Huge congratulations to senior Kristi Rolf who successfully defended her Honors in Psychology project on April 26th!
Kristi Rolf ’23 poses with her presentation after a successful defense
Kristi’s project was titled Sense of Purpose in College Students: Connections with Support and Descriptions of Purpose Development. During the defense, her advisor Dr. Findley Van Nostrand was joined by committee members Dr. Powell and Professor Chapman of the Modern Languages Department.
Kristi will be graduating with honors on May 6th 2023. Congratulations Kristi!
Huge congratulations to senior Skyler Pokorny who successfully defended her honors project on Wednesday April 26th!
Skyler Pokorny ’23 poses with her Honors in Psychology t-shirt after a successful defense
Skyler’s project was titled Experimental Manipulation of Self-Concept Clarity in Emerging Adults. During the defense, Skyler’s project advisor Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members Dr. Allen and Dr. Berenson of the Religion and Philosophy department .
Skyler will be graduating with honors on May 6th, 2023. Congratulations Skyler!
It’s been a busy year as usual for RC Psych! On Thursday April 20th, the Psychology Department took over the first floor of Fintel Library for the Spring 2023 poster session! Students, faculty, and staff from across campus gathered to hear psychology students present their research and experiential learning experiences.
Scroll on for photos from the day and visit us on social media to congratulate our hard-working students!
Fintel Library buzzes with presentersSeminar students present their project Effect of Mood on Recall: (L to R) Alex Jaklitsch, Anna Arnold, Lindsay Jones, & Haley Patterson, class of 2023.Seminar students (L to R) Emma Kalinski, Amanda Nakdimen, Noal cheru, & Morgan Micallef present their seminar project titled Heart Rate Variability: Coherence Between Heart Rate and Breathing.Seniors (L to R) Isabelle Mildonian, Ciara Fadeley, Taelor Quick, & Kynston Boyd present their seminar project titled Increased Desire for socialization with stronger Social Support and higher Need to Belong.Seniors (L to R) Rhianna Chambers, Skyler Pokorny, Kelsey McCown, & Macallan Bonser present their research, Emerging Adults and Media.Seniors (L to R) Kosovare Fetinci, Kristi Rolf, Logan Pasley, & Alexis Wright present their study titled Perceptions of Crime & Mental Illness.Senior Kosovare Fetinci presents her independent study titled Friendship Dissolution and its Impacts.Senior Lauryn Chappell (second from left) presents a study titled von Restorff Effect: examining perceptual memory recall accuracy of college students to Dr. Carter with team members Pete Nichols (left) and Ameen Oliver (right) .Senior Morgan Kelly (left) presents her internship experience at H2 Health.Seniors (L to R) Elayna Jennings, Sariah Steele, Huda Hashash, Maryam Nishtar, and Devin Brown present their study titled Effect of Task Difficulty and Anxiety on HRV.Senior Selam Mekonnen presents her study titled The Impact of Pluralistic Ignorance on Gender Bias Dr. Powell and Dr. Allen learn about student research.
It’s been a great year of research and experiential learning for RC Psych! We can’t wait to see how these students apply their skills in the future.
On Tuesday April 18th, the psychology department was proud to recognize the accomplishments of our fantastic students. In the annual ceremony, twelve students received special recognition for their achievements in psychology through eight awards, and Psi Chi the Psychology Honor Society inducted new members. Read on to learn about this year’s awardees!
Senior Scholar in Psychology
Skyler Pokorny, 2023 Senior Scholar in Psychology
The senior scholar in psychology is the student with the highest GPA in Psychology courses. Ties are broken by highest GPA across all Roanoke College Courses. Congratulations to Skyler Pokorny for winning the title this year!
Charles E. Early Award
Isabelle Mildonian (left), 2023 Charles E. Early Award Recipient. and Dr. Buchholz (right).
The Charles E. Early award is granted in honor of Dr. Charles E. Early, retired Professor of Psychology who taught at Roanoke from 1988-2015. The award goes to the student who best embodies Dr. Early’s love of learning, powerful work ethic, keen intellect, warm humor, and deep appreciation for pie. This year’s recipient is Isabelle Mildonian. Congratulations Isabelle!
Curt R. Camac Student Research Award
Devin Brown (left) and Kristi Rolf (right). Not pictured: Maryam Nishtar
The Curt R. Camac Student Research Award was developed to honor Dr. Curt R. Camac’s support of student research. This year’s recipients were Devin Brown, Maryam Nishtar, and Kristi Rolf. Congratulations to all!
Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration Award
Left to right: Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, Caroline Powell, Kosovare Fetinci, and Dr. Powell.
The Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration award is granted to a student who has demonstrated excellence in the Human Development Concentration. This year’s awardees are Caroline Powell and Kosovare Fetinci. Congratulations Caroline and Kosovare!
Karl W. Beck Award
Allyson Herriges, 2023 Karl W. Beck Awardee
The Karl W. Beck award is granted to a student with demonstrated excellence in psychology. This year’s awardee is Allyson Herriges. Congratulations Allyson!
Outstanding Students in Neuroscience Concentration
Outstanding Neuroscience Students Jarod Le (left) and Allyson Herriges (left) with Neuroscience Concentration coordinator Dr. Nichols (center).
This award is granted to students who demonstrate excellence in the Neuroscience Concentration. Congratulations to the 2023 recipients, Jarod Le and Allyson Herriges!
Outstanding Junior Psychology Majors
Left to right: Reagan Middelthon, Hannah Pluim, Sophia Contini, and Brian Schwenk
Seven juniors were recognized for outstanding academic success and potential for continued success in Psychology. Awardees were (pictured above) Reagan Middelthon, Hannah Pluim, Sophia Contini, Brian Shwenk; and (not pictured) Elizabeth Bain, Ciara Fadeley, and Timothy Hoffstaetter.
Psi Chi Achievement Award
Psi Chi Achievement Awardee Kristi Rolf (left) & Psi Chi Faculty Advisor Dr. Kennedy-Metz (right).
The Psi Chi Achievement Award is granted to a Psi CHi member who has best exemplified excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. Chosen by faculty members in Psi Chi, the 2023 awardee is Kristi Rolf. Congratulations!
Psi Chi New Member Induction
Spring 2023 inductees of Psi Chi
Psi Chi also inducted students who have met the academic qualifications for membership in the Honorary Psychology Honor Society. Congratulations to all new members!
It’s been a fantastic year for RC Psychology and we are so proud of our students! Special congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2023 as they head off into their future endeavors post-graduation.
Huge congratulations to senior Allyson Herriges who successfully defended her honors project on Tuesday April 18th!
Allyson Herriges ’23 prepares to defend her Honors in Psychology project. She is joined by her son, Andrew, who has a neurodevelopmental disorder.
Allyson’s project was titled Evaluating the Impact of Zofran Exposure on Embryonic Neural Development in Zebrafish Using a Multi-Method Approach. During the defense, Allyson’s project advisor Dr. Drea was joined by committee members Dr. Lassiter and Dr. Kennedy-Metz.
Below is the abstract from Allyson’s paper:
“Ondansetron, commonly known as Zofran, is commonly prescribed as an antiemetic to pregnant females experiencing severe morning sickness. Zofran is often only given when the mother’s malnutrition poses a much greater risk to the fetus than exposure to the drug. While the drug may cause morphological abnormalities in development, relatively little has been done to examine gene expression changes. In this study we identified four genes (shank3a, shank3b, gabra1, and hgma2) with important links to neural development and, using Danio rerio, evaluated the expression of these genes after embryos were exposed to Zofran in the early stages of development. We also looked at behavioral development, including tail-flips, startle response, and optical response. Preliminary qPCR analysis has shown dysregulation in the specified genes. Embryos exposed to Zofran at laboratory levels showed a significant increase in tail-flipping at 28hpf, with a downward trend correlating to exposure level. These findings may offer insight into potential correlations to neurodevelopmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, in children of mothers who used the drug while pregnant, and in turn allow doctors to better treat these conditions.”
Allyson will be graduating with honors on May 6th, 2023. Congratulations, Allyson!
April 23-29 2023 is Psychology Week, a campaign from the American Psychological Association (APA). In honor of the week, we are highlighting some of the amazing people in the Roanoke College Psychology Department.
We asked two students and a faculty member to share their answer to the question, “Why Psychology?”
Timothy Hoffstaetter ’24
Timothy Hoffstaetter ’24, Psychology Major
Why psychology?
I choose to study psychology because of my passion for helping and uplifting others. Being educated on this subject allows for me to help others live their best and truest life. I also want to shoutout my sister because even though she is not in the field of psychology she inspires me every day to live my life by helping people.
Dr. Christopher Buchholz
Dr. Christopher Buchholz, Associate Professor of Psychology
Why psychology?
I was drawn to psychology in a search for an answer to big questions like, What is consciousness? Do we have free will? How can we best live happy and meaningful lives? What I love about psychology and the human experience is that I am still learning new answers to these questions. I find joy in that search as well as in sharing what I have learned with others.
Allyson Herriges ’23
Allyson Herriges ’23, Psychology Major (right) and her son (left)
Why psychology?
I chose to study psychology because I’m the mother of an autistic child. Through my studies I’ve been able to develop a better understanding of the disorder and have become a better parent as a result. I hope to spend my life researching the neurological basis of autism while also helping families like my own navigate the world, and make it a more autism-friendly place.
Congratulations are in order for Dr. Buchholz who received the Roanoke College Dean’s Exemplary Service Award last week.
Dr. Christopher Buchholz
The annual Dean’s awards are granted based on nominations from the college community and include awards for exemplary teaching professional life, and service.
“The Dean’s Exemplary Service Award recognizes outstanding faculty service – either at Roanoke College or in the larger community – in ways that advance the mission of the College in seeking to develop students as whole persons and prepare them for lives of purpose and meaning. Professional service may involve many factors, such as the number, quality, range or focus of service activities; honors or awards received from off-campus organizations; and the time invested relative to the time available for service activities.”
The announcement from the Dean last week highlighted the incredible dedication Dr. Buchholz shows to the College through service:
“This year’s Dean’s Exemplary Service Award recipient (…) lives and breathes Roanoke College and models to others [the] pillar of service. He currently serves on —count them–nine different college-wide committees, task forces, and groups, along with being a Faculty Marshal. This doesn’t even count the myriad service opportunities he participates in within his department.”
Dr. Powell, Interim Chair of the Psychology Department, stated: “In each of these endeavors, he is thoughtful – considering the needs of the students and the resources of the college; is reliable – if he says he’s going to do it, he does it in an exceptionally timely manner; and is diligent – ensuring all facets are accounted for and completed appropriately.”
Another colleague commented: “I have also observed (…) him being a stabilizing agent – consistently working to consider, respect, and understand various perspectives on a range of issues, and modeling such behavior not only to students, but also to junior faculty who are themselves striving to serve students.”
The psychology department is proud to have Dr. Buchholz on our faculty. His dedication has impacted countless colleagues and students and we can’t thank him enough. Congratulations, Dr. Buchholz, and thank you for your service to our community!
Huge congratulations to senior Devin Brown who successfully defended her honors project on Tuesday April 11th!
Devin Brown ’23 poses with her Honors in Psychology t-shirt after a successful defense
Devin’s project was titled The Pen is Mightier than the Brain: the Cognitive and Social Psychology Behind the Handwriting Legibility Effect. During the defense, Devin’s project advisor Dr. Carter was joined by committee members Dr. Kennedy-Metz and Dr. Brenzovich.
Below is the abstract from Devin’s paper:
“The handwriting legibility effect suggests that the quality of handwriting can affect the grades that are assigned to student papers. There are both cognitive and personality based theories that give a basis for why this occurs, but there is a lack of cohesive research testing subcomponents of these theories. This research is a controlled experiment designed to fill this gap in the current literature. To understand how handwriting quality contributes to evaluator perception of author competency, warmth, and similarity, these personality components were considered. For cognitive components, effort to read the essay, truthfulness of the answer, and complexity of the argument were studied. All of these were affected by the quality of handwriting the participants were exposed to except complexity. This research can be used in future studies to find and apply practical solutions to bring more equality in classroom settings for students that may have worse handwriting for a number of reasons. “
On Tuesday April 11th, three students from Dr. Kennedy-Metz’s psychophysiology research seminar went head-to-head in The Nutshell Games. Students had 90 second to communicate their current research project “in a nutshell” to a diverse audience of students and faculty from a variety of disciplines.
Morgan Micallef ’23
Undergraduate research is a key part of the Psychology Department’s mission. Every psychology major will conduct research in their senior seminar and more than 1 in 3 students are involved in a research lab each year.
Dr. Kennedy-Metz had a mission to teach her seminar students the importance of science communication through a fun and challenging lesson. I spoke with her about how the nutshell games came to be.
“I’ve always felt that the more high-profile (and potentially impactful) someone’s research becomes, the worse they are at communicating why it’s so important to the world. Science communication is an essential skill that often doesn’t come naturally to us, and, to make matters worse, is chronically under-trained. So, I felt a responsibility to emphasize the importance of science communication to students at an early stage in their career. ”
“I invited Dr. Patty Raun, Director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science, to lead an improv day in my Research Seminar class, encouraging students to step outside of their comfort zone, embrace vulnerability, and communicate freely and meaningfully.”
Devin Brown ’23
“The goal of the subsequent Nutshell Games competition was for students to put this training to the test, and see how well they could communicate their semester-long projects in succinct, accessible terms to a non-specialist audience. They had 90 seconds to share their research and convey its importance to the larger community, all while being judged by staff and faculty from 5+ departments across campus (including Chemistry, Psychology, Fine Arts, Music, Public Health, and Health and Human Performance).”
Winning speaker AJ Palmer ’23 (center) is joined by team members Zoë Dunlap ’23 (left) and Allyson Herriges ’23 (right)
Dr. Kennedy-Metz invited students, faculty, and staff from a variety of backgrounds to simulate the real-world challenge of communicating science to people from a variety of backgrounds.
“One of my goals in gathering such a diverse group of staff and faculty was to showcase how difficult it is to distill a body of work and still communicate it effectively to audience members with such diverse backgrounds, along with the relevance and importance of doing so. In the future, I hope to expand the scope of the Nutshell Games at Roanoke College to include competitors from across departments.”
We can’t wait to see how this competition grows in future years!
Gabrielle Lirosi ’24 is spending a semester participating in the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS). Gabrielle originally hails from Jackson, New Jersey and is a current junior at Roanoke College. She majors in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and a concentration in Crime, Deviance, and Social Control.
I interviewed Gabrielle to learn more about what she’s doing during her semester away!
Lirosi visiting The View of D.C. in Arlington, Virginia
This spring, Gabrielle is working for Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) as a Post-Release Intern. OAR works to “create a community where those impacted by the legal system enjoy equal civil and human rights.” Gabrielle’s team specifically works with people who have recently been released from incarceration to help them transition back into the community.
Describing her work, Gabrielle says, “some days I am booked with appointments working with our participants to find housing, arrange community service, build job applications, practice interviews, and so much more!” Her team communicates with probation/parole officers, group home mentors, and family members of participants to help build their support system. Gabrielle also frequently attends court to stay up-to-date with participants and share OAR resources with recently-released individuals.
Positively impacting people’s lives while gaining high-level professional experience is an average day for an LCWS student. This semester, Gabrielle has been assigned the designated point-person for a large project in which OAR is assessing their recidivism rates.
Gabrielle Lirosi walks through the Federal Triangle
Gabrielle is putting her psychology background to work in the professional world! She says psychology students must consider participating in LCWS.
“So many focus on DC as the capital only seeing politics and ignoring the social sciences that reside in such a complex society! I’ve applied endless amounts of psychology work into analyzing the culture of DC and understanding my work at OAR! There are ample opportunities for any major, including psychology.”
According to Gabrielle, the networking and mentoring opportunities available for all students in D.C. are invaluable.
Gabrielle Lirosi ’24 with roommates Sierra Smith (Augustana University ’23. left) and Natalie Webster (Roanoke College ’25, right)
When she isn’t in class or working at OAR, Gabrielle is soaking up the culture of the nation’s capital! She loves making spontaneous plans with her roommates (pictured above). “There has never been a dull moment exploring the city,” she says, but it’s easy to find peace and quiet in one of D.C.’s many parks.
When I asked Gabrielle what her favorite memory from the semester so far is, she said, “seeing the cherry blossoms at sunrise was surreal, they are a token of DC and are in peak bloom right now.” But the famous cherry blossoms are tied with the interactive art of the Artech House for most memorable to Gabrielle.
Want to learn more about LCWS? Visit https://www.washingtonsemester.org/ or contact Dr. Todd Peppers (peppers@roanoke.edu) for more information!
