- Dec 9, 2025
- by Juan Vazquez-Leddon
- Community Engagement, Student Life
Six CHE students named 2026 BCTR Scholars
The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) is pleased to welcome the third cohort of BCTR Scholars who will spend the next year learning the fundamentals of translational research and applying their knowledge to enhance the community.
The BCTR Scholars program introduces undergraduates to translational research through specialized coursework during the spring 2026 semester, networking with faculty mentors, and a hands-on experience with local organizations over the summer. Students learn how translational research can inform
Cindy Hazan
Dr. Hazan’s general area of interest is human mating and pair bonding. Most of her research has been conducted within the framework of ethological attachment theory, which focuses on the predisposition of people of all ages to form strong interpersonal bonds. Her initial work helped establish the theory’s usefulness for understanding and explaining individual differences in the way adults think, feel, and behave in their closest relationships. More recently, she has been investigating the processes
Valerie Reyna
LABORATORY FOR RATIONAL DECISION MAKING
Valerie Reyna is the Lois and Melvin Tukman Professor of Human Development, Director of the Human Neuroscience Institute, and Co-director of the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decision Research. Her research integrates brain and behavioral approaches to understand and improve judgment, decision making, and memory across the life span. Her recent work has focused on the neuroscience of risky decision making and its implications for health
- Jan 28, 2025
- by Emily Groff
- Holistic Human Health, Technology + Human Thriving
New research indicates that even with suspension of input, a child acquires language
For decades, researchers studying the cognitive science of language acquisition have wrestled with a fundamental question – how important is experience in learning a language? And how does that experience affect language development?
The role of experience is difficult to study because people typically process the input data they experience – the language they’re exposed to through daily life, interacting with others, watching videos, listening to conversations and media, etc. – and create language through
Kimberly Kopko
Kimberly Kopko received her Ph.D. in Child Development from the Department of Human Development at Cornell University and joined the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) in the College of Human Ecology. Her research and Extension work examines child development and parenting and family processes. Current research and outreach projects include: parenting and youth development, parenting and child learning, and the use of research and evidence-based parent education programs to promote positive parenting and strengthen families. Ongoing academic and research interests include
- Feb 6, 2024
- by Emily Groff
- Holistic Human Health
Sander Kersten named new director of Division of Nutritional Sciences
Sander Kersten Ph.D. ’97, an experienced molecular nutrition researcher and academic leader, has been named the new director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, which is shared by the College of Human Ecology (CHE) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).
Kersten, who was also named the Schleifer Family Professor in CHE, comes to Cornell from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where he was most recently professor and chair of the Division