News and Awards

 

Skye Leedahl, who recently earned her M.A. in Gerontology, was the recipient of two awards at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America in San Francisco.  Skye’s paper, based on her Master’s thesis was titled, “Social Organizations and Aging: The Benefits of VFW Membership.” This work was recognized with the 2007 Paper Award by the Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization of GSA.  It was also given the 2007 Master’s level paper award from the Social Research, Policy & Practice Section of GSA. 

Chiung-Ju Liu, who completed her doctorate in gerontology from KU in 2006, has been honored with the 2007 Retirement Research Foundation Award for Doctoral Dissertation Research from Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) of the American Psychological Association. She received a cash prize and was recognized at the APA annual meeting held in September in San Francisco. Liu is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Medicine at Boston University.

Dr. Susan Kemper has been awarded a grant for a new project on aging & language production. Read more...

Gerontology in the News

KU Researchers Show Younger, Older Americans Perceive Age Discrimination--Americans younger than 20 and older than 65 perceive they have lower social status than those who are middle-aged, and they're more likely to perceive age discrimination directed against them, according to new research. KU professors Teri Garstka, Nyla Branscombe and Mary Lee Hu mmert have studied the issue, and their research was published in the June issue of the journal of Psychology and Aging. Read more...

Awards

Faculty Awards

Dr. Susan Kemper was presented with the Master Mentor award by the Retirement Research Foundation and Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging) of the American Psychological Association. The Master Mentor Award is presented to an established figure in the field of adult development and aging who has had a significant impact on the development of the careers of students and junior colleagues in the psychology of adult development and aging.

Dr. Mary Lee Hummert: Fall 2000 -- Received University's W. T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence.

Dr. Mary Lee Hummert was inducted into the KU Hall of fame. Details...

Dr. Virgil Adams: Fall 2002 -- Received University's W. T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence.

Student Awards

Beth A.D. Nolan, Ph.D. Candidate in Gerontology, won the 2003 Student Research Award from the American Society on Aging. Beth has studies the potential causes of aggressive behavior among long-term care residents with Alzheimer's and related dementias. She conducted her research as part of the National Institute on Aging Special Care Unit Initiative.

Other Awards

The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Aging (2002 ), for which Dr. David Ekerdt served as Editor-in-Chief, has garnered recent awards. This is a multidisciplinary, 4-volume, one-million word work, with seven specialty editors and several hundred authors from around the world. The work has won three best-of-year awards (Library Journal Best Reference Sources of 2002; Booklist's Editor's Choice; and Outstanding Reference Source of 2002 from the American Library Association).