News and Events 2008-2009

14 August: Honours Student Success

Ten honours students from Psychology participated in the Third Annual Science Symposium. Kate Murphy (supervised by Dr. Darlene Skinner) was one of the five prize winners, and Susan Flynn (supervised by Dr. Carole Peterson) and Lindsey Boland (supervised by Dr. Ken Fowler) received an honourable mention. In addition, Leslie Ann Stapleton (supervised by Dr. Carolyn Walsh) was the Wise Choice and also received an honourable mention.

17 July: Fellowship and Award Recipients

Congratulations to our students who have recently been the recipients of valued fellowships and awards:

  • John Adams (B.Sc., Hons). NSERC Graduate Scholarship - Masters Scholarship (1 yr)
  • Pamela Button (PsyD Candidate). NLCAHR Doctoral Fellowship (1st yr, renewable)
  • Stephanie Hancock (Ph.D. Candidate). Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies
  • Kathy Keating (PsyD Candidate). SSHRC Graduate Scholarship - Masters Scholarship (1 yr)
  • Meagan MacKenzie (Ph.D. Candidate). SSHRC Doctoral Scholarship (3 yrs)
  • Valerie Noel (M.Sc. Candidate). Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies
  • Megan Short (M.Sc. Candidate). SSHRC J.A. Bombardier Graduate Scholarship - Masters Scholarship (1 yr)

4 June: Convocation Awards

Three students in psychology received Convocation Awards.

  • Kathy Keating received the University Medal for Academic Excellence in Psychology
  • Rebecca Lethbridge received the University Medal for Academic Excellence in Behavioural Neuroscience
  • Peter Smith received the Dr. James L. Walker Convocation Award, which is given to an Honours student who has demonstrated both academic excellence and leadership within their community.

7 May: Nova Scotian Institute of Science Award winner

Rebecca L. Lethbridge, an honours student with Drs. Carolyn Harley and Sue Walling, received the "Nova Scotian Institute of Science Award" at the 33rd Annual APICS Undergraduate Pychology Conference held at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 6 - 7, 2009. This $100. award recognizes a presentation that best exemplies excellence in basic research. Becky's poster was entitled, "Intrahippocampal Infusion of the β–Adrenoreceptor Agonist Isoproterenol Potentiates the Perforant Path-Evoked Population Spike in the Dentate Gyrus of Urethane-Anesthetized Rats".

17 April: More NSERC Success

Dr. Jacqueline Blundell was awarded new NSERC funding for five years. The full list of NSERC Discovery Grant holders is:

9 April: NSERC USRA Success

Six psychology students were awarded NSERC Undergraduate Summer Research Awards for Summer 2009 that will allow them to carry out research over the summer with faculty in Psychology who hold NSERC grants.. Congratulations to the following:

  • Kathleen House (working with Drs. Adams and Courage)
  • Eugenia Khorochkov (working with Dr. Grant)
  • Rebecca Lethbridge (working with Dr. Harley)
  • Kate Murphy (working with Dr. Skinner)
  • Allison Pridham (working with Dr. Blundell)
  • Lesley Ann Stapleton (working with Dr. Walsh)

8 April: Psychology Department Colloquium

Alissa Setliff, Psychology Department, will present a talk entitled "The impact of background television on infants' attention to toys during play" on Wednesday, 8 April at 4:00 PM in SN 2101

3 April: Psychology Honours Poster Session

Please come to the Winter Honours Poster Seminar on Friday, 3 April from 9:00 - 12:00 in BT2004 (Biotech Bldg. clasroom).

1 April: Psychology Department Colloquium

Brittany Faux, Psychology Department, will present a talk entitled "The Relationship Between Vision and Memory in Older Adults" on Wednesday, 1 April at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

30 March: MASP Students to Attend National Competition

A team of MASP students has been selected as one of three finalists in the Canadian Evaluation Society National Case Competition. The team competed against 18 teams from 16 universities across to reach the finals. They will travel to Ottawa in June for the final competition. Members of the team are Stephanie Avery, Natalie Reardon, Reanne Meuse and Ashley Barrett, and their coach is Monique Goguen Campbell, a graduate of the MASP program. Congratulations to all!

27 March: Special Colloquium

Kate Dupuis, NLCAHR Postdoctoral Fellow Candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, will present a talk entitled "Examining production and perception of lexical and vocal cues to emotion: Findings from younger and older adults" on Friday, 27 March at 2:00 PM in SN 3067.

25 March: Psychology Department Colloquium

Dr. Crystal MacLellan, CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, will present a talk entitled "Post-stroke recovery and rehabilitation: successes, failures, and new hopes" on Wednesday, 25 March at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

18 March: Psychology Department Colloquium

Meagan MacKenzie, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Mind over Matter: The Effects of Mindful Acceptance on Distress in Social Anxiety", on Wednesday, 18 March at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

12 March: NLCAHR Funding Opportunities Presentation

Dr. Stacey Wareham will be giving a presentation on the funding opportunities available from the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Heath Research for graduate students attending Memorial University, on Thursday 12 March in room SN2064, from 1:00 – 1:50.

11 March: Psychology Department Colloquium

Elizabeth Russell, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Exploring psychosocial and health-related predictors of body dissatisfaction: A quantitative and qualitative approach" on Wednesday 11 March at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

4 March: Psychology Department Colloquium

Annie Jalbert, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "On the Irrelevance of Length to the Word Length Effect" on Wednesday 4 March at 4:00 p.m in SN2101.

11 February: Psychology Department Colloquium

Dr. Charles Malsbury, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Oxytocin and Social Behavior" on Wednesday 11 February at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

31 January: Psychology Department Colloquium

Dr. Sonya Corbin Dwyer, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, will present a talk entitled "An Adoption Alphabet: Using Children's Literature to Put Research Into Practice". This talk is scheduled for Saturday, 31 January at 7:00 p.m. in SN2101. This talk is also sponsored by Newfoundland and Labrador Families Adopting Multiculturally (NLFAM). Free parking for this talk is available in Lot 15.

21 January: Psychology Department/NLCAHR Colloquium

Gerry Tehan and Kerry Neale, University of Southern Queensland, Australia, will present a talk entitled "Aging and Short-term Memory: The Effects of Task Difficulty". This talk is scheduled for Wednesday, 21 January at 4:00 p.m. in SN2101.

13 January: Psychology Department Colloquium Series Schedule

The Winter 2009 Psychology Department Colloquium Series has been announced. Any additions or changes to the schedule will be posted here.

11 December: PsyD Program Approved by Board

At its meeting on December 11 2008, the Board of Regents approved the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program in clinical psychology. We are now accepting applications for Fall 2009.

11 December: Psychology Department Colloquium

Dr. Daniel Holland will present a talk entitled "The Current Status of Disability Activism and NGOs in Postcommunist Europe: Findings drawn from International Field Research in the Visegrad Four Countries". This talk is scheduled for Thursday, 11 December at 1:30 p.m. in SN2105.

26 November: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Aimee Surprenant, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "The Nine Lives of Short-term Memory", on Wednesday, 26 November at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

18 November: Career Mentoring Program

The 2008-2009 Career Mentoring @ Memorial program is a collaborative initiative between Career Development and Experiential Learning, the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development, and the Faculty of Science. This pilot project will allow Memorial Science students to discover how the skills they learn from their degree can be applied to a career. Students will have the opportunity to converse with Memorial Science alumni about their career paths.

5 November: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Anne Storey, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Murres, mothers and men: Do 'stress hormones' promote or interfere with parental behaviour?" on Wednesday, 5 November at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

29 October: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Ken Fowler, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Restructuring Health Care Services in Newfoundland and Labrador: Using National Survey Data to explore the Effect on Health Status, unmet Health Care Needs and Preventive Health Practices" on Wednesday 29 October at 4:00 PM in SN 2101

22 October: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Darlene Skinner, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Where am I?" on Wednesday 22 October at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

15 October: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Carolyn Harley, Department of Psychology, will present a talk entitled "Suppressing Memory and Learning" on Wednesday 15 October at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

8 October: Stephanie Hancock named Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies

Psychology graduate student Stephanie Hancock has been named a Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies. This is awarded to recognize outstanding academic achievement throughout a graduate programme.

8 October: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Zehra Peynirciouglu, American University in Washington, DC, will present a talk entitled "What's new in the revelation effect?" on Wednesday 8 October at 4:00 PM in SN 2101

7 October: Information Session for SSHRC Doctoral and CGS Scholarship programs

The School of Graduate Studies will be holding an information session for SSHRC Doctoral and CGS Scholarship programs at Bitters in Feild Hall, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008 from 7:00 - 9:00. All undergraduate students in their final year and graduate students who are intending to apply for SSHRC funding should try to attend this important information session.

1 October: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

Dr. Stefan Garthe, University of Kiel, will present a talk entitled "Should I stay or should I go? Migration strategies of North East Atlantic Gannets" on Wednesday 1 October at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

17 September: Psychology Department Colloquium Series

The Fall 2008 Psychology Department Colloquium Series begins today at 4:00 PM in IIC-2001. The Department is co-sponsoring Dr. Merlin Donald, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychology and Faculty of Education, Queen's University.

The Evolution of the Human Mind
The broad path of cognitive evolution can be determined by comparing the mental capacities of humans with those of our closest genetic relatives: gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos. Cognitive change - including dates, species, places and ecological context - cannot be established with direct evidence, but with archaeological and paleontological research.

All other colloquia will be on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM in SN 2101.

8 September: Psychology Department Colloquium Series Schedule

The Fall 2008 Psychology Department Colloquium Series has been announced. Any additions or change to the schedule will be posted here.

8 September: NSERC Research Grants Information Session

There will be an information session for faculty who plan on applying for an NSERC Research Grant on Monday 8 September from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Beatrice Watts Boardroom, Inco Innovation Centre, 2nd Floor, Room IIC-2014.

4 September: Graduate Student Orientation

New graduate student orientation will be today from 3:30 to 4:30 PM in SN 3101. From 4:30 to 5:30, all Faculty, Staff, and graduate students are invited to stop by meet the new students.