Kent State Hosts Global Adolescence Research Summer School

Kent State University will host the annual 2013 European Society for Research on Adolescence (EARA)/Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Summer School from June 16-22. The summer school brings together established researchers, who are recognized for their expertise and teaching abilities, and doctoral students from around the globe for six intensive days of research training.

Twenty-six Ph.D. students, also known as junior scholars, and 10 senior scholars from around the world have been chosen for the training program, which includes exposure to innovative and creative research, as well as workshops focusing on professional skills. The selection process of both Ph.D. students and senior scholars is competitive. Between 50 and 100 Ph.D. students apply each year for the EARA-SRA Summer School. The 26 junior scholars are from different fields that include education, human development and family studies, psychology and social work, which reflect the interdisciplinary nature of adolescent research.

“The Department of Psychology is delighted to be able to host this important and unique event that brings together some of the best scholars in our field,” said Maria Zaragoza, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Department of Psychology.

The summer school was created by EARA in 2001, and is funded by the Johan Jacobs Foundation. For the past six years, the summer school has been co-organized by EARA and SRA, and has been hosted in Torino, Italy; Vancouver, Canada; Orebro, Sweden; Tucson, Arizona; and Spetses, Greece. The summer school alternates from year to year between North America and Europe.

“Hosting the summer school will help the prestige of Kent State and its psychology department,” said Manfred H.M. van Dulmen, Ph.D., associate professor and coordinator of graduate training at Kent State’s Department of Psychology, and director of the 2013 EARA-SRA Summer School. “We have an opportunity to showcase our facilities and resources to scholars from more than 30 institutions from all over the world.”

In order for Kent State to host the summer school, the host scholar previously had to have served as a senior scholar, selected based on their position in the field of adolescent research and their ability to work well with students. In 2010, van Dulmen was a senior scholar.

“We are bringing prominent senior scholars to our campus, including a past president of the Society for Research on Adolescence,” van Dulmen said. “These scholars have been well-funded by federal funding agencies and have all had a major impact on the field. What makes them unique, however, is that they are also really good with students and are known for their mentoring skills.”

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Psychology, visit www.kent.edu/cas/psychology.

For more information about the EARA-SRA Summer School, visit www.s-r-a.org/about-sra/sra/eara-opportunities.

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Media Contacts:
Manfred H.M. van Dulmen, mvandul@kent.edu, 330-672-2504
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595