The Michigan Program in Survey and Data Science (MPSDS) recently established an Institute for Social Research (ISR) junior faculty research support award to honor the career and legacy of Dr. James M. Lepkowski. This program offers research support to selected ISR junior faculty members by providing them with a Research Assistant, a current master’s student in the MPSDS program, for an academic year. Named in recognition of his decades of service, leadership, and mentorship, the Lepkowski Research Support Award reflects Dr. Lepkowski’s unwavering commitment to student success and faculty-student collaboration.

Dr. Lepkowski served as the founding director of the MPSDS and has long been a driving force behind its mission to integrate research and training in survey and data science. 

Throughout his career, he advocated for providing every student with meaningful research opportunities that would shape their scholarly development.

I am deeply grateful to the faculty and staff who honored me in this way. You know how much I loved our students and sought to support their research throughout their time with us. This award thoughtfully recognizes that love, and I hope it continues to foster rewarding collaborations between students and researchers.”
– Jim Lepkowski

As someone who benefited from working alongside researchers during his own graduate studies at ISR, Dr. Lepkowski knew firsthand how powerful those opportunities could be. 

He often emphasized that the most lasting learning happens through hands-on research and meaningful mentorship. The award ensures that legacy continues.

In the inaugural year, MPSDS had many strong applications but could make only a limited number of awards available. The proposed studies were strong in several areas: its relevance to the educational goals of MPSDS, its concrete plan for mentoring MPSDS’s master’s students, and its innovativeness for social science research in general. Continue reading to learn more about the research ISR faculty are doing and how MPSDS students are helping. 

Exploring Care Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Older Adults

Researchers: Dr. Sarah E. Patterson & Effy Tang

Dr. Sarah Patterson and Effy Tang are leading a research project that seeks to better understand how people think about and engage in the care of older adults. Their work explores pressing questions such as: Who do individuals believe should fund elder care? How much choice do caregivers feel they have in taking on caregiving roles? And how do these attitudes shape real-world caregiving behaviors?

Through this collaboration, Dr. Patterson and Effy aim to deepen our understanding of care systems and how cultural, economic, and personal factors influence caregiving experiences and decisions.