By Emily Curtsinger–
Steven Maier, who is a professor of psychology and neuroscience and the director of the Center of Neuroscience at the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been awarded the 2016 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology.
Maier has been praised for discovering a brain mechanism that produces resilience to trauma and also aids in coping with future adversity. This was the 16th psychology award given.
His work regarding what makes one resistant or vulnerable to stress when adversity is presented has been replicated in humans using neuroimaging techniques.
“Outside the scientific community, Dr. Maier’s idea of control and its positive effects has become part of popular thinking,” said Grawemeyer Award director Woody Petry . “His work has applications in many areas, including aging, military training, the workplace and stress-reduction practices such as mindfulness.”
According to the Grawemeyer Awards website, the winners will present free lectures about their awarding-winning ideas when they visit Louisville in April to accept their $100,000 prizes.
