Urie Bronfenbrenner is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Human Development and Psychology at Cornell University. He is best known as the founder and principal protagonist of his ground-breaking theory of the "Ecology of Human Development." Bronfenbrenner is one of the founders of Head Start and the recipient of numerous distinguished awards including six honorary degrees, three from European universities. He was the first recipient of the American Psychological Association′s annual Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society. He has taught, lectured, consulted, and carried out research in the United States and all over the world, mainly in both Eastern and Western Europe, Japan, and Australia. His publications have been extensive and far-reaching . Urie Bronfenbrenner is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Psychological Society, American Psychological Association, Society for Research in Child Development, National Academy of Education, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. Bronfenbrenner received his Bachelor′s degree in Psychology and Music from Cornell University, his Master′s Degree from Harvard University, and his Doctorate from the University of Michigan. After service in the Armed Forces and a brief period at the University of Michigan, he returned to Cornell University for a long productive life of research and teaching, as well as assisting with the raising of his six children. Since his retirement in 1987, he has continued to research, to write, to teach, and to travel extensively.