Samantha Weishan & Adam Wilke are winners of the APA Engagement Awards, for Fall 2007
In 2006, The Department of Psychology received an American Psychological Association (APA) Culture of Service Award. The citation pointed out that “…the Department has a long history of commitment to service within the profession and to the public …”. The Department has used the accompanying cash award to initiate a program of small grants for Psychology undergraduate majors. The goal is to assist our students in activities linking their psychology studies with outreach and public engagement.
We are pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the APA Engagement Awards, for Fall 2007. From the pool of applicants, the two candidates who best articulated the link between their academic studies in psychology and their community projects were selected for the $500 award.
Samantha Weishan is combining her knowledge of research in psychology with her role as a board member of the University YMCA. Last year she conducted an evaluation of student leaders' experiences in the organization, which will now be used to improve students' future experiences. Also this year, she will examine why student leaders who choose to remain with the organization beyond one year do so and the role of demographics in the volunteer recruitment process.
Adam Wilke is teaching a class, "Neuropsychology of Emotion", through the Twin Cities Experimental College (ExCo at http://excotc.org). The goal of ExCo is learning through shared knowledge unrestricted by the social roles inherent in traditional classroom settings. Instructors are not assumed to be the experts, but learning occurs through shared investigation of diverse viewpoints. The class is free and open to the public.
Congratulations to Samantha and Adam for successfully linking their studies in psychology with public engagement.
Two awards will be made each semester, contingent on availability of funds. Information and application materials are available at: