Middlesex Parents:
Please join us for our first MPA meeting of 2017 on January 21 at 9:30-11:00am in the Barron Room. We are fortunate to feature Abigail Baird PhD, professor of Psychology at Vassar, who will speak about the development of the teen brain. She is currently working on a series of studies that examine how teenagers use emotional and cognitive information to inform their decision-making. If you haven’t made it to an MPA meeting this is a great one to make it to! We hope to see many of you there!
More on Dr. Baird from her website Teen Species:
Abigail A. Baird is a Professor of Psychological Science at Vassar College, and the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Adolescent Science. She earned her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and both an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Following positions at both Harvard and Dartmouth, Abigail returned to Vassar in 2006, where she continues her teaching and research today.
The primary focus of Abigail’s research is developmental neuroscience, with a particular focus on the changes in reasoning and decision-making that take place during adolescence. Abigail is the author of two books and has published numerous scientific and popular press articles about her research. Her research has received awards from Harvard University and the Society for Research on Psychopathology.
She has been elected to several scientific societies including the International Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. Her professional accomplishments also include serving as Secretary of the Association for Psychological Science, Invited Faculty to the New York State Judicial Institute, and Advisory Board member on the Campaign for Youth Justice. Abigail has been a consistent participant in the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Award Winning Neuroscience Educational Program for members of the judicial system. Her work on adolescent brain development contributed to the Amicus Briefs that helped the United States Supreme Court to abolish the Death Penalty for Juveniles, and more recently abolish Life Sentences without the Possibility of Parole for Juveniles. Following this work Abigail was elected to the National Committee on Lawyers and Scientist, a joint committee between the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Bar Association (ABA) that serves to advise national policy at the intersection of science and law. She is the recipient of Harvard’s George Goethals Teaching Prize, as well as the Class of 1962 Excellence in Teaching Fellowship, awarded by Dartmouth College. In 2012 Abigail (along with colleague Craig Bennett) was awarded the prestigious Ig Nobel Prize in Neuroscience. A prize awarded by previous Nobel Laureates for “science that first makes people laugh and then makes them think”.
Abigail has appeared on a number of radio and television programs, and recently appearing in two episodes of National Geographic’s Emmy Nominated show Brain Games. She has also been featured as an expert in several documentaries including, most recently, Beware the Slenderman which will premier this year at the SXSW film festival before airing on HBO in late 2016.