Petersen, Anne C.

When the definitive history of the science of adolescent development is written, the contributions of Anne C. Petersen will stand as foundations and pillars of what is known about youth. The depth and breadth of her scientific and policy contributions are unsur-passed in the history of scholars of adolescent development. Her scientific contributions to adolescent development include empirical research and theoretical works that have been published in the best journals and champion books in the field. But Petersen's contributions go beyond the rigid parameters of science. Her leadership in the field of applied developmental science has included high-level academic, governmental, and private foundation positions. In these positions, she has been exemplary in mentoring young scholars, establishing research and public policy, and leading foundations in the direction of supporting initiatives designed to enhance the health and psychological development of adolescents and humankind in general. In addition to her positions in academic and governmental and private entities, Petersen has been elected to the highest leadership positions in national and international professional and scientific societies. The three areas of contributions to science, leadership positions and social policy, and leadership in professional societies will be discussed. This categorization is indeed artificial, as Peterson is noted for her renaissance quality of simultaneously functioning as a scientist, an administrator, and an advocate for those in need. Prior to presenting her scholarly contributions, a short biographical sketch will be presented.

Anne Petersen was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, and remained there until she began her undergraduate program at the University of Chicago, where she [Page 821]received her BS in mathematics in 1973. After graduating, she was a computer systems intern at the National Security Agency and computer programmer and mathematician at the University of Chicago. This work experience was followed by her pursuit of master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago, in statistics, measurement, and evaluation and in statistical analysis, respectively. Of note is that she was an excellent role model in pursuing nontraditional careers for women; specifically, mathematics and statistics were not frequent areas of inquiry pursued by women in the 1970s. Since her early educational experiences, Petersen has been one of the nation's foremost leaders in academic and other settings relevant to applied developmental science.