September 22, 2004

Symposium looks at how early experiences affect aging

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A symposium at Purdue University on Thursday (Sept. 23) will examine how experiences early in life are related to health outcomes in adulthood.

Early Origins of Adult Health: Social and Behavioral Processes begins at 1 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union's West Faculty Lounge. The symposium is free to Purdue faculty, staff and students, and senior citizens, and $50 to the general public. There will be open registration at the door.

Linda Burton, professor of human development, family studies and sociology at Penn State University, will speak about disease among family members in urban and rural settings. Richard A. Settersten Jr., associate professor and co-director of the Schubert Center for Child Development at Case Western Reserve University, will focus on what gerontology can learn from childhood studies.

Purdue faculty taking part in the symposium are Kenneth Ferraro, professor of sociology and director of the Center on Aging and the Life Course; Karen L. Fingerman, professor of child development and family studies; William G. Graziano, head of the Department of Child Development and Family Studies; Timothy J. Owens, professor of sociology; Toby L. Parcel, dean of the School of Liberal Arts; and Dennis A. Savaiano, dean of the School of Consumer and Family Sciences.

The symposium is sponsored by Purdue's Center on Aging and the Life Course. The program concludes with a poster session highlighting Purdue research on aging.

Note to Journalists: Media can attend the symposium. For more information, contact Kenneth Ferraro at (765) 494-4707.

CONTACT: Ferraro, (765) 494-4707, ferraro@purdue.edu

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, news.writer@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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