

A panel discussion kicked off the event, with each providing the audience with insight on finding effective solutions for issues facing military and veteran families. They offered recommendation based on sector-wide experiences in the years following 9/11.

“These important groups came together to actively engage and collaborate to find solutions for military and veteran families,” said Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI director. “History has shown us that major conflicts can arise without warning. These changes affect military and veteran families in a variety of ways. With this in mind, the attendees began to build viable solutions that can be strategically implemented during a future major conflict.”

Scholars honored for excellence in research on military and veteran families

The 2017 and 2018 MFRI Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families awards were also presented at the event. To find the top paper of each year, eight prominent scholars reviewed over 700 scientific articles, and helped conduct multiple rounds of review.

MFRI established the award in 2015 to recognize the best research on military-connected families. It is awarded to authors of research that combines exceptional rigor with important insights about military and veteran families. Nominations for this award are neither solicited nor accepted. Instead, a panel of top scholars reviews all the published research during the year and then determines the recipient.

About AUSA

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is the only private, nonprofit professional organization serving all components of America’s Total Army and its supporters. Since 1950, AUSA has provided a voice for the Army and vital services for Soldiers, Army civilians, and their families to advance the security of our nation. If you have a connection with the Army—professionally or personally—AUSA is your resource for exclusive access to scholarships and grants, business opportunities, educational resources, philanthropy initiatives, family programs, influential representation, and genuine relationships with a supportive Army community.

Military and Veteran Family Research in Excellence Award recipients announced

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) will present the 2017 and 2018 Awards for Excellence in Research on Military and Veteran Families today (Nov. 13).

Eight prominent scholars reviewed over 700 scientific articles from each year. Multiple rounds of review yielded the winning articles.

The 2017 selection, Post-9/11 veterans and their partners improve mental health outcomes with a self-directed mobile and web-based wellness training program: A randomized controlled trial, appeared in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

The 2018 selection, How family structures and processes interrelate: The case of adolescent mental health and academic success in military families, appeared in the Journal of Family Issues.

“One of our goals at MFRI is to increase the impact of excellent research, and this award helps strengthen connections between researchers, policy makers and practitioners,” said Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI director. “We are thrilled to recognize and celebrate the excellent work of these outstanding scholars.”

The 2017 award recipients include:

  • Janet Kahn, Ph.D., LMT, University of Vermont
  • William Collinge, D., MPH, LCSW, Collinge and Associates, Inc.
  • Robert Soltysik, M.S., Optimal Data Analysis, LLC

The 2018 award recipients include:

  • Amy Laura Arnold Ph.D. CFLE, ICF
  • Mallory Lucier-Greer, Ph.D., Auburn University
  • Jay Mancini, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Athens
  • James Ford, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Athens
  • A.S. Wickrama, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Athens

MFRI established the award in 2015 to recognize the best research on military-connected families. It is awarded to authors of research that combines exceptional rigor with important insights about military and veteran families. Nominations for this award are neither solicited nor accepted. Instead, a panel of top scholars reviews all the published research during the year and then determines the recipient.

MFRI is also pleased to announce the articles that received an honorable mention for each year.

2017

2018

To learn more about past recipients, visit the MFRI Excellence in Research Award page.

The awards will be presented at a co-hosted event with the Association of the United States Army titled “Building Your Battle Plan to Support Military and Veteran Families.” 

About MFRI

The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University conducts research on issues that affect military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs and practices that improve their well-being. Founded in 2000, MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands the most pressing needs of military and veteran families. To achieve this, MFRI collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. This internationally-recognized organization is located at Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

About AUSA

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is the only private, nonprofit professional organization serving all components of America’s Total Army and its supporters. Since 1950, AUSA has provided a voice for the Army and vital services for Soldiers, Army civilians, and their families to advance the security of our nation. If you have a connection with the Army—professionally or personally—AUSA is your resource for exclusive access to scholarships and grants, business opportunities, educational resources, philanthropy initiatives, family programs, influential representation, and genuine relationships with a supportive Army community.

MFRI director recognized as a top contributor to work and family research

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, professor of Human Development and Family Studies and director of the Center for Families (CFF) and the Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University, has been named one of the top extraordinary contributors to the field of work and family research.

The top contributors were identified by E. Jeffrey Hill, PhD, and colleagues at Brigham Young University with their eight modalities of excellence which includes:

• Publishing work and family scholarship (based on academic metrics: citation counts, articles, books, indices, etc.)
• Publishing work and family scholarship (based on reputation among work and family scholars)
• Funding of work and family research
• Disseminating work and family research to policy makers and the public
• Providing service to the field (reviews, professional organizations, etc.)
• Mentoring future work and family scholars (e.g., graduate students, new scholars, etc.)
• Making landmark contributions that have shaped the field (e.g., landmark articles, books, reports, etc.)
• Overall contribution (based on reputation among work and family scholars)

To identify the eight modalities of excellence, Hill conducted extensive research involving analyses of academic metrics, focus groups with top work and family scholars, and a survey of Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) members.

MacDermid Wadsworth joined other top contributors on a panel at the WFRN conference on June 22 who shared their experience in guiding the work-family research field.

About MacDermid Wadsworth

Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University, where she also directs the Center for Families and Military Family Research Institute. She holds an M.B.A. in Management and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on relationships between job conditions and family life, with a special focus on military families and organizational policies, programs and practices. Over the past 24 years, she has studied differences between small and large workplaces, how adults grow and develop as a result of their work experiences, and how different kinds of organizational policies make it easier or more difficult for workers to be successful at work and at home.

Her research has been widely published in scientific outlets including the Journal of Marriage and Family and the Academy of Management Journal, and has been funded and has been funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Henry A. Murray Center, the Department of Defense, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the state of Indiana, Lilly Endowment, and others.

MacDermid Wadsworth is a fellow of the National Council on Family Relations, and a recipient of the Work Life Legacy Award from the Families and Work Institute and the Violet Haas Award for Leadership on behalf of women at Purdue University. MacDermid Wadsworth has served on federal advisory committees for the Department of Defense and the Institute of Medicine, and has testified in Congress regarding military and veteran families. In 2012, she received the Morrill Award from Purdue University in recognition of outstanding career achievements that have had an impact on society, and in 2016, Purdue University received the Kellogg Award from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award from the Washington Center in recognition of the work of the Military Family Research Institute.

She serves on the editorial boards of several major family research journals, and is a fellow of the National Council on Family Relations and a recipient of the Work Life Legacy Award from the Families and Work Institute. She served on the Returning Veterans Committee of the Institute of Medicine and the Psychological Health External Advisory Committee of the Defense Health Board. She is currently serving on a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine committee that focuses on military families’ well-being.

About Center for Families and the Military Family Research Institute

CFF and MFRI are an initiative of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University. One of the world’s premiere research institutions, Purdue is Indiana’s land-grant university, and supports missions of learning, discovery and engagement.

MFRI book highlights post-9/11 lessons learned from supporting military families, veterans

Posted on | by Sayde J Uerkwitz

The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University recently released “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families,” a new experience-based book that highlights lessons learned from supporting veteran and military families during and after operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Findings in the book reveal that when planning for a military conflict, leaders in Congress, the executive branch, and service organizations should prioritize military and veteran families as a part of defense strategy during conflicts.

The book draws on lessons learned from U.S. policymakers, Congress members, Department of Defense officials, and leaders in sectors such as higher education, behavioral health, corporate America, and more. Key insights focus on how to produce effective and agile support systems for military and veteran families before, during, and after times of war. More than 100 leaders contributed to this valuable resource, providing knowledge they gained working firsthand with military families after 9/11 and distilling lessons learned and recommendations into practical, experience-based chapters.

“During each new conflict, we learn more about how best to support service members,” says Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Ph.D., director of MFRI. “Our findings indicate that the military is strongest when service members know their families are taken care of and when families have the tools and resources they need to support their service member.”

A road map for supporting veteran and military families

In addition to sharing lessons learned, “A Battle Plan” acts as a road map for supporting veteran and military families, addressing how to:

  • Integrate family support systems into defense strategy.
  • Anticipate issues and challenges that are likely to affect military families.
  • Adopt policies that help, not hinder, military families during times of conflict.
  • Ensure that military families have a voice in the conversation.
  • Identify urgent gaps in support systems.
  • Navigate the rapidly changing world of service organizations.
  • Plan more effectively for medical and caregiving needs.
  • Provide the resources military and veteran families need after military conflicts wind down.

The book was edited by Linda Hughes-Kirchubel, MFRI’s director of external relations, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, MFRI’s director, and David Riggs, executive director of the Center for Deployment Psychology. To learn more about “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families,” visit www.mfri.purdue.edu/battleplan.

About Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University

The Military Family Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University conducts research on issues that impact military and veteran families and works to shape policies, programs, and practices that promote their well-being. Founded in 2000, MFRI envisions a diverse support community that understands the most pressing needs of military and veteran families. To achieve this, MFRI collaborates to create meaningful solutions for them. The nationally recognized organization is located at Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.