Department News
In this issue: Spring '26
Award Winners
Undergraduate Awards
- The John C. Peterson Undergraduate Scholarship Prize was awarded to Camille Dortland, BaiLe Dreyfuss, Kate Early, Caroline Schaffer, Gracie Toman, Lillian Taylor, and Jenna Waldo
- Mark Rack is this year's recipient of the E. Jerry Phares Undergraduate Research Award
- The Sewell Undergraduate Research Scholarship was awarded to Addie Birks
- Aubree Leach received the Curtis Lee and JB Gee Psychological Sciences Scholarship
- The James and Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Award was awarded to Caden Blake, Brooklyn Waymire, Hannah Muzik, Lex Bouslog, Meredith Caudill, Sierra Cain, Evan Maschler
- Academic Honors: Olivia De Haan-Burch, Leah Hight, and Louis Unrein recieved Cum Laude academic honors. Kinley Barker, Mackenzie Brown, Jaclynne Castle, Laurel Conner, James Gabriel Divierte, Baile Dreyfuss, Katelyn Frier, Dalton Green, Gabi Hendricks, Caroline Kemp, Mindi Marstall, Colton McMullen, Mark Rack, Brenna Rath, Natalie Rubio, Annika Smith, and Jenna Waldo recieved Magna Cum Laude academic honors. Wyatt Abbott, Kieran Boeger, Keegan Colbern, Jillian DeVoe, Maddie Dodd, Camille Dortland, Kate Early, Kenzie Foster, Rachel Gillam, Ellie Graham, Marian Hernandez, Claire Holt, Katie Johnson, Eva Naab, Maria Nguyen, Caroline Schaffer, Lillian Taylor, and Gracie Toman recieved Summan Cum Laude academic honors.
Graduate Awards
- Dylan Laux received the Outstanding Graduate Research Award
- Nicole Mora Jimenez and June Wilson received the Harry Helson Memorial Scholarship in Experimental Psychology
- June Wilson received the Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award
- The Jerwen and Chian-Hua Jou Psychology Graduate Award was awarded to Nevaeh Copenhaver, Mohsen Davoudkhani, Fasika Feyisa, and Shallom Imuzei
MIOP
The Master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program, or MIOP, will begin its 27th year this summer! We encourage MIOP alumni to attend our Welcome Banquet on Sunday July 19th, 6-8pm in the alumni center to mark the occasion. Contact program director, Sarina Maneotis, if interested. This year the outgoing GTA Chi-Leigh Warren trained incoming GTA, Jordan Scott and students got to experience the support of both of these awesome GTAs over the course of the year. The program continues to enjoy hosting students for its two-week in-person classes in late July and will continue the tradition of decorating donuts at Varsity and hiking the Konza this summer.
Please look for MIOP on Instagram (@ksumiop), LinkedIn, or visit our website.
- Sarina M. Maneotis
GAPS
The 2025-2026 year was full of new things for both GAPS and the department. GAPS saw the induction of all first-time officers! The previous year’s GAPS focused on making our department one where adjusting to graduate school life goes as seamlessly as possible; the 2025-2026 GAPS complemented these efforts by focusing on preparing graduate students for success not just during, but also after graduate school. We hosted six excellent speaker events with eleven speakers total. The Fall’s events provided graduate students with guidance on filing a program of study, applying for graduate health insurance, and creating a "side gig" during graduate school. The Spring’s events covered grant writing, careers in program evaluation and data analysis, and careers in academia. This year, GAPS also partnered with Psych Club for a movie night and a special showing of the Princess Bride in hope of starting a new tradition! Finally, department stickers were created by Phoebe Hemmerling for this year's fundraiser. These stickers may still be purchased through GAPS over the summer and next year as well. This amazing year would not have been possible without the outgoing officers: Sylvie Wheeler, Adison Kaiser, Kaitlyn Seivers, Bhavana Sivayokan, and Phoebe Hemmerling. As leadership transitions to the 2026-2027 committee, we extend our best wishes to Nevaeh Copenhaver, Jordan Marr, Ryan McKenna, Jeff Roberts and Ricky Castaneda Olayo, and Dari Galindo.
- Sylvie Wheeler
PSI CHI
Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, dedicated to encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship and advancing the science of psychology. The K-State chapter of Psi Chi officers for the 2025-26 academic year are Katelyn Frier, president; Meredith Caudill, vice-president; Marian Hernandez, secretary; and BaiLe Dreyfuss, ambassador; and Dr. Shalene Allen & Karen Paulus, co-advisors. We welcomed 33 new members in the 2025-26 academic year. Psi Chi was active on campus this year, hosting events such as Meet Psi Chi night each semester, a graduate school application workshop, our hot chocolate fundraiser, and a Valentine's Day card-making service project for residents at Homestead Assisted Living of Manhattan. Psi Chi also joined the Psychology Club in co-hosting an event each semester including a graduate student panel and session with the Career Center and Pre-Professional Advising. The officers also worked together with their new advisors to develop new traditions for Psi Chi, including a more formal new member induction with candlelight ceremony and an officer installation ceremony. The incoming officers for the 2026-27 academic year are Meredith Caudill, president; Lex Bouslog, vice-president; Wyatt Elmore, secretary; Olivia Honeywell, ambassador; and Sidney Zinkus, treasurer.
- Karen Paulus
Past Issues
Fall '24
Award Winners
Undergraduate Awards
- The John C. Peterson Undergraduate Scholarship Prize was awarded to Maggie Fontanini, Hunter Strating, Ivy Auletti, Lindsey Wilson, and Paige Anderson
- Ellie Warnes is this year's recipient of the E. Jerry Phares Undergraduate Research Award
- The Sewell Undergraduate Research Scholarship was awarded to Emily Gregg and Colleen Fulton
- Dalton Green, Madison Deslatte, and Rachel Pratt received the Curtis Lee and JB Gee Psychological Sciences Scholarship
- Alyssa Smith and Audrey Etgen received the Leon Rappaport Psychology Undergraduate Scholarship
- The James and Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Award was awarded to Luna Borgelt, Lujan Lopez Zavala, and Olivia Edwards
- Academic Honors: Peyton Woods recieved Cum Laude academic honors. Maggie Gontanini, Lindsey Wilson, and Ivy Auletti recieved Magna Cum Laude academic honors, and Anthony Frias II, Colleen Fulton, and Hunter Strating recieved Summan Cum Laude academic honors.
Graduate Awards
- Troy Fort received the Outstanding Graduate Research Award/Harry Helson Memorial Scholarship
- Christine Seitz was awarded the Dunlap Fellowship
- Noah Renken received the Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award
- The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award was jointly presented to Patrick Hancock and Troy Fort
Faculty Updates
Regina Crowell (pictured above) celebrated 30 years of state service!
New Tenure-Track Faculty
Shalene Allen received her doctoral degree
in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and
minors in quantitative methodology and
occupational health psychology from Portland State University. Shalene is a trained expert in workplace social support, leadership, mental health and intervention evaluation and design. She is interested in examining how to improve coworker support behavior via rigorous intervention and how such support can improve the mental health of employees and organizations. Shalene enjoys hot yoga, walking with her two dogs and spending quality time with her family. She is very excited and looking forward to joining the community at K-State.
Naidan Tu is a doctoral candidate in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology at the University
of South Florida. Her research interests are in psychometrics, selection and organizational
effectiveness. Naidan is expected to defend her dissertation in June, complete her Hogan internship in August and then relocate to Kansas. She is very excited to become a part of the K-State community and explore all that Manhattan has to offer.
MIOP
The Master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology program, or MIOP, began its
25th year this summer! Program director Sarina Maneotis and program assistant Chi-Leigh Warren remain busy not only delivering classes but fostering the program’s social media presence on Instagram and LinkedIn and planning the in-person summer program, including several special social events to foster connectedness. As they think about the MIOP of the future, they are working to build connections across the university, such as with the Staley School of Leadership, and hope to develop an organizational science microcredential that will require the development of several new courses. Stay tuned for more information in the future.
Please look for MIOP on LinkedIn and Instagram — @ksumiop — or visit our website.
- Sarina Maneotis
GAPS
The 2023-2024 year was full of new things for both the Graduate Association for Psychology Students, or GAPS, and the department. GAPS saw the induction of all first-time officers, and the department saw the onboarding of new faculty, including a new head. The 2023-2024 GAPS chose Inclusion and Information as our goals this year and focused on making our department one where adjusting to graduate school life goes as seamlessly as possible. This year, GAPS introduced an “Unspoken Rules” book, where we have solicited guidelines and advice for new graduate students and collected it in one place for easy accessibility. Other efforts to demystify the process of obtaining a doctoral degree at K-State included updating all preliminary exam guidelines for each program area, organizing a study night and arranging a virtual visit from K-State alumni in different career tracks where they talked about their experiences applying for and working in different areas.
Following the precedent set by previous GAPS members in pursuing diversity, equity and inclusion education, the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Student Affairs presented a Safe Zone workshop to the department, which certified everyone in attendance to continue attending advanced workshops to further their education. In addition to the resources provided by the office, stay tuned for an open contribution resource list for psychology teachers and colloquia coming up in the fall featuring research on identity, crossrace
communication and respectful engagement in research on minority populations.
This year, we also had a donation drive with commemorative psychology themed keychains as a gift for donating. The drive has been a success so far, with $270 raised! This wonderful year would not have been possible without Michael Tollefsrud, vice President; Alma Pahua, treasurer; Christine Seitz, mentor Chair; and Nora Balboa, DEI Officer. After a successful year, GAPS is excited to see what comes next and is happy to introduce a great group of new officers: Andrew Olah, president; Luke Watson, vice president; June Wilson, treasurer; Jordan Scott, mentor chair; and Mohsen Davoudkhani, DEI officer. Best wishes for the coming year!
- Kari Payne, 2023-2024 GAPS president
PSI CHI
The K-State chapter of Psi Chi was led by Ivy Auletti, president; Jendaya Leder, vice president;
Maggie Fontanini, secretary; Lindsey Wilson, treasurer; Lujan Lopez Zavala, ambassador;
and Dr. Heather Bailey, faculty advisor. We welcomed over 30 new members in the 2023-
24 academic year. Psi Chi also hosted and supported several events throughout the year,
including preparing for graduate school panel, a panel about various helping professions,
a hot chocolate fundraiser that raised more than $300 for the local crisis shelter, the All-
University Open House and the annual departmental graduation and awards ceremony.
The officers also organized monthly member meetings that involved social activities as well
as professional development activities such as presentations on research within various
labs in the department. The incoming officers for the 2024-2025 academic year are Lujan Lopez Zavala, president; Finn Wilson, vice president; Tristan Polton, treasurer; Kutina Cabrera, secretary; and Max Eber, ambassador (pictured right) .
- Heather Bailey