The Public Engagement Project (PEP) was established in 2008. PEP is a collaboration between CPPA, the Center for Research on Families, the Sociology Department, SADRI, and the Psychology of Peace & Violence Concentration in the Psychology Department.

PEP supports and trains UMass faculty members who want their research to make a difference in the world. Through panels, workshops, and mutual mentoring, PEP creates opportunities for faculty members to learn new skills from experts and from each other to improve engagement with the media, community groups, policymakers, and others in the public arena.

As a initiative that supports the immediate dissemination and use of faculty and student research. PEP is aligned with CPPA's Social Inequality & Justice initiative. However, because PEP supports the broad use of research that cross multiple subject-area lines, PEP in fact supports all of CPPA's five key initiatives.

-A poster for an October 2009 Public Engagement panel