Cindy S. Bergeman, Ph.D., professor of psychology and chair of the department at the University of Notre Dame, presented a lecture titled “Why We Are Who We Are: Genetic and Environmental Influences on Behavior” on April 16 at Seton Hill University.

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.

“Your genetics and environment are constantly influencing your life. This is what makes you who you are. The longer you live, the more you become who you really are,” said Bergeman.

Sponsored by the Greensburg/Uniontown Notre Dame Alumni Club and Seton Hill University, Bergeman’s lecture was 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.