Dr. Melanie Killen is a Distinguished University Professor, and Director of the Social and Moral Development Lab in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, at the University of Maryland. She is a member of the National Academy of Education and the recipient of the Jean Piaget Society Award for Distinguished Contributions to Developmental Science. Dr. Killen is the Editor of the Handbook of Moral Development (2008, 2014, 2024). Commissioned by Anderson Cooper at CNN AC360, Dr. Killen and her team conducted a study on children’s racial bias that aired on CNN AC360, “Kids on Race: The Hidden Picture” in April 2012 and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding News and Analysis. Dr. Killen is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the American Psychological Association, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The National Science Foundation, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and the Maryland Innovation Initiative (TedCo) have funded her research. Dr. Killen studies children’s and adolescents’ social cognition and moral reasoning, social exclusion and inclusion, stereotypes and bias, morality and theory of mind, intergroup attitudes and relationships, conceptions of social inequalities, broadening participation in STEM. She and her team designed a school- based program, Developing Inclusive Youth, to promote children’s concepts of fairness, equity, and inclusion in classroom environments. Currently, the team is using AI to build a Teacher app to enhance the DIY school program by providing teachers with autonomous feedback designed to promote effective teacher facilitation strategies.