Dr. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, will speak at 7 p.m., Sept. 3, in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s Skyhawk Fieldhouse as part of the university’s <a href="http://www.utm.edu/engage">ENGAGE Civic Initiative</a>. Twenge will focus on “iGen: The Smartphone Generation” from a psychological perspective.

Twenge is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and three books discussing the ways the “iGen” generation – children born after 1995 – are growing up more slowly and struggling with more instances of anxiety and depression than previous generations. Her research has been featured in “Time,” “Newsweek,” “The New York Times,” “USA Today,” “U.S. News and World Report” and “The Washington Post,” and she has appeared on several national television and radio shows. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and a doctoral degree from the University of Michigan.

The UT Martin ENGAGE program is new this fall semester and aims to help promote the common good, civic responsibility, diverse perspectives, free speech, service and environmental sustainability among members of the campus community. Twenge is the first speaker in the program’s series of guest presentations, video screenings, community discussion forums and a campus-wide common reader curriculum.

For more information on the UT Martin ENGAGE Program, contact Dr. Arthur Hunt, program co-director, at <a href="mailto:ahunt@utm.edu">ahunt@utm.edu</a>.

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