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Martha Putallaz to Direct Duke's Talent Identification Program

Putallaz, a longtime member of Duke's psychology faculty, specializes in research focusing on children's peer relationships and how that predicts later-life outcomes

DURHAM, N.C. -- Martha Putallaz, professor of psychology at Duke University, will become the fourth executive director of Duke's Talent Identification Program (TIP) on July 1. The appointment was made after a national search.

Duke TIP is a national leader in identifying academically talented students and providing innovative programs to support the development of their optimal educational potential. This past fall, more than 80,000 students participated in Duke TIP's 7th Grade Talent Search, and last summer more than 2,300 students from 40 states and 14 foreign countries attended Duke TIP summer programs.

Putallaz, a longtime member of Duke's psychology faculty and director of the department's undergraduate studies, specializes in research focusing on children's peer relationships and how that predicts later-life outcomes. She serves on advisory boards for Duke's Program in Education and is a member of the Spencer Foundation Faculty, a group of interdisciplinary educational research scholars at Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Martha Putallaz is the right person to head Duke TIP," Duke Provost Peter Lange said. "Not only will she sustain its strength and prominence in the education of our brightest youth, but she will help to build on the program's excellence by linking it more fully to Duke's research mission, strengthening TIP's links with our Program in Education, Center for Child and Family Policy, and other relevant units, and facilitating discussion on national policy in gifted education. I am delighted that one of Duke's own emerged as the frontrunner for this position."

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Founded by former Provost William Bevan in 1980, and soon to be celebrating its 25th anniversary, Duke TIP recently named its newly remodeled home on Buchanan Boulevard the William Bevan Building.

For more information about Duke TIP, visit its Web site at http://www.tip.duke.edu/.