The West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences presented its Alumni Recognition Award to a respected developmental psychologist during dedication ceremonies for the Life Sciences Building today (Oct. 17).

Gov. Bob Wise and WVU President David C. Hardesty, Jr. spoke at the 2 p.m. event.

M. Duane Nellis, dean of the EberlyCollege, presented the award to Laura L. Carstensen, professor of psychology at StanfordUniversity. Carstensen provided a colloquium on her research for the university community later that afternoon.

Carstensen earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in life-span developmental psychology at WVU in 1980 and 1983 respectively. She earned her B.A. in psychology in 1978 at the University of Rochester.

She began her career as an assistant professor at IndianaUniversity, and later took a faculty position at the University of California, Berkeley, prior to joining the distinguished psychology department at Stanford. Carstensen, respected internationally for her work addressing the social and emotional functioning of older adults across cultures, directs the Life-Span Development Lab at Stanford. She served as the universitys Barbara D. Fineberg Director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender for 1997 to 2001.

Through the Alumni Recognition Award, which was first presented in 1999, the EberlyCollege honors accomplished alumni whose lives reflect the outstanding commitment, knowledge and excitement that people broadly educated in the liberal arts and sciences bring to their professions, communities and our collective culture. Nominations are made to the Advisory Board, which provides recommendations. The final selection of recipients is made by the dean.

Since 1999, the college has presented the award annually to between three and five alumni. In 2002, the college will present five awards at events scheduled throughout the year. The other recipients are John Cardea, retired professor and chair of orthopedic surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University; Harlan Janes, retired vice president, A.C. Nielsen; Mark Royden Winchell, professor of English, Clemson University, and Thomas A. Lyson, professor of rural sociology, Cornell University.