Psych Scoop, 4/15/25

Psychology Advising Announcements

Current majors are expected to know the announcements in the advising announcement section.

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Psychology Engagement Award - Summer Applications Now Open

Are you taking Summer classes & also volunteering in your community? The Department of Psychology's Donor Awards for Psychology Undergraduate Engagement are available to support you! The purpose of these awards is to encourage and support enrolled psychology majors who engage in unpaid learning experiences beyond the University campus and classroom environments (i.e. unpaid internships, volunteer experiences, or a study abroad containing a psych-related internship). Up to two awards of $500 will be offered for Summer 2025. The application deadline is Monday, June 9th. For details about the awards and application materials, please visit our webpage.

Are You Graduating Spring or Summer 2025? Save the Date to Celebrate!

• Date:  Friday, May 2, 2025
• Time: 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm (check-in from 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm)
• Cost: Free

Psychology majors who have applied for Spring or Summer 2025 graduation have received an email invitation to the 2025 Psychology Senior Spectacular Celebration. This psychology undergraduate event recognizes award recipients and graduating seniors in front of peers, staff, faculty, and family for all of their accomplishments! The event will be held on campus Friday, May 2nd, 2025, from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. If you are graduating this Spring or Summer and have not received an email from us to RSVP for the Senior Spectacular, please reach out to [email protected].

Psychology Student Group Announcements

Psi Chi Honors Cords Pick Up

Are you a graduating Psi Chi member this Spring 2025 or Summer 2025 semester? If yes, please arrange to pick up your Psi Chi Honor cord from Mary Simonsen. Email Mary at [email protected] to arrange a time to pick it up.

Events

National Organization on Disability Virtual Career Fair

• Date:  Thursday, April 17, 2025
• Time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm CT
• Cost: Free
• Location: Virtual

Expand your network while learning more about internships, apprenticeships, and full/part-time jobs for all majors. If you've ever had a 504, IEP, or school accommodations, this is an invaluable opportunity for you! By participating, you will be able to discover career paths across various fields, meet with hiring managers and recruiters from well-known companies prioritizing equitable hiring, and find job opportunities fitting your skills, experience, and professional aspirations. Register for the event online. 

First Gen One-Year Celebration!

• Date:  Thursday, April 17, 2025
• Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm CT
• Cost: Free
• Location: Appleby Hall, Room 227 

The First-Gen Student Success Center is celebrating our first year on campus, and we’re inviting all staff, faculty, and supporters to join as we commemorate this exciting milestone. Stop by at your convenience on Thursday, April 17, 11am-3pm, to see our new office space in 227 Appleby Hall, enjoy refreshments, check out our Year in Review, and grab some first-gen swag. 

Stories in Health Equity

• Date:  Thursday, April 24, 2025
• Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT
• Cost: Free
• Location: HSEC 2-110

The Student Engagement Subcommittee is planning an evening to discuss health equity work, and its changing landscape! They will have Dr. Jessica Simacek from the Masonic Institute on the Developing Brain presenting about her experiences in health equity work. She will present a 15 min presentation followed by a Q/A session. This will be an opportunity for students to connect, have some snacks, and converse about health equity work. Students must register for the event. 

Courses of Interest

For more detailed information on each of these courses, refer to Schedule Builder.

PSY 3960: Undergraduate Seminar in Psychology - 1 Credit

Psychology Research Preparation Course - a part of the Department of Psychology's Pathways Program. 

• Course: Second Half of Term Course - Mondays, 4:00 - 5:40 pm CT
• Location: Elliott Hall N639
• Instructor: Maya Rogers ([email protected]) and Emily Saks ([email protected])

Joining a research lab can be a fun way to enhance undergraduate education in psychology. However, getting involved is not always straightforward. This course is designed to help first- through third-year students with all levels of experience learn more about research and develop skills that will support success in future research placements, such as a PSY 5993 course. We will cover a broad range of topics, including different career paths in research, preparation of 5993 application materials, how to look for scientific articles, and different expectations that labs may have. Throughout these topics, we will emphasize issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in science. We hope to provide opportunities for students from all backgrounds to explore how personal identity can play a meaningful role in the research experience. Email Maya at [email protected] or [email protected] to request a permission number to enroll!

PSY 5960-002: Topics in Psychology - Drugs of Abuse - Brain and Behavior - Fall 2025 

• Course: Tuesdays & Thursdays - 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm CT
• Location: Elliott Hall N119
• Instructor: Kurt Fraser

Drugs of Abuse - Brain and Behavior This course will provide an overview of the major behavioral and neurobiological aspects of drugs of abuse, how they function, why humans use and abuse drugs, and contemporary theoretical and methodological approaches to studying substance use disorders. This course is intended for upper-level undergraduates interested in neuropsychopharmacology, medicine, and psychiatry. No formal requirements, but one or more of PSY 3011, 3031, 3051, 3061, or NSCI 3101, 3102W or BIOL 3211 are recommended. Undergraduate students should register for PSY 5960-002. 

PSY 5960-004: Topics in Psychology - Visual Hallucinations and Illusions - Fall 2025 

• Course: Fridays - 11:15 am - 1:45 pm CT
• Location: Elliott Hall N423
• Instructor: Steve Engel

This course will cover how, when, and why we perceive things that are not there. Specifically we will discuss the nature and origin of visual hallucinations and "positive" illusions, in which things are perceived that do not appear to have a clear origin in the external world. We will discuss both behavioral experiments that measure both what hallucinations look like and neuroscience experiments that attempt to uncover how our brains produce them.

Research

To register for PSY 4993 or 5993 credit, view the registration requirements on the Psychology Undergraduate Advising Website.

*Credit* PSY 5993 – Understanding Impaired Vision with Professor Gordon Legge - Minnesota Lab for Low-Vision Research

We’re looking to enroll 4 or 5 students for our research seminar Fall semester 2025, with the possibility of continuation in Spring 2026. Students usually work with a lab member on an ongoing project. We welcome your ideas, and expect all students to get experience in testing participants in the lab, recording and analyzing data, and interpreting results. The goal of our research is to understand and address challenges faced by people with vision impairment in important daily tasks such as reading and mobility. Our lab is particularly well suited for students with career plans in health care. Students attend Friday lab meetings (1.5 hours) and devote approximately 7.5 additional hours per week to literature review and lab activities. Students lead the lab- meeting discussion of an article once per semester and write a progress report at the end of the semester. Interested students should contact Gordon Legge at [email protected]. You’ll be asked to fill out a very short application. For more information about Gordon’s lab, review his Research Website. 

*Credit* Undergraduate Research Opportunity at the Institute of Child Development

We are looking for responsible, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented students to work in Professor Glenn Roisman's Relationships Research Laboratory in the Fall of 2025 to help with the transcription of interviews about participants' childhood experiences with their primary caregivers. Prospective undergraduate research assistants must be prepared to sign up for 3 credits (approximately 9 hours of work per week, including a flexible schedule and 1-2 weekly, hour-long lab meetings). Please contact Professor Roisman by email at [email protected] if you are interested and indicate your availability for an informal, 15-minute interview via Zoom. Professor Roisman asks that you email in advance of your Zoom appointment your resume and a brief writing sample (no more than a 1-page excerpt) from a college paper. Questions may be directed to Professor Roisman at [email protected].

Research Poster Opportunity - Institute for Human Neuroscience 2025 Summer Research Symposium 

Are you an undergraduate student passionate about psychology or neuroscience research? The Institute for Human Neuroscience at Boys Town National Research Hospital invites rising juniors and seniors majoring in psychology, neuroscience, and related fields to apply to present a research poster at our annual symposium. This event is a unique opportunity for students to share their research, engage with faculty and graduate students, and learn more about our neuroscience PhD program, which is offered in partnership with Creighton University. Interested students can apply directly by completing the online application form by April 30. Selected students will be notified in late May and early June. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Graduate School 

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

School of Social Work Community Open House

• Date:  Tuesday, April 22, 2025
• Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm CT - stop by any time!
• Cost: Free
• Location: Peters Hall, 1404 Gortner Ave, St. Paul, MN 55108

Are you interested in a Youth Studies major, or a minor in Family Violence Prevention, Social Justice, or Youth Studies? Are you interested in earning a Masters in Social Work (MSW)? Join the School of Social Work at the Open House to meet faculty and staff, hear about classes, tour the building, and get your questions answered! Register for the open house through the Google Form. 

Resources 

CLA's Graduation Media Day

• Date:  Tuesday, April 29, 2025
• Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm CT
• Cost: Free
• Location: Northrup Plaza

Calling all CLA 2025 Seniors, bring your cap and gown and join us on Northrop Plaza, Tuesday, April 29. Stop by anytime from 3 to 5 p.m. to take part in our Graduation Media Day! You'll nab a free professional photo, CLA Swag, and a pose with Goldy -- all in the company of your fellow CLA undergraduates. Students must register for the event.

Job, Internship, & Engagement 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. Looking for Psychology Internships? Get Started with Our YouTube Tutorials!

Be The Change: Volunteer at Walk-In Counseling Center!

Walk-In provides free, no-appointment, anonymous counseling every weekday. It is also the only clinic in the WORLD (that we know of) that uses volunteer professional clinicians and advanced graduate students to serve clients. We’ve been in operation since 1969, so we know what we’re doing. Best of all, during our counseling clinics we require no appointment. You can volunteer remotely as a Spanish Language Assistant on the Spanish-voicemail line! Spanish voicemail line assistants provide an important service to an underserved client population in the community! To learn more about the Spanish Language Assistant position or if you have any questions, please contact Pang Chang, Director of Volunteers, [email protected].

The Libraries are Hiring 3 Peer Research Consultants

The Peer Research Consultants (PRCs) provide one-on-one assistance (in-person and online) to develop the research strategies needed to write an excellent research paper. The consultants are U of M students who are specially trained to help other students. In order to be considered for this role, you must have successfully completed Writing 1301/1401 or equivalent with a B or higher grade, effective communication skills and interpersonal skills as relevant to working with individuals and small groups in academic support at the University of Minnesota, current enrollment at the University of Minnesota as an undergraduate student, and be available to work in shifts of 2-4 hours at a time. Students can send a cover letter, resume, and a letter of reference directly to Andrew Palahniuk ([email protected]) or Kate Peterson ([email protected]). There's more information on the Libraries' Jobs Page.

Full-time Research Specialist Position at the Princeton Social Neuroscience Lab

The Princeton Social Neuroscience Lab seeks a full-time research specialist to begin Summer/Fall 2025. The lab uses functional neuroimaging, behavioral techniques, and machine learning to study conversation, social cognition, and spontaneous thought. The successful candidate will assist with all aspects of research, including (1) developing materials and programming experiments, (2) recruiting and testing human subjects, (3) analyzing behavioral, web scraped, and fMRI data, and (4) miscellaneous research support (e.g., literature searches, IRB management, manuscript and grant preparation, general lab duties). To apply, please fill out the application form. Review of applications will begin immediately and proceed on a rolling basis.