Category Archives: Faculty Fun

Faculty Fun

What Were Your Professors Doing All Summer?!

As we dive into the new academic year, we thought it would be fun to share some highlights from the summer adventures of our psychology faculty members. From personal milestones to family escapades, our professors had a variety of experiences that added a splash of excitement to their summer breaks. Let’s take a closer look…

Dr. Nichols’ Family Travels and Favorite Reads

This summer, Dr. Nichols and his family embarked on two major trips. The first was to Charlotte, NC, for the semifinal of the Copa America. The second was to Sarasota, FL, where they helped move his eldest daughter, Kennerly. The trip also included some relaxing time at the beach, as pictured above!

Dr. Nichols also found time to revisit one of his favorite book series: Harry Potter. He’s reading through the entire series for the third time, this time with his youngest child, Jacob. Years ago, he read the books with each of his older children, and even with his wife while in graduate school.

Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand’s Program Development and Hufflepuff Pride

Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand’s summer was packed with exciting work. She’s leading the development of a psychology master’s program, a project funded by the Dean’s office. Along with others, she’s working on various components of the program and hopes to submit it for curriculum approval this semester.

She also made headway with her research. She currently has two studies under review and another in preparation. One focuses on young adults’ relational aggression, particularly how their status striving and insecurity impact it. The other two studies examine adolescents, exploring racial differences in various forms of victimization (physical, relational, verbal, electronic) and how these relate to self-esteem and depression.

For fun, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and her family spent time traveling, with the highlight being a couple of weeks in Tampa and Orlando visiting friends and family. They also enjoyed a visit to Universal Studios, where she and her son celebrated their shared Hufflepuff pride!

Dr. Buchholz’s Camping and Canoeing

Dr. Buchholz’s summer highlight was an unforgettable six-day, 45-mile camping canoe trip down the James River with his son and his son’s best friend. The adventure was surely magical, and something Dr. Buchholz will cherish forever.

Dr. Bu’s Japanese Adventure

Dr. Bu’s summer highlight was a trip to Japan right after the academic year ended in May. Among the many memorable experiences, staying at a traditional ryokan in Hakone (a spa town outside Tokyo) stood out. The meals, including the breakfast shown in the picture, were exceptional and left a lasting impression. Dr. Bu is already looking for excuses to return to Japan!

Dr. Allen’s Milestone and Memories

This summer, Dr. Allen had a significant personal milestone: receiving a cochlear implant in July! While the process of adjustment is ongoing, Dr. Allen is already hearing much better and is happy to share insights and answer any questions from any students curious about the experience.

Dr. Allen’s favorite memory was a nostalgic visit to Chapel Hill, NC. It was a delightful reunion with a friend from graduate school, filled with reminiscing and laughter. As Dr. Allen puts it, “We may look like respectable middle-aged women with husbands and children, but stories were told.”

Dr. Kennedy-Metz’s Research Achievements and Home Projects

Over the summer, Dr. Kennedy-Metz had a rewarding season with the acceptance and publication of two significant manuscripts she worked on with her research group in Boston from her time at Harvard Medical School. The first, Deep Learning Analysis of Surgical Video Recordings to Assess Nontechnical Skills, is now available in JAMA Network Open. The second, A Novel Multimodal, Intraoperative Cognitive Workload Assessment of Cardiac Surgery Team Members, is in press with the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Additionally, Dr. Kennedy-Metz had the chance to be a guest on the podcast “Heart Rate Variability,” though it’s not yet released.

In a different realm, her, her husband Josh, and her mom, undertook a major home project, painting six rooms in just three days—what an endeavor!

Prof. McCutcheon’s Program Development and Puppy Joy

Prof. McCutcheon had a productive summer preparing for the launch of Roanoke’s new Disability Studies program, which is set to be an exciting addition to the Psychology Department.

But it wasn’t all work and no play! Prof. McCutcheon also had a fantastic time introducing her new puppy, Connor, to the joys of water. A memorable outing involved hiking to the Cascades, where Connor had a blast splashing in the creek and swimming. Check out these adorable pictures of Connor enjoying his new aquatic adventure!

Prof. Garcia’s Family Time and New Opportunity

Prof. Garcia’s summer was a whirlwind of family activities, shuttling her daughter to various camps, including tennis, theatre, dance, and soccer. Amidst the busy schedule, the Garcia family managed to sneak in a relaxing beach trip to Emerald Isle, which was a perfect way to unwind.

Her summer wrapped up with exciting news: being offered a visiting position at Roanoke College!

Congratulations, Prof. Garcia, and we are so thrilled to welcome you to the department!

We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the summer adventures of our psychology professors. Their diverse experiences and personal milestones remind us all of the richness of life outside the classroom. Here’s to a new academic year filled with continued learning and growth!

Feel free to reach out to any of our professors if you have questions about their summer adventures or any of their exciting projects.

Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology

Faculty Fun, Faculty News, Faculty Post

Dr. Eyad Naseralla

Meet Dr. Eyad Naseralla!

Dr. Naseralla is a first year professor of psychology here at Roanoke College. Dr. Naseralla completed his undergraduate degree at Texas Tech University, and his PhD at St. Louis University. His research investigates perceptions of victims, focusing on victims of sexual violence. When asked about his research, Dr. Naseralla explained, “What I like to do is find things that are common, but also overlooked. Things like reporting. Sexual assault is really underreported, so looking at that and seeing how people respond to that.”

When discussing his research further, Dr. Naseralla gave us his two key takeaways as a researcher, “The two biggest takeaways as a researcher are not to get too caught up with things, I think that sometimes it is better to keep things moving. The second biggest thing is that it’s super important to be conscientious….Being organized and managing your time well. That is really key to doing the things that you love to do.” 

Dr. Naseralla is currently teaching two Psych-101 courses, as well as Psych-319: Psychology and Law. When asked what his favorite part of teaching at Roanoke College was so far, Dr. Naseralla responded with, “The fact that the students here are extremely eager. The smaller classes make things feel more personal. It feels like there is more of a relationship there, and students are really eager to learn and participate. I really enjoy that.” 

We are very excited to have Dr. Naseralla with us at Roanoke College this year!

Faculty Fun, Faculty News, Faculty Post

Dr. Andrea Burchfield

Meet Dr. Andrea Burchfield!
We are excited for her to join our psychology team this year 🙂

Dr. Burchfield gives us a little background information about herself when she writes, “I grew up in Northern Virginia before finding my home in the Roanoke Valley. I earned a BS in Psychology from Radford University in 2006, and then worked as an ABA Therapist with the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center before returning to school. I earned a MA (2012) and PhD (2018) in Psychology from George Mason University, where my research focused on the effects of a mindfulness-based program for parents of children with autism.

I enjoy bringing my clinical experiences into the classroom through sharing relatable stories, exposing students to the practice of mindful meditation, and by using the science of behaviorism to teach course material effectively. My favorite thing about teaching is building relationships with students, and watching them learn and succeed. Therefore, I’m passionate about discovering ways to enhance access to connections, education, and opportunities on campus, particularly for students with disabilities.”

We are lucky to have her here at Roanoke College!

Advice/Tips, Faculty Fun, Undergraduate News

Undergrad Advice from the Psych Department!

We are so excited to have so many familiar faces back on campus, and all of the new ones as well! This semester is going to look far different than any before, so some of the professors in the psychology department are here to offer up their best advice from when they were undergraduates!

Dr. Buchholz

-Get organized. Build a schedule but leave plenty of extra time because things often take longer than you may expect. 

-Ask for help, even if it is embarrassing. 

-Prioritize assignments and other things that you want to accomplish. That way if something comes up and you can’t do it all, you will know what to focus on. Relatedly, pay attention to the syllabus and how much each assignment is worth. If time is short, don’t waste time on things that are not worth that much, focus on doing a good job on the things that count.

-Have fun. Most of you will look back on this time as one of the best times of your life. Get out there, make friends, take risks (safely). 

Dr. Allen

-Talk to your professors, and don’t wait until the situation is desperate.  We are human.  

-Try to set good habits from the beginning.  It’s a lot easier to form a good habit than to break a bad one, and I say that as someone who is trying to break a couple of them.

 -And something I often find myself telling students who’ve messed up, even in a big way: admit you made a mistake, ask what you have learned from this (I sometimes learn that I need more sleep) and then move forward.  Don’t keep beating yourself up about the mistake other than to remind yourself that you don’t want to make it again. 

Dr. Hilton

-Say yes to more things that make you nervous/a little scared. I have learned so much from doing things that initially scared me. Sometimes fear is trying to help us learn things about ourselves and the only way to learn it is to lean into that discomfort (within reason obviously)

-Invest more in other people. I was very driven (as I know our psych students are as well) and sometimes I chose to pursue academic/career goals over relational goals. I have come to recognize that relationships provide meaning to everything else we do and I sometimes wish I had said yes more often to late nights, last minute trips, coffee meetups, etc., instead of working.

-Be kind to yourself. Set lofty goals but also be nice to yourself when you fall short. Failing is part of learning and growing…not something to be avoided but a step along the way.

Dr. Nichols

-Go to class! Even if you think you can keep up with the readings and learning on your own, it’s helpful to keep yourself on track and keep up to date on any announcements if you go to class every day. Honestly, sometimes I would sit in class and do homework for other classes, balance my checkbook, or write love letters to my girlfriend (it was easier to get away with such things at a large state school), but I felt better prepared for each of my classes when I attended them regularly.

-Talk to your professors! At first I didn’t speak to my professors, then I pestered them with questions after class that challenged half of the psychology studies presented in the slides, and finally I learned to attend office hours and have a more civil conversation. Your professors are passionate about the topics they teach and would love to help you learn the material better and most likely know some other ways to present the material than what was done in class, so use office hours to chat and/or learn.

-Talk to students in your class! As a student I was a weird mix of quiet/shy/isolated thinker who tended to sit in the back and not talk to anyone combined with class-clown/passing notes/whispering jokes, depending on the topic and whether I had friends in class. However, I learned to enjoy the friendships that developed by talking to students before or after class that I didn’t know going into the semester. Oftentimes we ended up studying together or inviting each other to parties, but it was nice even to just chit-chat with someone to feel more connected to the class.

Dr. Carter

-Seek out professors who do work that’s interesting to you, and find a way to work for/with them. It’s amazing how those experiences help shape and reveal your interests, and how they can translate into opportunities later.

-Learn how to go to bed at a reasonable hour. It turns out a lot of stuff happens before 10am.

-Always get apartments on the top floor of the building. That way the neighbors can never stomp on the floor when you make the slightest bit of noise. That’s the worst

This semester is uncharted, but the advice offered by some of our professors will help us all make it through! Also, remember to have grace for yourself and your professors, because we are all trying to figure this out and no one has all of the right answers. Good luck Maroons!

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Get Connected!

Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Twitter: @RC_Psychology
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology