social
and cultural psychology: especially Chinese and American cultures, identity,
autonomy and interdependence
community
psychology: especially social network analysis, asset-based community
development, and disability studies
cognitive
psychology: especially cognition and culture change, usability, universal
design
placemaking:
especially urban design, transportation, complete streets
Brief Vita
1986
A.B. in Computer Science, Harvard University
1986-1987
Technical Assistant in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT)
1992
M.A. in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
1996
Ph.D. in Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
1996 -
1998 Post-doctoral Researcher, Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
1998 –
present Asst. Professor, Psychology, Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI
1999 –
present Adjunct Asst. Professor, Linguistics, University of Wisconsin –
Milwaukee, WI, USA
2006 –
2007 Visiting Scholar, Department of Sociology, Nanjing University (China)
2013 –
2014 Guest Researcher, Center for Gerontology, University of Zürich
(Switzerland)
Representative Activities
Invited. “Seeing who we are by making friends with
age.” Book review in The Living Church.
Taiwan 2014: New Information and Cultural
Insights Entrepreneurs Need to Start a Business in Taiwan (co-written with Derek Sivers)
2014.
“Crossing at the Intersections: Placemaking and the Holy." Paper presented at Sacrality and Materiality:
Locating Intersections (European Society for the Study of Christian
Spirituality), Kloster Kappel, Kappel am
Albis, Switzerland, January 7-8, 2014.
2013.
“Embracing eccentricity: translation as a job for the eccentric embracer.”
Paper presented at Inclusion and Eccentricity, Exclusion and Embrace
(University of Zürich), Montmirail,
Thielle-Wavre, Switzerland, September 4, 2013.
2012.
“Children's Lives: 1900 to present: East and Southeast Asia," in Cultural
Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, & Africa: An encyclopedia, ed. A. Stanton, E. Ramsamy, P. Seybolt, &
C. Elliott, SAGE Publications, Thousand
Oaks, CA, pp. III221--III223.
2012.
“Cognition, Culture, and Parenting in Chinese and American Contexts:
Psychological Theory and Research."
Hohai University, Nanjing, China, June 25, 2012.
2010
(with R. Deines). “Community Conversations amid Group Polarization: Engaging
with the Other, Despite Guilt by Association." Them Among Us conference,
Alverno College, October 9, 2010.
2010. “Disability and Aging: The Dynamics of Becoming THEM." Them Among Us conference, Alverno College,
October 9, 2010.
2009. Building
on Hope: Grace for Public Spaces conference (lead organizer), Marquette
University, April 2009.
2009.
Scientific Approaches to Cultural Identity and Social Change. Lecture series presented in Nanjing, China,
as winner of the OYCF Ford Teaching Fellowship.
2007.
“Social identity and cultural change in the context of cross-cultural contact: Language change as a
model." Talk presented at the Sociological Seminar, Nanjing University,
June 13, 2007.
2006.
“Aging from the moment we are born: Who will we become?” 5-session class taught
at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Milwaukee, WI.
2005. Award address. Awareness of
Geriatric & Elderly Issues grants, Wisconsin Foundation for Independent
Colleges.
Professional Organizations
Congress
for the New Urbanism Wisconsin chapter (Board Director 2010-2013).
Association
for Psychological Science.
Society
for Community Research and Action (American Psychological Association Division
27)