Student Events at the 22nd Annual APS Convention

APSSC Executive Board. L to R: Nathaniel Ring; Jessica Wong; Jeremy Ashton Houska; Paul J. Schroeder, III; Mandi White-Ajmani; Peter Vernig; Nathan Medeiros-Ward; Andy DeSoto

APS Student Caucus Convention Kickoff and Student Social

Jeremy Ashton Houska, Chair

The nearly 300 attendees at this year’s APSSC Convention Kickoff and Student Social enjoyed complimentary food and beverages provided by APS. Students connected with like-minded colleagues by wearing their research area stickers with pride, and some lucky students won APS swag during an icebreaker activity. The informal student gathering allowed the APSSC Executive Board to introduce themselves to their constituents, answer questions about the APSSC, and promote student events at the Convention. A good time was had by all!

The Naked Truth I: Getting Into
Graduate School

Peter M. Vernig and Nathaniel S. Ring, Chairs

The 2010 Naked Truth I: Getting Into Graduate School panel was an excellent opportunity for students and others who are considering applying to graduate school in psychology to get some practical advice and have their questions answered by a group of current graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds. Laura C. Ball (York University), Aviva M. Katz (Suffolk University), Courtney Peasant (The University of Memphis), and Erin Shelton (University of Southern California) discussed contacting prospective mentors, locating letter-writers, applying to international programs, and the all important “fit” between an applicant and the program. Attendees kept the panelists busy with well-thought-out questions until the end of this well-attended panel.

The Naked Truth II: Surviving
Graduate School

Kelly Buckholdt, Chair

Advice and answers on how to navigate the challenges and opportunities of graduate school were the fare of the day at this symposium. David Berle (The University of New South Wales, Australia) offered an international perspective and advice on managing time when studying part-time. Time management was a recurrent theme, and Shannon Audley-Piotrowski (The University of Memphis) shared how this skill makes it possible to balance school and family. Aerika S. Brittian (Tufts University) and Paul J. Schroeder (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) offered guidance on navigating relationships with peers and professors and getting the most out of your training. Art S. Fergusson (Suffolk University) offered advice on entering a PhD program from a master program and adjusting to school after working full-time.

The Naked Truth III: Life After
Graduate School

Kelli Vaughn-Blount, Chair

Alan Kazdin at the Champions of Psychology event

This year’s “Life after Graduate School” panel focused on navigating the job market in the current economic climate. Psychologists from a variety of settings discussed finding the first postgraduate job and answered questions from the audience. Panelists included Michael Bowers, a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Maryland; APS Charter Member Gary Fireman, Chair of the Psychology Department at Suffolk University; Peter Giordano, Chair of Psychology at Belmont University; Jared W. Keeley, an assistant professor at Mississippi State University; and Tara Kuther, a professor at Western Connecticut State University.

The Art and Science of Exemplary Teaching

Jeremy Ashton Houska and Andrew Christopher, Chairs

The purpose of this event was to discuss ways in which new instructors can improve their teaching practices, as well as to conduct scientifically sound research on teaching and learning. Event chairs and members of the audience posed questions to a diverse group of panelists representing psychological science and the scholarship of teaching and learning. The APSSC was honored to feature Victor Benassi, David Copeland, David Daniel, Susan Nolan, APS Fellow and Charter Member Henry L. Roediger, and Tracy Zinn. One of the many nuggets of wisdom taken away from the session was that there may be an art to teaching, but it must always rest upon good (psychological) science.

How to Get Published: Guidance from Journal Editors

Mandi White-Ajmani, Chair

This year, the APSSC welcomed APS Fellow and Charter Member Shinobu Kitayama (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin), Andrew Christopher (Teaching of Psychology), and David Daniel (Mind, Brain, and Education) to its annual Journal Editors’ panel. These editors shared their expertise, experience, and great senses of humor, each presenting on different aspects of the publishing process and answering questions from the audience. Over 200 attendees learned how to write and publish a good empirical paper, how to revise and resubmit, and how to deal with the “dark side” of publishing.

RiSE-UP Research Award Addresses

James Vaughn, Chair

Student Award Winners Honored at the Opening Ceremony. L to R: Winnie Wai Lan Chan; Julie W. Messinger; Sara M. House; Eva A. Padilla; Stephen H. Chen; Igor Grossmann; Paul J. Schroeder, III; David Berle

This year’s winners presented their work during the 2010 RiSE-UP Research Award Symposium. The winners were Stephen H. Chen (University of California, Berkeley) for his submission titled “Relations of Cultural Orientation, Parental Expressivity, and Childhood Outcomes in Chinese-American Families,” Igor Grossman (University of Michigan) for his submission titled “The Impact of Culture on Adaptive Versus Maladaptive Self-Reflection,” Paul J. Schroeder, III (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) for his submission titled “The Use of Contextual Information on a Working Memory Span Test,” and Lawrence Tran (Oklahoma State University) for his submission titled “Coverage of Diversity in Introductory Psychology Textbooks.” Congratulations to the winners for their hard work! To those of you who do research on or for the benefit of underrepresented populations, consider submitting your research for the 2011 RiSE-UP Research Award.

APSSC Campus Representatives Meeting

Kris Gunawan, Chair

In this meeting we recognized and reflected on the accomplishments of the APSSC campus representatives. Students had the opportunity to meet with the 2010–2011 APSSC Board and to share their ideas for future goals in the campus rep program. In addition, campus reps were able to interact with each other to discuss methods for communicating with students and increasing the awareness of psychological science.

Student Research Award Addresses

Kelly Buckholdt, Chair

Winners of the 2010 Student Research Award competition, who were selected through a peer-review process for their outstanding research, presented their work at this always-popular event This year’s presenters were Winnie Wai Lan Chan (The University of Hong Kong), Julie Walsh Messinger (Long Island University), Sara House (Loyola University Chicago), and Eva Padilla (University of New Mexico). This year, strong applicants represented a range of fields of psychological science, with the winners drawn from the areas of developmental, clinical, cognitive, and personality psychology.

Apply in Fall 2010, and you could be the next APS Student Affiliate to be recognized for your research!

Champions of Psychology

Kelli Vaughn-Blount, Chair

The APS Student Caucus was honored to present the annual Champions of Psychology event, which provided the unique opportunity for student affiliates to talk in an informal setting with some of the most respected and well-known scientists in psychology. This year, the APSSC welcomed APS President Mahzarin R. Banaji (Harvard University); APS Immediate Past President Linda Bartoshuk (University of Florida); APS Past President Morton Ann Gernsbacher (University of Wisconsin-Madison); APS Secretary Anne Treisman (Princeton University); APS Board Member Elke U. Weber (Columbia University); James McKeen Cattell Award Winners Alan E. Kazdin (Yale University), Robert J. Sternberg (Tufts University), and Gary P. Latham (University of Toronto, Canada); APS Fellow and Charter Member Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. (Texas A&M University); and APS Fellows Scott O. Lilienfeld (Emory University), Lisa Feldman Barrett (Boston College), and G. Terence Wilson (Rutgers University) to share their knowledge with the students who attended this full-to-capacity event.