Newsletter Winter 2019

Greetings Friends of Psychology,

I hope that 2019 is off to a great start for you and your families.  We’ve had another exciting few months in the Department since our last newsletter!  We hope you enjoy this update on our community’s many activities and accomplishments.  Our opening feature focuses on Psychology’s amazing Honors program that some of you may have been part of during your undergraduate years.  This program is one of the premier opportunities for our majors to get first-hand, in-depth research experience and provides a solid scientific foundation for numerous future career paths.  Please read about a few of the current honors students, their mentors, and paths to research in Psychology.

We also share news about several very generous donations made recently to the department, along with stories about the donors, their connections to Psychology and the inspiration behind their giving. Our department is honored by their generosity, and proud to steward the legacies memorialized by these gifts.

This newsletter also highlights the Black Students Psychology Association (BSPA), which was founded 50 years ago at Michigan by UM graduate students, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers as leaders in our Department, the University, and across the country.  The Department is proud to celebrate the amazing history and transformational influence of this organization!

As always, we feature current faculty and students, as well as several Psychology alumni who continue to make an impact through their important work.  We love to hear about your activities and accomplishments, so please visit us, in person or virtually! Please plan ahead to join us next fall at our Psychology Homecoming Picnic. This will take place the Friday of Homecoming weekend, October 4th. Mingle with faculty, students and staff, reconnect with fellow alums, collect your Psychology Alumni t-shirt, and be part of next year’s group photo! 

Thank you for being part of our community, and very best wishes in the year ahead.
Patti

Throughout his academic career, Rob Kail has been inspired by psychology faculty—as mentors and as colleagues. As a doctoral student at Michigan, the psychology faculty quickly made him feel like he was part of the team. They were, in his words, “incredibly supportive from the day I and other first-year students arrived on campus. They treated us as colleagues-to-be, were incredibly generous with their time, and provided amazing mentoring.” 

To honor these faculty members, and to give students the kind of support he enjoyed, Kail has created the Hagen-Stevenson Dissertation Award Fund, an endowed fund supporting the dissertation research of graduate students studying developmental psychology.

Read more about Dr. Kail’s U-M experience, career, and generous support of Psychology students.

“When they gave, they gave from their heart,” Linda Dicks observes about her parents, Wilbert and Virginia McKeachie. “They believe in the goodness of people.”

With the funds they have created—the Wilbert (Bill) J. McKeachie Discretionary Fund and the McKeachie College Learning and Teaching Research Fund—recently bolstered by over $100,000 in gifts from Ginny’s estate, the McKeachies will support psychology students and faculty for decades to come. 

Read more about how Bill and Ginny spent their 74 years of married life dedicated to service and generosity.

As a psychology graduate student at the University of Michigan, John A. Swets, along with Wilson P. “Spike” Tanner, introduced signal detection theory (SDT) to Psychological Science. Their accomplishment had an enormous impact on the field. 

To honor their husband and father, and the spirit of teamwork that the university nurtured, his wife Maxine (Mickey) and sons Stephen and Joel Swets established the John A. Swets Memorial Award for Excellence in Collaborative Psychological-Science Research with a gift of $25,000.

Read more about Dr. Swets’ impact on the field of Psychology and the biennial prize that is awarded in his honor.

David Van Nuys, Professor Emeritus, Sonoma State University & Creator/Host of Shrink Rap Radio
University of Michigan, Clinical Psychology PhD 1970

Congratulations to Psychology alumni, David Van Nuys, on receiving an APA Citizen Psychologist Presidential Citation for his pioneering work as a psychologist podcaster! Read more about Dr. Van Nuys’ career, aspirations, and advice to aspiring Psychology students.

Psychology alumni Sam Mikulak, BA 2015, earned news headlines when he won his fifth all-around national title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in August. Not only that, but this two-time Olympian went on to gain his first individual world championship medal on the high bar in November 2018.

Andrea Belgrade works with Dr. Fiona Lee to examine the convergence of multiple cultures primarily through the lens of positive psychology. Read more about their research which seeks to better understand diverse populations.
Photo: Andrea Belgrade (left) with her Honors research assistant, Priyanka Shanmugasundaram (right)

Zaina Khoury is working on her Honors Thesis, titled "Wealth Essentialism in Children and Adults," under the mentorship of Drs. Susan Gelman and Margaret Echelbarger in the Conceptual Development Lab. Read more about how Khoury’s research might lead to a more inclusive society.

Dr. Zahodne’s research examines the effect that increased life expectancy has on age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Read more about Dr. Zahodne’s findings.

Exploring the Mind Community Talks by U-M Psychology Faculty
U-M Psychology’s “Exploring the Mind” monthly series of community talks offers the public an inside look at fascinating topics in the field of psychology. You can view past presentations, see a schedule of future talks planned at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor Public Library, and subscribe to our community talk email list here.

Martin Gold, Emeritus Professor of Psychology; Emeritus Research Scientist, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research (ISR)

Robert (Bob) L. Kahn, Professor Emeritus of Psychology; Professor Emeritus of Health Services Management and Policy, School of Public Health; Research Scientist Emeritus, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research (ISR)

Gurnee Bridgman, Psychology BA 1954
River-cruising down the Rhine River, Germany

“My trip to Octoberfest and then subsequent river-cruising down the Rhine River was simply to have a great vacation trip, as well as to see how many ‘Go Blues’ I could elicit from the many other vacationers/cruisers that might have allegiance of some sort… It was my equal pleasure to give a Go Blue to anyone who saw me wearing said shirt and who passed the same to me…. By the time I returned to the USA there had to have been about 10 such salutations, some occurring both in Germany and France... The picture is of me enjoying the trip, the great weather, and the spirit between all of us who are grads of a great department within our world renown University.”

Send us your Psychology t-shirt photos (psych.saa@umich.edu) for future newsletters!