Dear Alumni, Students, Colleagues, and Friends,
Thank you for checking out the 2015 edition of the Department of Psychology newsletter! As you can see, it is an exciting time to be part of the psychology department. Just ask our students, staff, and faculty, who reflect on the best thing about being part of the psychology department.
In this issue, we turn the spotlight on the Clinical Program. Several faculty members, including David DiLillo, Dave Hansen, Debra Hope, and Will Spaulding, were selected as inaugural Fellows for the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
Additionally, this year the 64nd Nebraska Symposium on Motivation will focus on impulsivity and is being coordinated by Jeffrey Stevens. If you are interested in key behavioral problems, such as pathological gambling, overeating, addiction, adolescent risk-taking, spread of sexually transmitted diseases, criminal behavior, financial decision making, and environmental attitudes, consider attending in April 2016!
As usual, this issue is full of information aimed to help you improve your everyday life. For example, as the holiday season approaches, psychology faculty Sarah Gervais provides useful tips on spending money in ways that will make you happier. Likewise, Anne Schutte describes her recent research talking about the benefits of being in nature for children
The psychology department community has also had some exciting additions. Rebecca Brock, a faculty member in the Clinical Program, joined the psychology department this fall and is examining the development of psychopathology across the lifespan. The psychology department is also excited to welcome Matthew Johnson, a faculty member in the Neuroscience and Behavior Program, who examines how the internal world of thoughts and memories connects with our processing of the external sensory environment. Additionally, Carolyn Edwards and Brian Wilcox retired. Although we are sad to see them go, we are excited to see what they will do next.
You’ll also learn more about what fellow alumna are doing with their psychology degrees. Co-Chief Advisor Joanna Seley asks whether there’s really “nothing you can do with a bachelors degree in psychology.” The answer is a resounding “No.” Employers value psychology majors for their understanding of human behavior as well as their skills in communication, critical thinking, and research. Additionally, a Scholarship Fund has been created in memory of Julie Connot to provide psychology scholarships for students at UNL. If you received a psychology degree from UNL, please share your story with us. We would love to hear what is going on with you and we will be selecting alumna to showcase and interview in future editions of the newsletter.
Of course, we have only provided a snapshot of all of the fantastic things going on in the psychology department. If you’re interested in learning more about the exciting happenings (e.g.,talks, symposia, research) in the Department or how you can help, please visit our webpage, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.