Jacobs Foundation Awards Professor Laurence Steinberg Inaugural Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

November 11, 2009 8:45 AM EST

ZURICH, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jacobs Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Europe in the field of youth development, today announced Professor Laurence Steinberg of Temple University as the recipient of the inaugural Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. Presented to individuals in recognition of outstanding scientific accomplishments which represent groundbreaking contributions to the improvement of the living conditions of young people, the Prize carries an award of one million Swiss francs, the equivalent of one million U.S. dollars. An international, cross-disciplinary jury composed of seven scientists from leading research institutions around the world selected Professor Steinberg as the Prize beneficiary. The Prize is intended to provide financial support for continuing research on youth development. The award ceremony will take place at the University of Zurich on December 3, the birthday of Klaus J. Jacobs, the architect of the Foundation and namesake of the Prize.

"It is with tremendous pleasure and pride that we award the first Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize to Professor Laurence Steinberg," said Dr. Bernd Ebersold, CEO of the Jacobs Foundation. "A trailblazer in the field of developmental psychology, Professor Steinberg exemplifies the Foundation's commitment to combining research, application, and active communication to improve the lives of young people. It is our hope that this Prize will enable Professor Steinberg to extend his extraordinary scientific contributions and continue to support the development of children and adolescents around the world."

Currently the Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University, Professor Steinberg is a former President both of the Society for Research on Adolescence and the Division of Developmental Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Professor Steinberg's work on juvenile justice issues has transformed legal policy and practice. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 ruling in Roper v. Simmons, abolishing the juvenile death penalty, relied significantly on the argument advanced by Professor Steinberg and his colleagues that adolescents are fundamentally different from adults in ways shown by scientific studies of brain and behavioral development. Professor Steinberg also served as scientific consultant on the amicus curiae brief submitted by the American Psychological Association in Sullivan v. Florida and Graham v. Florida, landmark juvenile justice cases argued before the United States Supreme Court on Monday, November 9. Professor Steinberg currently chairs the National Academies' Committee on the Science of Adolescence and is a former member of the Academies' Board on Children, Youth, and Families.

The author of more than 250 scientific articles and chapters on adolescent development, Professor Steinberg's scholarship demonstrates an unusual breadth and depth, spanning several areas of importance to the study of youth development, including research on cognitive, social, and emotional development during adolescence; influences on academic engagement and achievement; and juvenile crime and justice. A citation analysis conducted by The Institute for Scientific Information determined Professor Steinberg to be one of the top 250 scientists in the combined fields of psychology/psychiatry internationally. Professor Steinberg is the author or co-author of eleven books, including Adolescence, the leading college textbook on adolescent development, now in its 8th edition; You and Your Adolescent: A Parent's Guide for Ages 10 to 20; Beyond the Classroom: Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do, which the New York Times cited as one of the decade's most important books on education; The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting, which has been translated into ten languages; and Rethinking Juvenile Justice.

In addition to the Research Prize, the Foundation will present the first annual Klaus J. Jacobs Best Practice Award on December 3. Given to an individual or organization engaged in youth development, the Best Practice Award recognizes the successful implementation of innovative, practical projects that produce tangible results in the lives of young people and promote long-term positive change in their communities. This year's recipient, selected by the Jacobs Foundation's board of trustees, is Father Johann Casutt from Horgen, Switzerland, a Jesuit priest who founded the ATMI vocational training school in Surakarta, Indonesia. Father Casutt will receive 200,000 Swiss francs in recognition of his exemplary work.

Established in 1988, the Jacobs Foundation funds interdisciplinary research and pilot projects in the area of youth development in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Southern Asia. Through the integration of research, application and intervention, as well as dialogue and network building, the Foundation seeks to develop the potential of young people and to help them become socially responsible and productive members of society. In 2006, the Jacobs Foundation committed Euro 200 million to support the Jacobs University Bremen in Germany, one of the largest-ever donations to a private higher education institute in Europe. With an annual budget of approximately 35 million Swiss francs, the Jacobs Foundation is the largest philanthropic organization in Europe dedicated to improving the lives of children globally.

SOURCE Jacobs Foundation

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