May 29, 2012
On Sunday April 22, 2012, St. John’s University hosted the Long
Island Psychology Conference
(LIPC) at the Oakdale Graduate Center. Co-sponsored by 12 different
colleges and Universities throughout the New York area, this year’s
LIPC was among the largest held in the history of the conference
with over 120 students and faculty from the various colleges in
attendance. St. John’s University was well-represented. Showcasing
their talent, hard work and groundbreaking research, two faculty
members, one graduate student and six undergraduate students from
St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Psychology
department were selected to present at this year’s
conference.
Working as an undergraduate in Dr. Ernest Hodges research lab, John
Azzopardi (’12) noted:
"Most classes leave you with the knowledge of how to take a test;
Dr. Hodges taught us to think and to apply our thoughts into real
experiences."
The impact of engaging in and presenting research is one that has
invaluable benefits for the students. “The opportunity for students
to be involved in research and then present their findings at a
local, professional psychology conference is one that can have an
important impact on their professional development. Not only do
they gain valuable research experience, which will make them more
competitive for graduate programs, but they have the opportunity to
interact with and learn from others in the field.” remarked Dr.
Ernest Hodges, Professor of Psychology.
Equally noteworthy, two of the invited speakers were part of the
St. John’s Psychology Family as well. Dr. Jeffrey Froh, currently
an Assistant Professor at Hofstra University and a graduate of the
St. John’s Doctoral program (PsyD) in School Psychology delivered
the Keynote address: Helping Youth Thrive: Making the Case That
Gratitude Matters. Since earning his doctorate at St. John’s, Dr.
Froh has become a very well-respected expert on the field of
positive psychology and actively engages in and publishes research
with his students.
Dr. John D. Hogan, Professor of Psychology at St. John’s, presented
an invited address titled: International Psychology: Past,
Present, and Future. Dr. Hogan, the immediate past president of the
Division of International Psychology of the American
Psychological Association (APA), provided attendees with an
overview of psychology's changing international
perspectives. "I was very pleased to be asked to speak
about international psychology," Dr. Hogan remarked. "There
are so many exciting things happening around the world in our
field. Our students need to be part of that
world."
“This conference and the fact that St. John’s was so heavily
represented, really is a reflection of the high quality psychology
majors that we have at St. John’s, the engagement of the faculty
with the students, and the scientific emphasis of our department,”
said Mark D. Terjesen, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director of
Programs in
School Psychology
.
Digiuser@stjohns.edu