Gilbert Gottlieb gives his keynote address	Jackie James, inducted as President	University of Michigan student Nicole Zarrett stands with friends in front of her poster presentation

SSHD's Third Biennial Symposium: Still Buzzing
Ty Partridge and Brian Little

SSHD's Third Biennial Symposium took place in brilliant fall weather at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard from November 1-2, 2003. Inside, too, there was a brilliant and diverse set of perspectives on developmental science that left participants still buzzing weeks later.

The program embodied the full breadth of scholarship and integrative collegiality that enlivens the character of SSHD as an intellectual home for students of human development in all its richness. Indeed, the symposium, under the leadership of Gisela Labouvie-Vief, convened a stellar slate of scientists spanning the intellectual spectrum of SSHD; from genetic influences to autobiographical memory and the experiences of migration on human development. The cross-session themes and fruitful multidisciplinary interactions that emerged from this diversity of approach made this meeting provocative and invigorating.

Lerner as outgoing President

Lerner as VERY outgoing President

The meeting began with the initial Opening Greetings by outgoing (very outgoing, see inset pictures!) President, Rich Lerner. The theme of the opening session was on the biological and evolutionary contexts of human development. The first plenary address by Gilbert Gottlieb (Evolution: The Developmental Manifold Concept) was a tour-de-force presentation of the dynamic interplay of individual development, evolution, and ecological contexts. This excellent address set the stage for a vigorous panel session, chaired by Ty Partridge, expanding on the general themes so eloquently presented by Dr. Gottlieb. First, Elaine Bearer presented some remarkable findings from her work on the context sensitivity of genetic expression in neuronal development. In one of the most compelling moments of the conference, Dr. Bearer demonstrated how dynamic the brain is throughout development by showing video of neuronal growth in response to behavior induced changes in neural context. Then turning from the micro-scale of genes and neurons to the macro-scale influences of evolution and culture; George Michel gave an impassioned presentation of the role of evolution from a developmental psychobiological perspective. This last paper organized the morning's theme exceptionally well by demonstrating the confluence of evolution and culture in the nexus of development.

Bearer presents

One of the most inspiring sessions on the program was the graduate student panel; Overcoming the Odds." Four excellent papers were presented; each demonstrating positive developmental outcomes for youths embedded in a high-risk community context. This panel generated considerable excitement making the 140 participants aware of the vitality of SSHD: eminent scholars mixing comfortably with the "imminently eminent" as one participant put it. The level of scholarship of these emerging professionals was highly impressive and holds great promise for the future of human development studies.

Labouvie-Vief leads the conference

The afternoon session featured two eminent researchers on the self and autobiographical memory. Professor Katherine Nelson from CUNY gave an elegant and comprehensive overview of autobiographical memory and the socio-historical contexts in which it plays out. Professor Robyn Fivush from Emory University (a distinguished student of Katherine Nelson) discussed the subtleties of parent-child reminiscing and the development of an autobiographical self, rising to the time constraints of the moment with heroic professionalism. The first day ended with an excellent poster session comprised of 53 posters covering the entire gamut of human development. The true scope and depth of the Society as an intellectual sanctuary for a truly lifespan and holistic view of human development was most evident during the poster session.

The second day was catapulted back into the high energy and enthusiasm of the first days' sessions with a plenary address by Dan McAdams (The Redemptive Self: Generativity and the Life-Stories of Midlife American Adults). Starting with the Gettysburg Address as a story of cultural redemption and generativity, Dr. McAdams interwove these archetypal themes with Eriksonian developmental theory to examine the tapestry of person-context relations defined through the life-stories created during middle-adulthood.

Members of the Society's Steering Committee

Completing the developmental journey from biological contexts, through the person as a reflective and self-defining agent, to cultural contexts; the final panel session, chaired by Toni Antonucci, emphasized the unique role of immigration and its impact on individual development across the life-span. The panel developmental experiences associated with immigration provide a clear look at how the shifting and blending cultural and social contexts impacts the individual life-course.

Jennifer Davison and Katie Connery of the ADSI Publications Program stand with Mike Williams from Sage

Mary Levitt opened the panel with an exciting presentation of promise and challenge experienced by newly immigrant youth. James Jackson then enriched the discussion with a presentation of the many complexities of immigration for adults. Cynthia Garcia Coll closed the panel discussion with an insightful and authoritative overview of the multiplicity of developmental trajectories of immigrant school children.

The meeting reached its apex with Richard Lerner's Presidential address (which will appear in a forthcoming issue of Research in Human Development). In a masterfully orchestrated paper, this address embodied the full range of themes presented throughout the meeting. Professor Lerner's address closed with an audacious application of developmental science toward the enhancement of youth, families and their communities. The ovation at the end of Lerner's address was not only a response to a beautifully crafted paper, but an acknowledgement of Rich Lerner's boundless enthusiasm, optimism, and energy that have already infected attendees with eager anticipation of the 4th biennial meeting.

The Symposium ended with a Business Meeting (not typically a locus of congenial delight) that was both congenial and delightful, as representatives of the various committees of SSHD gave reports on the substantial progress that has been made on several fronts during the past year. Their reports appear elsewhere in this edition of the Networker. A few substantive changes were voted on, including a change in the name of the Chair of SSHD to President, beginning immediately. Shortly after the resolution was passed unanimously, Jacqueline Boone James became the second Chair and first President of the Society for the Study of Human Development. Expressing pleasure and pride in her new position, she banged the new gavel and launched a new chapter in the history of our flourishing Society.

All photographs courtesy of Erin Phelps