Cindy S. Bergeman, Ph.D., professor of psychology and chair of the department at the University of Notre Dame, will present a lecture titled “Why We Are Who We Are: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Behavior” on Thursday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Cecilian Hall, located on Seton Hill University’s Greensburg, Pa. campus. A reception will be held immediately following the lecture in the Parlors. The lecture and reception are free to attend and open to the public. Please reserve your ticket by calling 724-830-4626.

Bergeman is a lifespan developmental psychologist with research interests in resiliency and aging, behavioral genetics, and the theory-method interface. Her research focuses on investigating patterns of genetic and environmental factors that may importantly influence that process.

Sponsored by the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club and Seton Hill University, Bergeman’s lecture is a presentation of the Notre Dame Alumni Association’s Hesburgh Lecture Series. Offered each year through Notre Dame’s network of more than 200 alumni clubs, the Hesburgh Lectures are delivered by Notre Dame faculty members nominated by their colleagues and the deans of the University’s colleges and law school.

The series is named for Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C, president emeritus of Notre Dame. Father Hesburgh is considered one of the most influential figures in higher education in the 20th century. The recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and the Medal of Freedom, Father Hesburgh has held 16 U.S. presidential appointments and been a leading force in major social issues, ranging from civil rights to nuclear non-proliferation to Third World development and immigration reform. His stature as an elder statesman in American higher education is reflected in his more than 150 honorary degrees.