About Us
The Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture was founded by Dr. Kenneth Rubin in the Fall semester of 1995. At that time, initial support was provided Dr. Hawley, Dean, College of Education and Dr. Hardy, Chair, Department of Human Development. In 1998, Dr. Melanie Killen joined the Center as Associate Director. The Center hosts weekly colloquia offered by eminent leaders in the fields of Developmental Science, Human Development, and Developmental Psychopathology. Also, the Center sponsors Visiting Scholars from around the globe every semester.
The Center has three major goals:
- To facilitate collaborative, longitudinal, national and cross-cultural research projects on connections between children, social relationships, and culture.
- To serve as the crux of social developmental graduate training through the NICHD/NIH Graduate Training Program in Social Development award (2003- present) which facilitates graduate training through its weekly colloquia series which enhances collaboration and interaction among developmental scientists.
- To make available a resource facility containing scholarly information that helps produce policy initiatives, improvements in practice related to strengthening of families and child development, and to host international and national Visiting Scholars who will interact with Center members.
Advanced Learning Opportunities
The Center serves as the crux of the ongoing NICHD funded Graduate Training Grant in Social Development. This Training Grant provides fellowship support for outstanding students whose interests match Training Faculty. These interests are focused on social development in families, schools, communities, and cultures, and include developmental topic such as: child language acquisition, developmental psychopathology, father involvement, intergroup attitudes, interventions for children at risk for social and emotional difficulties, low-income and at-risk children, moral development, parent-child relationships, peer relationships and interactions, play and cognitive development, prejudice, social cognition, social neuroscience, social withdrawal, and temperament.
The Center Resource Facility
The Resource Facility has been established to facilitate scholarly training and research projects. The facility includes a conference/seminar room for meetings and seminars; offices for visiting scholars, Center faculty, postdocs and graduate fellows, and staff; and office space equipped with computers, printers, and a small reference library.
The Resource Facility currently hosts the office of two members of the Governing Council of the Society for Research in Child Development and Past-President of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, as well as the office of an Associate Editor of Child Development.