September 07, 2011
With its focus on student engagement through mentoring and
research, it is no wonder St. John’s is among the leading
universities whose faculty, students and alumni were accepted to
present or speak at the 2011 American Psychological Association
(APA) Convention this summer.
Held in Washington, D C., last August, the annual convention drew
more than 13,000 practitioners, researchers, educators and students
from around the world. The APA is the world’s largest association
of psychologists.
Fourteen professors, 18 students and seven alumni represented St.
John’s
Department of Psychology at the conference, which saw two
graduate students and a faculty member win awards. “It’s a banner
year,” said
Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Psychology.
“Our department has a tradition of strong APA participation among
both students and faculty. Presenting at conferences gets students
involved in scientific debates and make them part of the
profession.”
“Each year, the number of well-received presentations from our
faculty, students, and alumni is impressive, and reflects the
consistently high quality and collaborative efforts of our
department,” added Mark Terjesen, Ph.D., Associate Professor of
Psychology.
Photo Gallery
Accolades and Presentations
St. John’s professors and students participated in nearly 30
sessions. One of the former,
John D. Hogan, Ph.D., President of Division 52 (International
Psychology) delivered the keynote address at the division’s opening
session. "The mission of the international division of APA is
to advance psychology internationally as both a science and
profession. We do this mostly through education and
advocacy. One of my goals has been to internationalize the
curriculum in psychology,” Dr. Hogan stressed.
Beverly Greene, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, received a
Presidential Citation from APA in recognition of her many
important contributions to psychology and to the American
Psychological Association, and the Association for Women in
Psychology's 2011 Women of Color Psychologies Publication Award for
a paper that made a significant contribution to the understandings
of the psychologies of women of color.
Students also received accolades during the conference. Tara
Cuskley ’14G collaborated with program graduate Dr. Dana
Santomenna, on a talk entitled, “Creativity in the Schools.” This
talk was so well-received that Ms. Cuskley was invited to
participate in a showcase sponsored by Division 10: Society for the
Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. Ms. Cuskley
remarked, "The student research showcase for Division 10 was a
great opportunity to present my work. To try to fit a whole study
on to one slide was itself an exercise in creativity!"
Stephanie Samar (‘15G) was the recipient of the Irwin Hyman and
Nadine Lambert Scholarship, awarded to outstanding doctoral
students in school psychology, and sponsored by the American
Academy of School Psychology (AASP). I was inspired by the quality
of work from STJ faculty, alumni, and my colleagues at this
convention and I will continue to aspire to represent St. John’s
and the field of school psychology in the best manner we can."
A number of undergraduates participated in the conference as
well. Nora Gerardi (‘13U) observed, “The conference enabled me to
interact with both practicing psychologists and psychology students
in an atmosphere where I could pose about their research and get
valuable advice about realizing my own personal goals.”
To learn more about the
Department of Psychology at St. John’s please contact Raymond
DiGiuseppe, Ph.D., Professor and Chair at: (718) 990-1955 or e-mail
digiuser@stjohns.edu