Melanie Killen named
University Distinguished Scholar-Teacher for 2008-09

Melanie Killen

COLLEGE PARK, MD (January 2008) – Human Development Professor Melanie Killen was recently selected as one of five faculty members from across campus to receive a 2008-2009 University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Award.

Bestowed by the Office of Faculty Affairs, the Award recognizes senior faculty who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly accomplishment and excellence in teaching, have brought passion for learning to their colleagues and students, and who serve as models of what a professor at a top Research I university should be.

Responding to news of her selection Killen said, "I'm thrilled and honored to receive this award and I look forward to serving as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher on campus next year."

Award recipients are granted a $5,000 honorarium to support their instructional and scholarly activities. They also make a presentation during the university’s fall Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture Series, and participate in programs for faculty or students to share their expertise in establishing productive research programs and developing successful teaching methods and approaches.

Killen is the latest addition to an impressive roster of College of Education faculty designated as Distinguished Scholar-Teachers since the award was established in 1978. She currently serves as the director of the NIH Graduate Training Program in Social Development and as the associate director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland. Her research on children’s and adolescents’ social and moral development has received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). She has also published over 90 papers and co-edited a number of books. Killen is an associate editor of the journal Child Development, past associate editor for the journals Human Development and Early Education and Development, and the editor of the Handbook on Moral Development. She is an active member of the Society for Research in Child Development Governing Council and a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. Killen has served as a consultant for the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services Youth Initiative, designing conflict resolution programs as well as assisting with media-based prejudice reduction programs for Sesame Street Workshop. Her research has been profiled in various media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The American Scientist, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American School Board Journal and Teaching Tolerance Magazine.