Monthly Archives: January 2021

Four DUOS awards received in Psychology

Miami University’s Office of Research for Undergraduates recently announced recipients for DUOS (Doctoral Undergraduate Opportunity Scholarships) awards, and there were four awarded in the Department of Psychology. Below is a listing of those projects. Congratulations to our faculty members who oversee these active lab groups, our graduate students who provide mentorship experiences, and our undergraduates who drive these excellent projects!

Dr. Jeffrey Hunger, Faculty Advisor; Alejandro Trujillo, Graduate Student Mentor; Jackson Heitt, Undergraduate Student (PSY Major 2022); for the topic “Examining Intersectional Social Identity Threats”

Dr. Allen McConnell, Faculty Advisor; Tyler Jacobs, Graduate Student Mentor; Antonio Lim, Undergraduate Student (PSY Major 2022); for the topic “The Nature of Disaster: The Effects of Natural Disasters on Climate-Related Behavior Depends On Individuals’ Political Beliefs”

Dr. Jonathan Kunstman, Faculty Advisor; Brielle Johnson, Graduate Student Mentor; Nana OfosuHemaa, Undergraduate Student (PSY Major 2022); for the topic “Raced Based Differences in Confrontation Likelihood and Satisfaction”

Dr. Matt McMurray, Faculty Advisor; Danielle Tapp, Graduate Student Mentor; Zoe Platow, Undergraduate Student (BIO Major 2023), for the topic “Establishing How Dorsal Raphe Projections Modulate Reward Learning”

Liz Kiel co-PI on 5-year NIH grant to study parent-child anxiety

Late last year, Liz Kiel received word that her NIH grant, “Biological Systems As Mediators Of Transactional Influences On Anxiety Risk In The Mother-Child Dyad During Infancy,” submitted with a colleague from Texas A&M, was funded. The project will study how maternal and childhood anxiety influence each other across time, using a variety of psychological and physiological markers. The entire grant provides $2.8M in funding, with more than $1M allocated to Miami, through 2025. In addition to Liz serving as the project’s Co-PI, Robin Thomas and Elise Clerkin will serve as consultants on the project, and the award will support graduate lines in the department as well. Congratulations to Liz and her team!

Climate change talks on February 11 and 12, 2021

Miami’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability is hosting Dr. Jonathan Overpeck, the Dean of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. who will be presenting a talk entitled, “Climate Change: The Challenge and the Opportunity” on Thursday, February 11, 2021, at 6 pm. The talk will be presented on zoom.

In addition, Dr. Overpeck will present a talk on Friday, February 12, at 12 Noon entitled, “Climate Change, Hydroclimate and the Aridification of North America,” which will also be available on zoom.

His talks are part of the Drs. Gene & Carol Willeke Frontiers in Environmental Science Distinguished Lecture speakers series. Additional information is also available on Miami’s IES website.

Congrats to Cricket Meehan and her team on $6M grant from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund

Congrats to Cricket Meehan and her team in the Center for School-Based Mental Health (including Debora Robison) and their colleagues in Miami’s Departments of Educational Psychology and Family Science and Social work for officially receiving word about their School Wellness Initiative grant to aid mental health and substance use for Ohio’s K-12 students and staff.

This $6 million from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund will support this project for 21 months throughout 2021 and 2022. The project seeks to address mental health issues that have grown worse during COVID, including establishing a Student Assistance Program, strengthening intervention efforts, and promoting mental well-being among school administrators and staff. The funding will support new personnel to help oversee the project and provide more than $1M in indirect costs for the university.

Congrats to Cricket, Debora, and the entire team for overseeing this important project! You can listen to an interview with Cricket that aired on WVXU/WMUB public radio on Jan 19.