E-NEWSLETTER UPDATE: UNIVERSITY NEWS
Early Teen Sex May Not Be a Path to Delinquency, Study Shows
U.Va. Continues to See Increase in Study-Abroad Participation
Partnership with Rolls-Royce Boosts Engineering, Business Education and Research at University of Virginia
Early Teen Sex May Not Be a Path to Delinquency, Study Shows Source: U.Va. Today
Kathryn Paige Harden
Photo by Dan Addison |
A new study by University of Virginia clinical psychologists has found that teens who have sex at an early age may be less inclined to exhibit delinquent behavior in early adulthood than their peers who waited until they were older to have sex. The study also suggests that early sex may play a role in helping these teens develop better social relationships in early adulthood.
The finding is published in the current online edition of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, and runs counter to most assumptions that relate early teen sex to later drug use, criminality, antisocial behavior and emotional problems. The finding also contradicts parts of a study published earlier this year in the same journal that found a connection between early teen sex and later behavioral problems.
The researchers analyzed data on 534 same-sex twin pairs in the United States gathered at three time points over a seven-year period. By examining surveys of twins, the investigators were able to eliminate the genetic and socio-economic variables that otherwise might influence the behaviors of adolescents.
"We got a very surprising finding, particularly that early sex seems to forecast less antisocial behavior a few years later, rather than more," said Kathryn Paige Harden, the study's lead author and a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Virginia.
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"There is a cultural assumption in the United States that if teens have sex early it is somehow bad for their psychological health," Harden said. "But we actually found that teens who had sex earlier seem to have better relationships later. Now we want to find out why."
Harden says she plans further investigations that will look closely at the contexts of early teen sexual activity, such as the types of relationships, whether they were casual or intimate, how old the partners were, where the sex occurred and why, and how long the relationships lasted. She and her colleagues will then try to relate that to later behaviors and attitudes.
"Our hypothesis as a result of this finding is that teens who become involved in intimate romantic relationships early are having sex early and more often, but that those intimate relationships might later protect them from becoming involved in delinquent acts later," Harden said. "People assume there is an association between early sex and later delinquency. It could be because teen sex transgresses parental expectations and is seen as impulsive or influenced by peer pressure. But people's concerns about early sex leading to delinquency may not be warranted."
Harden does acknowledge that early adolescent sexuality is linked to early pregnancy and disease, but these risks are not inevitable. She notes that in other Western countries, such as Australia, there are similar rates and patterns of teen sexual activity as in the United States, but drastically lower rates of teen pregnancy. She attributes this to a poor level of sexual health knowledge in the United States, ineffective contraceptive use and lower abortion rates.
"I doubt that early sexuality per se reduces delinquency," said Harden's advisor and co-author, Robert Emery, a U.Va. professor of psychology. "Early sex probably is a proxy for a strong romantic relationship, and strong relationships—think marriage—encourage pro-social instead of antisocial behavior. So, while our findings do run counter to received wisdom, the implication in my mind is to encourage strong romantic relationships, not casual early sex."
Harden and her colleagues mined their data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative study designed to assess adolescent health and risk behavior. The data is gleaned from extensive surveys of teens that were collected in three waves between 1994 and 2002.
In addition to Emery, Harden's collaborators include Jane Mendle and Jennifer E. Hill, also U.Va. graduate students, and Eric Turkheimer, a U.Va. professor of psychology.
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U.Va. Continues to See Increase in Study-Abroad Participation Source: University Relations
The University of Virginia has continued to see an increase in the number and percentage of students who chose to participate in study-abroad programs, according to an annual report released by the Institute of International Education and data from the University’s International Studies Office.
Open Doors, the IIE's annual report on international activities, shows that U.Va. ranked 14th among all U.S. colleges and universities for study-abroad participation among its students, based on data from the 2005-06 academic year. That year, 1,712 U.Va. students traveled abroad, up from 1,684 in the previous report.
The University had ranked 10th a year ago and 17th two years ago. The shifting rankings reflects increasing emphasis that all colleges and universities are placing on international study, according to Rebecca Brown, director of U.Va.’s International Studies Office.
The Open Doors report indicated that study abroad increased by 8.5 percent nationwide, to a total of 223,534 students, and that the number of American students receiving academic credit for their study abroad has increased by 150 percent in the past decade, from fewer than 90,000 students in 1995-96.
In addition to total number of participants, U.Va. ranked 22nd among doctoral/research universities in the percentage of undergraduates who studied abroad in 2005-06, at 36.3 percent.
U.Va. ranked 19th in the doctoral/research university category in the number of students (859) participating in "short-term duration programs," which are defined as those that take place during the summer, January term, or those which have a duration of eight weeks or less. The University began its January term in 2005, and eight study-abroad programs will be offered in the upcoming January term 2008, in Belize, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Nicaragua and Spain.
While the Open Doors report reflects only the 2005-06 academic year, the International Studies Office can already report that the trend of increased study abroad continued into 2006-07. During that year, 1,914 graduate and undergraduate students studied abroad, compared with 1,875 that the International Studies office recorded in 2005-06.
Marina S. Markot, associate director of study abroad at U.Va., notes that the discrepancy between the figures in the Open Door study (1,712) and U.Va.'s figures is because the Open Door study counts only U.S. students.
Of the 1,914 students who participated in 2006-07, 1,436 were undergraduates and 478 were graduate students. The number of undergraduate students who studied or conducted research abroad in 2006-07 represents 42 percent of the graduating class of 2006.
The Open Doors study showed that while the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain are the top three destinations, students are opting for more varied locales. The percentage of students going to Asia is up 26 percent, Latin America is up 14 percent, Africa is up 19 percent and the Middle East is up 31 percent.
According to Markot, the University’s program remains anchored in its long-standing programs, like U.Va. programs in Jordan; Lima, Peru; Lyon, France; Oxford, England and Valencia, Spain — "programs that have been providing high-quality academic programs for decades and continue to attract students from across Grounds and beyond with innovative ways of providing students with the best possible education."
For example, U.Va.’s Valencia program now offers an option for students with strong language skills to enroll directly into the Catholic University of Valencia. U.Va. in Peru has expanded its institutional affiliations, and students attending the program now will have access to courses not only at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, but also at the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya.
But as is true nationally, the number and variety of programs continues to grow. In 2006-2007, U.Va. expanded its offerings in China and Italy, added new programs in Belize, Ghana, Tanzania, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Germany.
"U.Va. in Costa Rica fills the growing demand for more intermediate level Spanish Language courses," Markot said. "Programs in China covered such areas as intensive Chinese language, Chinese culture, history and politics, architecture, and of course, ‘Doing Business with China.’"
Markot said that, based on feedback from East China Normal University, U.Va. in Shanghai’s language program is considered to be the best intensive Chinese program in Shanghai.
"We paid particular attention last year to developing programs for majors that usually find it challenging to go abroad due to very restrictive curricula," Markot said. "To respond to the student interest in education abroad, the School of Nursing launched several initiatives that allowed students to conduct their clinical practica overseas – in South Africa, Honduras and Denmark — while the School of Engineering successfully launched an exploratory program, which in its first year took students to Germany to observe German engineering education and visit German engineering firms."
U.Va. has been the academic sponsor of Semester at Sea for almost two years, and the shipboard education program is currently completing its second voyage under the deanship of a University faculty member. Fifteen U.Va. students were enrolled on the Summer 2007 voyage and seven students are on the current voyage.
The International Studies Office supports the University's international mission by developing and coordinating activities and services designed to create and enhance a globally aware, culturally diverse education and research environment.
For information about study abroad, contact Markot at (434) 982-3012 or visit www.virginia.edu/iso.
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Partnership with Rolls-Royce Boosts Engineering, Business Education and Research at University of VirginiaSource: U.Va. Today
Gov. Timothy Kaine during announcement ceremony
Photo by Michaele L. White |
Plans by British-based Rolls-Royce, announced today in Richmond, to build a new jet engine manufacturing plant in Prince George County will result in significant educational and research opportunities for the University of Virginia.
As part of Rolls-Royce's decision to locate its facility in Virginia, U.Va. will become part of an innovative partnership that includes Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System to collaborate with the company on a variety of fronts in both engineering and business.
"The decision by Rolls-Royce to locate a major manufacturing facility for jet engines in Prince George County not only represents a significant economic benefit to Virginia, but also provides a major impact for higher education across the state," said University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III.
"Rolls-Royce has an impressive history of collaborating with universities to support and develop research in academic centers of excellence to develop the company's workforce, as well as to create new technologies," he added. "We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of such an innovative partnership that will result in substantial educational and research activities involving faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from both the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.
"We appreciate the potential impact that it will have at U.Va., in particular, on activities in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the McIntire School of Commerce, both of which have established relationships with Rolls-Royce."
The educational components of the partnership in U.Va.'s Engineering School will include the addition of a manufacturing minor and the development of a program to deliver undergraduate courses to the Rolls-Royce facility in Prince George County. In addition, the undergraduate business minor that the Engineering School offers in collaboration with the McIntire School of Commerce will be expanded.
"We are excited about the many ways in which this new partnership will benefit the School of Engineering and Applied Science," said James Aylor, dean of the Engineering School at U.Va. "This is an unprecedented opportunity for us to expand the effective program we have developed with the McIntire School, to enhance the strong programs we have in the Engineering School, and to extend our relationship with Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System in innovative ways."
U.Va.'s McIntire School has developed an extensive relationship with Rolls-Royce, which is one of four corporate sponsors of the school's third-year curriculum, the Integrated Core Experience.
"The McIntire School is very pleased to have the opportunity to expand our strong and multidimensional relationship with Rolls-Royce," said Carl Zeithaml, dean of the McIntire School. "Our students and faculty already realize great benefits from the extensive participation of Rolls-Royce executives in our classrooms, and the company consistently recruits some of our best graduates. This new commitment provides a context to create the model corporate partnership for business education. We are thrilled to work with Rolls-Royce and other schools in the University to offer new programs that meet their educational and human resource needs and to engage the company in our research and curriculum development efforts."
The partnership will result in the creation of two major research centers:
• The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which U.Va. or one of its related foundations will construct and operate adjacent to the Rolls-Royce facility in Prince George County.
• The Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems, which will be headquartered at U.Va.
Both of these new centers will operate in collaboration with Rolls-Royce as well as with Virginia Tech.
The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing will house research scientists and graduate students from U.Va. and Virginia Tech, and its location will permit significant interaction between the scientists and engineers from the two universities and from Rolls-Royce. The facility will also support distance learning through the transmission of courses from U.Va. and Virginia Tech to Rolls-Royce workers.
U.Va. and Virginia Tech will jointly create the Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems and will conduct research activities in areas critical to the technological needs of Rolls-Royce.
In support of this partnership, the Commonwealth of Virginia will funding to U.Va., Virginia Tech and the Virginia Community College System over a five-year period beginning in July 2009 for the following initiatives:
• To fund nine chaired professorships — three in engineering at U.Va., three in U.Va.'s McIntire School of Commerce and three at Virginia Tech;
• To endow graduate fellowships to support the work of U.Va. and Virginia Tech graduate students, at both the center in Prince George County and on the respective home campuses;
• To endow internships to support undergraduate students working with Rolls-Royce in Virginia and around the world;
• To renovate mechanical engineering laboratories at U.Va. and Virginia Tech;
• To support enhancements to the manufacturing programs at U.Va.'s Engineering School, which will allow the introduction of a manufacturing minor;
• To assist community colleges in offering associate degree opportunities both to retrain existing Rolls-Royce employees and to help prepare new employees for Rolls-Royce;
• To provide matching funds for research support provided by Rolls-Royce. The research will be in areas of interest to Rolls-Royce, including work done within the Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems.
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Rolls-Royce's history of partnerships with universities to support and develop research in academic centers of excellence is based on the company's stated desire to "create a cross-cultural working environment for Rolls-Royce and University staff in areas of basic science, applied research, staff training, and technology transfer, where the universities can benefit from privileged access to Rolls-Royce capability bases and information networks."
Barry Johnson, senior associate dean and associate dean for research in the Engineering School, who participated in the development of the partnership, calls the resulting collaboration a "one-of-a-kind" opportunity through which the University "will grow the faculty base of the Engineering School, expand research activities and provide workforce development activities on site for Rolls-Royce."
Virginia was one of eight states in the running for the new Rolls-Royce facility, and Johnson noted that U.Va. and Virginia Tech combined produce more mechanical engineers than any of the other seven states that had been under consideration.
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