Program

Neuroscience and psychological sciences research has found that “character strengths,” such as self-control, conscientiousness, resilience, grit, empathy and social-emotional skills are linked to greater school, college, career and life success, higher test scores, less bullying and behavior problems and better social and cognitive functioning. Research has also discovered that we can use the brain’s neuroplasticity to train these skills, often called non-cognitive or soft skills, in students through instruction, video games and meditation. Discover the science behind these character strengths, why they lead to academic and life success and how educators can train these skills in students.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

You will gain knowledge about:

The science of self-control for academic success
Using video games to train social, anti-bullying skills
Creating caring, respectful and moral children and teens
Strategies for self-regulation, grit and social-emotional learning
How meditation and mindsets increase self-control and resilience
Promoting moral, academic, civic and intellectual character strengths
Linking emotional self-regulation to reading, math and achievement
Creating healthy, safe school climates and positive teen development
Managing challenging classroom behaviors and online bullying
Enhancing empathy, compassion and gratitude in children
The effects of stress, trauma, abuse and poverty
Raising resilient children and young adults

CO-SPONSORS

Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Center for Emotional Intelligence, Yale University
Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, The Dana Foundation
Comer School Development Program, Yale University School of Medicine
Mind, Brain & Education Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara
School of Education, Johns Hopkins University
MA Consortium for Social-Emotional Learning in Teacher Education
Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA)
LEARNING & the BRAIN® Foundation

“Measures of conscientiousness, self-control, grit and growth mindset were all positively correlated with attendance, behavior and test score gains.”
-John D.E. Gabrieli, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

FEATURED SPEAKERS
	Opening Welcome Remarks, Host and Award Presenter David B. Daniel, PhD, Professor of Psychology, James Madison University; Managing Editor, Mind, Brain and Education Journal; Author, "Promising Principles: Translating the Science of Learning to Educational Practice" (2012, Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition)
	Welcome, Co-Sponsor and Presider Deborah Donahue-Keegan, EdD, Co-Director, Massachusetts SEL-Teacher Education Consortium; Member, Steering Committee, Social and Emotional Learning Alliance of Massachusetts; Lecturer, Department of Education, Tufts University; Author of the Report, "Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Educator Preparation: Making the Case for Explicit Integration of SEL in Massachusetts’ Professional Standards for Teachers” (2013, Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)
	How Mind and Brain Enable Self-Control: The Marshmallow Test and Beyond Walter Mischel, PhD, Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology, Columbia University; Author, The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control (2015); Co-Author, “Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Delay of Gratification 40 Years Later” (2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) and “Predictive Cognitive Control from Preschool to Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood” (2006, Psychological Science)
	Self-Control and Self-Esteem: Their Contribution to Success in School and Life Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Florida State University; Co-Author, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (2012); Editor, Self-Esteem: The Puzzle of Low Self-Regard (2014); Co-Editor, Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory and Applications (2013, 2nd Edition); Co-Author, “A Meta-Analysis of How Trait Self-Control Relates to a Wide Range of Behaviors” (2012, Personality and Social Psychology)
	Positive Neuroplasticity: Tapping the Hidden Power of Everyday Experiences to Build Resilience Rick Hanson, PhD, Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley; Founder, Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom; Author, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm and Confidence (2013) and Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom (2009)
	Educating Hearts and Minds: Promoting Empathy, Compassion and Kindness in Children and Youth Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, PhD, Applied Developmental Psychologist; Professor, Human Development, Learning and Culture, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia; Co-Author, “Enhancing Cognitive and Social-Emotional Development through a Simple-to-administer Mindfulness-based School Program for Elementary School Children” (2015, Developmental Psychology), “Social-Emotional Competencies Make the Grade” (2014, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology) and “Bullying and Morality” (2010, The International Handbook of School Bullying); Co-Editor, Mindfulness in Adolescence (2014)
	*Socio-Emotional and Cognitive Resilience in Children with Learning Challenges* Fumiko Hoeft, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Director of UCSF Hoeft Laboratory for Educational Neuroscience (brainLENS.org), University of California, San Francisco; Researcher on the understanding brain development and brain mechanisms of educationally relevant concepts such as SEL (e.g., mindset, grit, motivation, resilience and stereotype threat), creativity, learning and learning challenges (e.g., dyslexia and autism); Winner for the 2015"Transforming Education through Neuroscience" from the Learning and the Brain Foundation; Co-Author, “Utilizing Biopsychosocial and Strengths-based Approaches Within the Field of Child Health: What We Know and Where We Can Grow” (2015, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development) and “White Matter Morphometric Changes Uniquely Predict Children's Reading Acquisition” (2014, Psychological Sciences)
	Building Resilience in Children and Teens Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love With Expectations and Protection With Trust (2015) and Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings (2011); Co-Author, Less Stress, More Success (2006); Co-Editor, Reaching Teens: Strength-Based Communication Strategies to Build Resilience and Support Healthy (2014)
	*Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence on Self-Regulation and Resilience* Laurence Steinberg, PhD, Distinguished University Professor, Temple University; Author, Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence (2014) and You and Your Adolescent: The Essential Guide for Ages 10-25 (2011, Revised Edition); Co-Author, “Unpacking Self-Control” (2015, Child Developmental Perspective) and “Impact of Socio-Emotional Context, Brain Development, and Pubertal Maturation on Adolescent Decision-making” (2013, Hormones and Behavior)
	Amplifying the Passion for Learning: The Power of Character Strengths in Education Neal H. Mayerson, PhD, Clinical Psychologist; Chairman/Founder, VIA Institute on Character; President, Mayerson Foundation; Chairman/Founder, Mayerson Academy; Founder, Mayerson Student Philanthropy Program; Co-Founder, Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children; Founder, RISE Learning Solutions
CONFERENCE TRACKS AND DISTINGUISHED CONFERENCE FACULTY
1) THE SCIENCE OF SCHOOL SUCCESS: RAISING SELF-REGULATION SKILLS
	How Mind and Brain Enable Self-Control: The Marshmallow Test and Beyond Walter Mischel, PhD, Robert Johnston Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology, Columbia University; Author, The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control (2015); Co-Author, “Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Delay of Gratification 40 Years Later” (2011, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
	Self-Control and Self-Esteem: Their Contribution to Success in School and Life Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Florida State University; Co-Author, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (2012); Editor, Self-Esteem: The Puzzle of Low Self-Regard (2014); Co-Editor, Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory and Applications (2013, 2nd Edition)
	*Socio-Emotional and Cognitive Resilience in Children with Learning Challenges* Fumiko Hoeft, MD, PhD, Director, Laboratory of Educational NeuroScience (BrainLENS); Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine; Recipient of the 2015 Transforming Education through Neuroscience Award from Learning & the Brain Foundation; Co-Author, “White Matter Morphometric Changes Uniquely Predict Children's Reading Acquisition” (2014, Psychological Sciences)
	*Beyond Grit: Strategies to Promote Social-Emotional Learning in Schools and in At-Risk Kids* Stephanie M. Jones, PhD, Associate Professor in Human Development and Urban Education Advancement; Co-Director, “Making Caring Common” Initiative; Co-Project Director, “Rigorous and Regulated Learning Environments”, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Author, “Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: From Programs to Strategies” (2012, Social Policy Report)
	*Emotions Matter: The Role of Grit, Social and Emotional Literacy for School Success* Marc A. Brackett, PhD, Director, Center For Emotional Intelligence; Senior Research Scientist in Psychology; Faculty Fellow, Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy, Yale University; Co-Creator of RULER; Co-Author, “Predicting School Success: Comparing Conscientiousness, Grit and Emotion Regulation Ability” (2014, Journal of Research in Personality)
	*Why Teaching Students Social and Emotional Skills Boosts Math and Science Learning* Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, PhD, Professor of Education; Director, Social Development Lab, Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Rimm-Kaufman has spent the last two decades conducting research on elementary school classrooms with the goal of developing roadmaps for administrators and teachers making decisions for teachers and children. She is the author of more than 50 empirical papers and principal investigator on more than $7 million in research grants. She recently conducted a large-scale randomized controlled trial on the Responsive Classroom approach resulting in the paper: “Efficacy of the Responsive Classroom Approach: Results from a 3-year, Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial” (2014, American Education Research Journal) and “Promoting Social and Academic Competence in the Classroom” (2007, Psychology in the Schools)
	*Self-Regulated Writing: Combining Character, Self-Control and Common Core* Leslie E. Laud, EdD, Founding Director, thinkSRSD; Lecturer, Reading Specialist Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School; Co-Author, How Good Teachers Nurture Character (2000)
	The Teaching Brain and Social-Emotional Dimensions of Learning Vanessa Rodriguez, MA, Instructor in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Program Officer, International Teaching Brain Consortium and the International Mind Brain and Education Society; Author, The Teaching Brain: The Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education (2014); Co-Author, “Teachers’ Awareness of the Learner-Teacher Interaction: Preliminary Communication of a Study Investigating The Teaching Brain” (2013, Mind, Brain and Education Journal)
2) THE SCIENCE OF MORAL CHARACTER: CREATING KIND, RESPECTFUL CHILDREN
	The Neurobiology of Character: Fostering Compassionate, Communal and Moral Mindsets Darcia F. Narvaez, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Notre Dame; Co-Director, "The Self, Motivation and Virtue" Project by the Templeton Trust; Blogger for “Moral Landscapes,” Psychology Today; Editor, Journal of Moral Education; Author, Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality (2014), Personality, Identity and Character (2009) and “Teaching for Character: Three Strategies for Teacher Education” (2013, The Moral Work of Teaching); Co-Editor, Handbook of Moral and Character Education (2014, 2nd Edition)
	Educating Hearts and Minds: Promoting Empathy, Compassion and Kindness in Children and Youth Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, PhD, Professor, Human Development, Learning and Culture, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia; Co-Author, “Social-Emotional Competencies Make the Grade” (2014, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology) and “Kindness Counts: Promoting Prosocial Behavior in Preadolescents Boosts Peer Acceptance and Well-Being ” (2012, PLoS One)
	How Schools and Families Can Raise Respectful, Moral, Happy Children Richard Weissbourd, EdD, Faculty Director, Human Development and Psychology Program; Co-Director, “Making Caring Common” Project and “Caring Schools” Initiative, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Lecturer, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Author, The Parents We Mean To Be (2010); Co-Author, “Educators' Social and Emotional Skills Vital to Learning” (2013, Phi Delta Kappa)
	Amplifying the Passion for Learning: The Power of Character Strengths in Education Neal H. Mayerson, PhD, Clinical Psychologist; Chairman/Founder, VIA Institute on Character; President, Mayerson Foundation; Chairman, Mayerson Academy; Creator with Dr. Martin Seligman of the VIA Classification and VIA Survey of Character Strengths; Co-Author, “Through the Lens of Strength: A Framework for Educating the Heart” (2014, Journal of Positive Psychology)
	The Role of Moral, Performance and Civic Character Development in Fostering Student Success Scott C. Seider, EdD, Associate Professor of Education, School of Education, Boston University; Adjunct Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Author, Character Compass: How Powerful School Culture Can Point Students Toward Success (2012)
	Raising Grateful Children Andrea M. Hussong, PhD, Professor of Psychology; Director, Center for Developmental Science; Principal Investigator, “Raising Grateful Children” Project, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Author, “How Parents Can Foster Gratitude in Kids” (2014, Greater Good Science Center)
	The Science of Virtue: Gratitude, Compassion an Pride as Routes to Self-Control, Social Resilience and Success David A. DeSteno, PhD, Professor; Department of Psychology; Director, Social Emotions Lab, Northeastern University; Editor-in-Chief, Emotion; Author, Emotional Success (2016, Forthcoming), The Truth About Trust (2014) and Out of Character (2013, Reprint Edition), The Kindness Cure (2015, The Atlantic). Co-Author: Gratitude and Prosocial Behavior: Helping When it Costs You (2006, Psychological Science), Meditation Increases Compassionate Responses to Suffering (2013, Psychological Science)
	Cultivating Intellectual and Character Excellence in Schools: Tapping Student Motivation and Building Mature Agency Karen E. Bohlin, EdD, Head of Montrose School; Senior Scholar, Center for Character and Social Responsibility, School of Education, Boston University; Author, Teaching Character Education through Literature (2005); Co-Author, Happiness and Virtue Beyond East and West: Towards a New Global Responsibility (2012), Citizenship in Higher Education (2009) and Building Character in Schools: Practical Ways to Bring Moral Instruction to Life (2003)
	Encouraging Children to Give: Self-Regulation, Learning and Gratitude Peter R. Blake, EdD, Director, Social Development and Learning Lab; Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University; Co-Principal Investigator for the Project "Gratitude in Development: Cognitive and Normative Contexts"; Co-Author, "Prosocial Norms in the Classroom: The Role of Self-Regulation in Following Norms of Giving" (2014, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization) and "The Developmental Origins of Fairness: The Knowledge Behavior Gap" (2014, Trends in Cognitive Science)
3) DEVELOPING MINDS: CULTIVATING CHARACTER STRENGTHS IN TEENS
	Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence on Self-Regulation and Resilience Laurence Steinberg, PhD, Distinguished University Professor; Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology, Temple University; Author, Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence (2014); Co-Author, “Unpacking Self-Control” (2015, Child Developmental Perspective)
	Developing Teen Brains: Self-Regulation in the Face of Rewards and Risks Leah H. Somerville, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Director, Affective Neuroscience & Development Laboratory; Faculty, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University; Co-Author, “Neural Correlates of Expected Risks and Returns in Risky Choice Across Development” (2015, The Journal of Neuroscience)
	*A Theory of Social and Emotional Development and Resilience in Youth: Assessment and Practice* Gil G. Noam, EdD, PhD, Founder/Director, Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency, Harvard University; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital; Editor-in-chief, New Directions in Youth Development Journal
	*Adolescent Brains: Executive Function, Sensation Seeking and Risk Taking* Jay N. Giedd, MD, Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego; Co-Author, “Developmental Changes in the Structure of the Social Brain in Late Childhood and Adolescence” (2014, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience)
	Insights from Brain Biology for Fostering Character Development, Moral Reasoning and Decision Making Greg Richards, PhD, Founder/Director, Middle Grades Ethic Project; Author, Ethics for Young Adults (2014) and "Measuring the Effect of Parent Involvement in a Middle School Ethics Curriculum on Parent-Adolescent Communication" (2010, Doctoral Dissertation)
	How Critical Consciousness Combines Civic, Intellectual and Performance Character Strengths to Foster Positive Youth Development Scott C. Seider, EdD, Associate Professor of Education, School of Education, Boston University; Adjunct Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Co-Author, “The Role of Moral and Performance Character Strengths in Predicting Achievement and Conduct Among Urban Middle School Students” (2013, Teachers College Record); Editor, The Engaged Campus (2012)
	Reaching Marginalized and Traumatized Youth Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Co-Author, Reaching Teens: Strength-Based Communication Strategies to Build Resilience and Support Healthy Adolescent Development (2014), Guiding Adolescents to Use Healthy Strategies to Manage Stress (2013) and Letting Go with Love and Confidence: Responsible, Resilient and Self-Sufficient Teens in the 21st Century (2011)
	Doing the Right Thing: Character Role Models in the Lives of Teens Sara K. Johnson, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development; Post-doctoral Associate, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University; Project Director, "ACT Study: A Study Assessing Character in Young Men"; Co-Author, "Hope in Context: Developmental Profiles of Trust, Hopeful Future Expectations, and Civic Engagement Across Adolescence" (2014, Journal of Youth and Adolescence); Co-Editor, Promoting Positive Youth Development (2015)
4) RESILIENT MINDS: RAISING RESILIENCE, MINDSETS AND MINDFULNESS
	Positive Neuroplasticity: Tapping the Hidden Power of Everyday Experiences to Build Resilience Rick Hanson, PhD, Senior Fellow, Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley; Founder, Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom; Author, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm and Confidence (2013) and Buddha's Brain (2009)
	Building Resilience in Children and Teens Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; Author, Raising Kids to Thrive (2015) and Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings (2014, 3rdEdition); Co-Author, Less Stress, More Success (2006)
	Meditation in Schools: Benefits for Learning, Self-Control and Performance Joshua M. Aronson, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University; Co-Author, “Minding and Mending the Gap: Social Psychological Interventions to Reduce Educational Disparities” (2015, Contemporary Educational Psychology); Editor, Improving Academic Achievement (2002)
	Classroom-Based Programs to Cultivate Mindfulness, Self-Control and Compassion Lisa Flook, PhD, Scientist, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds and Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Co-Author, “Promoting Prosocial Behavior and Self-Regulatory Skills in Preschool Children Through a Mindfulness-Based Kindness Curriculum” (2014, Developmental Psychology)
	Mindsets, Beliefs and Resilience: Strengthening Student Resilience in School Sara Truebridge, EdD, Educational Consultant; Researcher on resilience; Consultant to the film, Race to Nowhere (2010); Author, Resilience Begins with Beliefs: Building on Student Strengths for Success in School (2013)
	Why Hope and Relationships Still Matter: Fostering Resilience and Well-Being in Poor Children and Families Valerie Maholmes, PhD, Chief, Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch; Director, Child and Family Processes/Child Maltreatment and Violence Research Program in the Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health; Co-Chair, National Institutes of Health Child Abuse and Neglect Working Group; Author, Fostering Resilience and Well-being in Children and Families in Poverty (2014); Co-Editor, The Oxford Handbook of Poverty and Child Development (2012)
	Developing a K-12 Resilience Program in Your District Gerald Fussell, MEd, District Principal, Innovation and Technology, Comox Valley School District in British Columbia, Canada; built a district-wide resilience program based on Kenneth Ginsberg's work; Blogger for Why Not
5) CHALLENGING MINDS: MANAGING ANXIETY AND BULLYING BEHAVIORS
	Practical School Interventions for Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behavior Jessica Minahan, MEd, BCBA, Adjunct Professor, Boston University; National Consultant to Schools; Author, The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools and Interventions for Supporting Students With Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (2014); Co-Author, The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students (2012)
	Perceptual and Cognitive Changes in Cyberbullying: Teaching Students Avoidance Strategies in K-12 Elizabeth K. Englander, PhD, Founder/Director, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center; Professor of Psychology, Bridgewater State University; Chair of the Cyberbullying Work Group at the Institute for Digital Media and Child Development; Author, Bullying and Cyberbullying: What Every Educator Needs to Know (2013) and Understanding Violence (2007)
	Effective Behavioral Strategies in the Classroom Sam J. Goldstein, PhD, Assistant Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine; Clinical Director, Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center; Co-Author, Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors (2015, 3rd Edition) and Raising a Self-Disciplined Child (2009)
	Social Minds and Social Media: Digital Stress and Cyberbullying Emily C. Weinstein, MEd, Doctoral Candidate, Human Development and Education; Teaching Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Former Research Assistant for Developing Minds and Digital Media projects at Project Zero; Co-Author, “Digital Stress: Adolescents' Personal Accounts” (2014, New Media & Society)
	*Computational Empathy: Using Digital Apps to Detect Cyber-Bullying and Change Behavior* Karthik Dinakar, PhD Candidate, Reid Hoffman Fellow; Chief Researcher Assistant, Software Agents Group and Affective Computing Groups, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; researcher on teen distress who developed an algorithm and app to detect cyber-bulling on social media that is being used in schools; Co-Author, "How to Cope with Digital Distress" (2015, Journal of Adolescent Research) and "Let's Gang Up on CyberBullying" (2011, IEEE Computer Society)
6) TRAINING BRAINS: BOOSTING SOCIAL SKILLS THROUGH VIDEO GAMES, THE ARTS AND TEACHING
	The Science of Social Learning: Emotions in the Brain, Teaching and Learning Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, EdD, Associate Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience, Rossier School of Education; Associate Professor of Psychology, Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California; Author of the new book, Emotions, Learning and the Brain: Exploring the Educational Implications of Affective Neuroscience (2015)
	Leveraging Character Strengths and Digital Gaming to Create Thriving Learning Communities Jillian C. Darwish, EdD, President, Mayerson Academy, which is collaborating with VIA Character Institute to provide scientifically-based programs and tools for educators on character strengths; Former Vice President, KnowledgeWorks Foundation; developer of a peer-to-peer online learning community for teachers
	RAGE Control: Using Video Games to Build Emotional Regulation, Strength and Resilience in Children Jason Kahn, PhD, Research Associate, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Founder and CEO, Neuromotion, Inc.; Co-Author, “RAGE-Control: A Game to Build Emotional Strength” (2013, Games for Health Journal) and “Videogame Assisted Emotional Regulation Training” (2011, Clinical Social Work Journal*)
	Learning to Take Another’s Perspective: A Process That Needs Practice Hunter Gehlbach, PhD, Associate Professor, The Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara; Former Associate Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Former Principal Investigator of the NSF-funded Project: Enhancing Immersive Social Perspective Talking and Perceived Virtual (Reality) Similarity to Enable Intelligent Social Relationships; Co-Author, “Many Ways to Walk a Mile in Another's Moccasins: Type of Social Perspective Taking and its Effect on Negotiation Outcomes” (2014, Computers in Human Behavior)
	SchoolLife: Practicing Pro-Social Skills in 3-D Game Worlds Jeff Orkin, PhD, Artificial Intelligence Researcher; Game Developer; Co-Founder/CTO, Giant Otter Technologies; Former Research Assistant, MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Developer of SchoolLife, a 3-D virtual school environment and artificial intelligence game to teach students social-emotional and anti-bullying skills, and The Restaurant Game, a simulation game designed to teach social skills
	The Art of Character: How the Arts Improve Grit, Social Emotional Learning and Creativity Ivonne Chand O’Neal, PhD, Chief Research Officer, Creativity Testing Services; Former Director of Research and Evaluation, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Author, “An Impact Evaluation of Arts-Integration Through the Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA) Program” (2014, JFK Center’s Research Study)
	A Marshmallow Test for the Digital Age: Measuring Grit and Self Control Brian M. Galla, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Education; Research Scientist, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pennsylvania; Co-Author with Angela Duckworth, "More Than Resisting Temptation: Beneficial Habits Mediate the Relationship Between Self-Control and Positive Life Outcomes" (2015, APA) and "The Academic Diligence Task (ADT): Assessing Individual Differences in Effort on Tedious but Important Schoolwork" (2014, Contemporary Educational Psychology)
	The Potential Value of Early Social-Emotional Skills for Long-Term Well-Being Damon E. Jones, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Health and Human Development; Senior Research Associate, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, Pennsylvania State University; Co-Author, “How Childrens' Social Competence Impacts Their Well-being in Adulthood” (2015, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report)