 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
SIXTH BIENNIAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
October
18-20,
2009
University
of Michigan
Awards
Best completed
dissertation award
Dr. Lang Ma
Dr. Ma’s work is aimed at aligning the design and implementation of
community-based programs to decrease youth problem behaviors and to improve the
lives of young people in her native country, the People’s Republic of China.
She is an exemplar of how a physician and developmental scientist may use
theory-based, longitudinal research to provide community-based organizations and
policy makers with a knowledge-base for promoting sustainable systems change in
communities.
Best Dissertation Plan Award
The SSHD awards was so impressed with two dissertation proposals that two awards
will be given for that category.
Scott Trudeau
Scott’s dissertation concerns the growing phenomenon of college campus-based
continuing care retirement communities.
This work is positioned at the leading edge of an important new
institutional arrangement for the support of successful aging.
There are already close to 100 retirement communities affiliated with
colleges and universities. His
research will be the first study that looks systematically at the benefits to
elderly residents of involvement in intergenerational postsecondary learning and
campus life.
Neda Bebiroglu
Neda Bebiroglu’s proposed dissertation is unique in several respects.
Her work will be the first to elucidate the potential impact of parenting
behaviors on youth civic engagement.
Methodologically, her work will use cutting-edge, multivariate
longitudinal analyses to investigate the roles of parental civic involvement and
civic values in their children’s civic engagement.
The knowledge she provides about the links between parenting and youth
civic engagement is likely to profoundly influence family policy and support
programs.
The Early Career Award
This award is intended to honor an early career scholar whose work has made a
significant contribution to the understanding of significant and critical
aspects of human development.
Dr. Kira Birditt
Kira Birditt is an exciting young scholar whom I believe has made significant
contributions to the field. She is interested in social relations, focusing
almost exclusively on negative aspects of relationships, including conflict and
avoidance in personal relationships, across adulthood.
Because negative relations have a significant impact on health and
well-being in old age, this line of research has important implications for
aging. She thinks clearly and deeply about how negative aspects of
relationships, including avoidance and conflict, can affect health.
Dr. Kira Birditt is well on her way to
becoming a leader in the field. Her research is outstanding and offers enormous
potential to the field.