Donald G. Paterson Award and Mortensen Academic Award Winners 2025-2026.

This year, we are delighted and honored to announce that our Psychology Undergraduate Awards Committee has selected ten undergraduate students as recipients of 2025-2026 Undergraduate Scholarships, including the Donald G. Paterson Award and the Mortensen Academic Award. 

Recipients were chosen based on their strong academic achievement, promise, depth of involvement in the Psychology discipline, clarity of academic purpose, strength of student’s personal statement, and past involvement in relevant extracurricular, volunteer, research, and work activities.

The Donald G. Paterson Award provides $1,500 to each recipient, while the Mortensen Academic Award provides $1,000.

Donald G. Paterson Award Recipients

Cynthia Ghannoum

Ghannoum has been involved in both research and leadership within psychology. Ghannoum describes herself as a diligent student because she has worked in research settings across the Institute of Child Development (ICD) and the Department of Psychiatry, while contributing to the student organizations such as Psi Chi and the Psychology Advisory Board. Her portfolio highlights a strong academic record and continued commitment to the field of psychology.

Congratulations, Cynthia Ghannoum!

Vera Lindh

Lindh is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Psychology, with minors in Integrative Neuroscience and Statistics. Lindh works as a Peer Advisor in the Psychology Undergraduate Advising Office and as a research assistant in the Olman Lab for Imaging and Vision. In these roles, she engages with both the interpersonal and scientific dimensions of psychology by supporting students and contributing to ongoing visual perception research.

Congratulations, Vera Lindh!

Natalia Jahnke

Jahnke has been deeply involved in research throughout her undergraduate career. Jahnke is a member of the Early Language and Experience Lab, where she was recently promoted to Lab Manager after initially serving as a research assistant. Additionally, Jahnke is currently working on an honors thesis and a publication. Her work reflects a strong commitment to research and graduate study.

Congratulations, Natalia Jahnke!

Timothy Persons

Persons has combined academic work with a range of applied and research experiences. Persons shared that he had studied abroad in Argentina while interning at a suicide prevention hotline in Buenos Aires. After returning to the University of Minnesota, he became an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Landers' TNTLAB and he helped to restart the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Club. During the summer, Persons has also been conducting research at the Mayo Clinic's Aging and Dementia Imaging Research Laboratory.

Congratulations, Timothy Persons!

Lilia Melco

Melco is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Biology. She is currently beginning her honors thesis focused on visual adaptation in the Engel Vision and Imaging Lab, in addition to continuing her coursework in psychology. Melco shared that after shadowing at a hospital in Hungary, she intends to expand her interests to include clinical psychology. She plans to pursue medical school after graduation. 

Congratulations, Lilia Melco!

Mortensen Academic Award Recipients

Lucia Nitti

Nitti has gained experience in both research and clinical settings. Nitti had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Nora Erickson and Dr. Kathleen Stone as a clinical assistant. Through this role, she learned key skills in behavioral assessment and patient care that will serve her well in her future career. Additionally, she has thoroughly enjoyed writing a thesis on accelerated biological aging alongside Dr. Max Elliott, who has been instrumental in helping develop her knowledge of research and psychology. 

Congratulations, Lucia Nitti!

WiIl Ijiyode

Ijiyode has been involved in the Cognition and Neurodevelopmental Studies (CNS) lab for the past two years, working on a study focused on the developmental trajecto

ries of infants and young children, particularly those with a higher likelihood of developing autism. His work specifically involves helping to manage the database for the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic (PNC) project, which includes evaluations of study participants

Congratulations, Will Ijiyode!

Ella Machart

Machart is a senior undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Developmental Psychology and Family Social Science. She works as a Psychology Tutor at the Lindahl Academic Center, is the Vice President of the CLA Student Board, and is a Research Assistant at the Bioecology, Self-Regulation, and Learning Lab. In these roles, she aspires to give back to the community and deepen her knowledge outside of the classroom context. 

Congratulations, Ella Machart!

Benjamin K. Regenbaum

Regenbaum is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Throughout his Undergraduate experience, he has coded qualitative research and large data sets in Dr. Amanda Woodward's research lab; served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Liza Meredith's Introduction to Psychology course; and is currently proposing and designing research as directed by Dr. Eugene Borgida. These opportunities have opened doors for his interests in political systems as they relate to social psychology.

Congratulations, Benjamin K. Regenbaum!

Abby Picou

Picou is actively involved in supporting undergraduate research within the department. She works as Associate Editor of Sentience, the undergraduate psychology journal, and as a Section Leader for Introduction to Research Methods. Picou works as a research assistant under Edward Chou in the Personality Lab run by Professor DeYoung, where they study narrative identity and psychopathology.

Congratulations, Abby Picou!

Composed by Nguyen Kiet Pham, communications assistant.