May 18, 2023
Psychological sciences announces student award winners
Submitted by Christopher Barlett
The psychological sciences department honored this year's departmental undergraduate and graduate award winners at an event on May 2.
Meghan Dillon received the John C. Peterson Undergraduate Scholarship Prize for outstanding graduating senior. Dillon was a member of Gary Brase's research lab and published a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal. Dillon was a Psi Chi officer, was involved with K-State Thrive Navigators and was a paraeducator at Bluemont Elementary School.
Claire Weaver is this year's recipient of the E. Jerry Phares Undergraduate Research Award. She has conducted research in the labs of Charles Pickens and Heather Bailey. In Pickens' lab, her research focuses on testing how exposure to amphetamine can lead to long-term alterations in decision-making. In Bailey's lab, her research focuses on evaluating strategy use on working memory and fluid intelligence tasks.
There are five award winners for this year's James and Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Award. The award provides funds to enable students to conduct research with their faculty mentors during the following academic year. Jessica Binckley will work with Mary Cain and focus on understanding the effects of THC on nondrug reinforcement. Margaret Fontanini will work with Don Saucier and focus on the perceptions of and responses to various religious-based comments and insults. Hunter Strating will work with Bethany Plakke and focus on examining brain abnormalities across development in a rodent model of ASD. Olivia Tewell will work with Cain and focus on understanding how voluntary THC consumption affects wanting of sucrose as a reward. Finally, Colleen Fulton will work with Saucier and focus on the effects of instructors' cues of gratitude and engagement on student learning.
Mary Matlock received the Dr. Leon Rappoport Psychology Undergraduate Scholarship. This scholarship honors the memory of a faculty member in the department and is targeted at a nontraditional, high-achieving student.
The Sewell Undergraduate Research Scholarship was awarded to Abigail McKinney and Estefani Fernandez-Patlan. This scholarship recognizes undergraduates conducting research psychology with a preference for supporting first-generation and transfer students.
The Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award was presented to Nora Balboa, Chi-Leigh Warren and Nicholas Gallivan for their outstanding commitment to student learning inside and outside of the classroom.
The Outstanding Graduate Research Award/Harry Helson Memorial Scholarship was presented to Ashley Schiffer. Schiffer works with Saucier and her research focuses on understanding what individual difference variables predict myriad stigmatized decisions.
Finally, the department gave the Dunlap Fellowship Award to Moana Sargent and Ashley Sylvara. This award is given to graduate students who are in the industrial/organizational area and are making outstanding progress toward their degree goals.
The faculty members in the psychological sciences department applaud the many achievements of these outstanding students.