Robert Pianta, School Psychology Program alum, was recently awarded the Senior Scientist Award from the American Psychological Association’s Division 16. In his acceptance speech, he reflected on the critical role of school psychologists in public education, and the value of this own training here at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Pianta is the dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, the Novartis Professor of Education, founding director of the Curry School’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL), professor of psychology at the UVa College of Arts & Sciences, and director of the National Center for Research in Early Childhood Education. His research focuses on teacher-student interactions and relationships and on the improvement of teachers’ contributions to students’ learning and development. He is the author of more than 250 articles, 50 book chapters, and 10 books, and has been a principal investigator on research and training grants totaling over $55 million.