Psych Scoop, 7/11/23

July 11th, 2023

The Psych Scoop is sent to all Psychology Undergraduate students and alumni every Tuesday throughout the academic school year. 

Share your news with psyadvis@umn.edu!

Psychology Advising Announcements

Current majors are expected to know the announcements in the advising announcement section.
Feedback for the department? Check out our suggestion box.

1. Share Your Research Experience!

Psych Advising would like your help! If you have participated in research for credit or as a volunteer at the U, please consider sharing your experience with this short Google Form. In our new office space, we are putting together informational bulletin boards which provide resources and advice to students who stop by. One of these boards includes information on getting involved in research as an undergraduate student! Our office strives to provide all the information we have about what research is and how to get involved, but we are missing the essential student perspective. With your help, we can better serve students who may be in a similar boat as when you first started looking into how to become involved. We will likely be featuring 2-4 students on a monthly basis, and we will of course notify you if your experience is being shared. If you have any questions, please reach out to psyadvis@umn.edu.

2. 2023-2024 Psychology Undergraduate TA Positions

Each fall and spring, the Department of Psychology selects from a pool of highly qualified undergraduate applicants for paid undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) and section leader (SL) appointments. Serving as a TA or SL is a fantastic professional development opportunity to add to a resume, and it can also provide you with an integrated department experience to highlight on an application to graduate school. Our teaching assistants and section leaders work on average 5-10 hours per week per appointment and will be paid $16.50/hr in the 2023-2024 academic year. More information on eligibility, the application process, and typical duties can be found on the 2023-2024 Undergraduate TA Application Form. If you have questions, please contact Christina Wiencke at choldvog@umn.edu (Associate Director of Curriculum & Instruction) or Heidi Wolff at hwolff@umn.edu (Curriculum and Graduate Services Specialist).

3. Student Tech Support Services - Lecture Recording Support

The Department of Psychology is hiring for lecture recording support. The primary responsibility of this position is to prepare the classroom technology for the lecture presenter and adjust the camera during the lecture recording. The position will be supervised by the Course Instructor. The Department Academic Technologist may also provide additional supervision and guidance. You must be a University of Minnesota student. Must be available Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm at Willey Hall (West Bank TC campus) during Fall and Spring semesters. Preferred qualifications include experience using and troubleshooting classroom presentation and video recording technologies, positive attitude, attention to detail, and willingness to problem-solve. Starting pay is $16.50/hr. To learn more about the position and how to apply, visit the U of M job website and enter Job ID: 356336. If you have any questions, please direct them to Silke Moeller at smoeller@umn.edu.

Events

4. Free Meals on Thursdays

Thursday, July 13, 2023, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CST (or when meals are gone)
Cost: Meals are free
Location: Coffman Memorial Union

Free, to-go, chef-prepared meals are available to any University of Minnesota student. A partnership between Minnesota Central Kitchen (Second Harvest Heartland), the Campus Club, and Swipe Out Hunger. Located at Coffman Memorial Union, outside Nutritious U Food Pantry (Room 103A). This event will continue through the summer. For more food insecurity resources, click here.

5. St. Paul Campus Mobile Food Shelf

Thursday, July 13, 2023, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm CST
Cost: Free
Location: Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative (CTC) Office 1250 Fifield Ave St. Paul, MN 55108

Free groceries including produce, meat, and dairy products and household items available to any University of Minnesota student and their families. Operated by Keystone Community Services. The mobile food shelf is located at the CTC north parking lot, across the street from the Food Science and Nutrition Building.

6. PAWS in the Summer!

Wednesday, July 12, 2023, 11:00 am CST
Cost: Free
Location: Coffman Memorial Union, Mississippi Room - 3rd Floor

Boynton Health’s PAWS (Pet Away Worry & Stress) sessions feature registered therapy animal teams—including dogs, bunnies, cats, chickens, and other therapy animals as available. Sessions are FREE and open to the University of Minnesota community. All are welcome!

Courses of Interest

7. PSY 3896: Internship in Psychology - 1-4 Credits - Fall 2023

Make an internship experience count toward your PSY Major! PSY 3896 class credits (1-4 variable credits) are based partly on the number of hours you work at your internship during the Fall 2023 semester. Online course assignments are a complement to your learning at your internship site. Students apply to and secure a position on their own, but guidance is available. Example sites include ACR Homes, People Serving People, Sexual Violence Center, Tubman, and the Walk-In Counseling Center. Look for more opportunities in the Psych Scoop and even more on Handshake. Read more about what students have to say about PSY 3896!

Steps to Register for PSY 3896:

1.) Student secures an internship with a site

2.) Submit a "Request an Experience" form on Handshake and receive approval.

3.) Permission number to register for the course will then be emailed to you.

PSY 3896 is completely online

Instructor: Michael Houlahan

Note: This course counts as elective credit for the Psychology majors only.

Graduate School

Find Diversity Weekend programs - includes Fall, Spring, and Summer programs. Updated frequently.

8. Announcing the 2023 Diversity in Psychology Virtual Program

The University of Minnesota’s Diversity in Psychology Program is excited to announce that we are accepting applications for the Fall 2023 virtual diversity program event (Friday, October 13, 2023). The program is designed for individuals who are historically underrepresented in psychology graduate programs and who are interested in earning their Ph.D. from the Department of Psychology, Institute of Child Development, or the Department of Educational Psychology, at the University of Minnesota. As a participant in the program, you will learn, through formal and informal experiences, how to construct a successful graduate school application. You’ll also have the opportunity to get a sense of the graduate school experience in our departments. If you are interested in applying for the Diversity in Psychology Program (or know someone who might be), please visit our website.

Research

9. *Credit or Volunteer* Undergraduate Research Opportunity with Adolescent Suicide Risk and Depression Study

Dr. Karina Quevedo is currently looking for undergraduate students interested in gaining volunteer experience in her lab in the Department of Psychiatry! There is an opportunity for Directed Research credit! The Health and Emotions in Adolescents Trajectories (HEAT) Laboratory is a neuroimaging lab conducting several studies to better understand suicidality, depression, and trauma. In addition, the HEAT Laboratory focuses on the brain function of adolescents – with and without suicidal ideation/history of suicide attempt – while they complete fMRI tasks, such as neurofeedback, designed to examine emotion regulation and cognition as a potential treatment for suicidality. Who We Want: We are currently in the data entry phase of the study. Students will be assisting in entering a high volume of data from paper format onto an online database while maintaining accuracy. We are looking for detail-oriented, organized students with basic computer skills. Students should be in good academic standing, and be able to commit 5-12 hours a week of data entry, in person. We are interested in students who can begin before Fall 2023. Committed and dedicated student volunteers will have the opportunity to expand their role within the lab including being a co-author on scientific papers. Contact: send a short introduction, unofficial transcript, a copy of your CV, and how many hours a week you can commit to Tasha Das at das00024@umn.edu and Cc Hoang-Giang Nguyen at nguy2815@umn.edu.

10. *Volunteer or Credit* Research Assistant Opportunities with the CARPE DIEM Study

The Culture and Family Life Lab at the Institute of Child Development is collaborating with two other labs the Early Language and Experience Lab, and the Child Behavior and Perception Lab to launch an exciting new research study called the CARPE DIEM Study. This study is actively seeking several new research assistants (RAs) who will meet with families on weekday afternoons/evenings and weekends during the Fall and/or Spring semesters. RAs will have the opportunity to register for CPSY 4994 credit. RAs will primarily assist with conducting pre-test and post-test assessments of families in ICD testing rooms. These assessments involve explaining consent forms, facilitating a mother-child storybook reading task, assisting children in completing a set of tasks/games and guiding mothers to an online questionnaire. To apply, please complete the online RA application on Professor Ferguson’s Culture and Family Life Lab website. In the application, select CARPE DIEM as the project of interest. We are interviewing applicants now so we encourage you to submit your application now for priority consideration! If you have questions please contact, Salma Ibrahim at ibrah247@umn.edu.

11. *Volunteer or Credit* Neuropsychology Research Opportunity

Dr. Anna Zilverstand is looking for a volunteer research assistant to work with her lab in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Her lab investigates how individual differences contribute to human drug addiction and their main study focuses on acquiring data from those currently in treatment for substance use disorder using multiple methods, such as interviewing, neurocognitive testing, questionnaires, and multi-modal neuroimaging. Volunteers will have the chance to assist with study recruitment and screening of potential participants and analyze data collected by the study. This opportunity is eligible for PSY 4/5993 credit and the time commitment will be discussed with Dr. Zilverstand. Successful candidates typically have a 3.5 GPA or higher, have junior or senior-level credits, and may have an interest in pursuing a higher degree in psychology or related fields. If you are interested, please send a copy of your cover letter, CV/resume, and unofficial transcripts to Dr. Anna Zilverstand at annaz@umn.edu and Reed Evers at evers356@umn.edu.

12. *Credit or Volunteer* RA Position with a Real-Time Study of Substance Use

Dr. Britt Stevenson in Addiction Recovery Services at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is looking for student research assistants for Fall 2023 through Summer 2024 (1 full-year commitment expected). Currently, Dr. Stevenson is running a pilot study to examine the daily life experiences that contribute to substance use in Veterans who are receiving substance use treatment and will be launching a larger study with the same aim during the next school year. The study uses ecological momentary assessments (EMA) to measure these factors via real-time surveys on Veterans' phones and provide Veterans with individualized graphs of their responses. RAs are integral in setting up surveys, completing regulatory paperwork, coordinating directly with Veteran participants, conducting interviews with participants, analyzing data, interpreting individualized graphs, and helping Dr. Stevenson to finetune the study design based on participant feedback. Dr. Stevenson will provide mentorship and career development guidance. Students can earn 3 credits for PSY 4993 (which corresponds to 9 hours/week) per semester or volunteer. Weekly on-site visits to the Minneapolis VA may be required. To learn more about this position and to be considered for an interview, please send your CV/resume and a short introduction to Dr. Britt Stevenson at Brittany.Stevenson@va.gov by 7/21/23. VA hires only US Citizens. Those from historically underrepresented groups in science are strongly encouraged to apply.

Jobs/Internship Opportunities

IMPORTANT: Organizations listed below are not necessarily affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Psychology or Psychology Undergraduate Advising. Please exercise the same discretion you would in viewing any other source.

13. Direct Care Professional

ACR Homes is hiring psychology students to become Direct Care Professionals! Apply today for positions starting NOW or Fall Semester. You would work in a home setting alongside a co-worker to care for 4 people who have disabilities. You will get the chance to gain DIRECT PATIENT CARE HOURS by caring for the medical, emotional, and physical needs of the residents as well as enjoying fun activities with them on your shifts. ACR is flexible for students, min of 12-16hrs/week (shifts are 4, 6, or 8hrs) but of course, you could work more. Starting pay is $15-$21/hr depending on the shift you work, paid training, and we have locations near campus, and you don't need to have a car! On top of all of that, we even offer custom research-based INTERNSHIPS that end with a letter of recommendation from our CEO who is a licensed psychologist. We are doing interviews 30 min Zoom interviews now to secure your spot when you are ready to start. Contact Kayla Wildes at wilde177@umn.edu if you are interested in applying!

14. PHSRC Teaching Assistant & Peer Advisor

The Pre-Health Student Resource Center is hiring for our Teaching Assistant & Peer Advisor position for the 2023-2024 academic year! This is a dual-role position serving as a TA for AHS courses and providing peer advising and office support for the PHSRC. Starting pay is $16.00/hour, and the time commitment is approximately 5-10 hours/week. This position will be a great fit for any pre-health student with an interest in mentoring and coaching. Preference will be given to students who are juniors or seniors and have previously taken any of our PHSRC courses: AHS 1101, 1102, 1611, 1612, 1613, or 3401. The full job description and application can be found here. Job ID: 35634. If you have any questions you can direct them to Fred Williams at will1053@umn.edu.