COLLEGE PARK, MD (February, 2017) – Lucas Butler, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, was recognized as a 2016 Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science.
The award is given to "outstanding psychological scientists in the earliest stages of their research career post-PhD … whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals great potential for their continued contributions,” according to the APS.
Dr. Butler, who joined the University of Maryland College of Education in January 2015, is co-director of the Cognition & Development Lab, which focuses on cognitive development and learning in childhood. He is also a member of UMD’s Program in Neuroscience & Cognitive Science, the Infant and Child Studies Consortium at UMD, the Language Science Center, and the Field Committee in Developmental Science.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be included among such a fantastic group of APS Rising Stars,” said Butler. “In my work I try to pull together different theoretical and methodological approaches in order to build a more comprehensive picture of early learning and development. This recognition shows an appreciation in the field for the promise and potential of that approach.”
Butler, who teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on child development, focuses his research on social cognition and cognitive development in early childhood, as well as how children's early learning is fundamentally shaped by the social context in which it occurs.
"Luke's doing truly innovative work on the social context of learning in preschoolers, and it's wonderful to see it receiving national recognition,” said Kelly S. Mix, professor and chair in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology. “We're so proud and appreciative of the contributions he's making to the field and in our department."
