04/24/2012

The psychology undergraduate newsletter provides a weekly update on the latest course information, upcoming events, and currently available job, internship, and research opportunities relating to your major! Find past issues here. If you would like to start receiving the Psych Scoop directly to your inbox, send a request to: psyadvis@umn.edu.
The inside scoop on staying engaged and up-to-date with the Psychology major!
--------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
--1.PIB COLLOQUIUM ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
PSI CHI/PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
--2.SIGN UP NOW FOR THE RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM!
EVENTS
--3.MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY (MHAD) 2012--TOMORROW!
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
--4.SUMMER UGRA POSITIONS IN THE MINNESOTA TWIN REGISTRY- FOR CREDIT
VOLUNTEER/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
--5.SUMMER/FALL INTERN & VOLUNTEER ADVOCATE POSITIONS AT TUBMAN
--6.GAIN EXPERIENCE: THE AURORA CENTER IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS!
JOB/INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
--7.INTERNSHIP WITH CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILY CONSORTIUM (CYFC)
--8.PEER ASSISTED LEARNING FACILITATOR FOR SMART LEARNING COMMONS!
--9.BECOME AN UNDERGRAD TA FOR WELLNESS COURSES! PT ON-CAMPUS
--10.URBAN ED MATH TUTORING FELLOWSHIP--FT JOB FOR GRADUATING SENIORS
--11.FT RESEARCH POSITION: I/O APPLIED TO CLINICAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITIES
--12.LEAD DIRECT CARE COUNSELOR FOR GROUP HOME & PERSONS W/DISABILITIES
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCEMENTS
*****
1.PIB COLLOQUIUM ON SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Wednesday, May 2nd; 1:30-2:30pm
N-639 Elliott Hall
The Department of Psychology is hosting a colloquium speaker from the Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics area. Michael Neale, Ph.D., Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University with present on 'Substance Use Disorders: Phenotypes, Genotypes and Putative Endophenotypes.' The measurement of liability to substance abuse and dependence is hampered by many factors. First, symptoms of abuse and dependence cannot be observed among individuals who have not initiated use, but simply scoring such symptoms as absent, and individuals as having low liability to those symptoms makes unlikely assumptions. Second, patterns of substance abuse symptoms and criteria across development may not be well-characterized by currently popular factor, latent class, or growth mixture models. Some alternatives such as regime-switching may prove more suitable for longitudinal data. Finally, although direct measures of the brain, such as those provided by neuroimaging studies, are attractive as possible endophenotypes for substance dependence outcomes, it can prove difficult to assess whether substance use affects brain structure, or vice versa. The potential of twin data to resolve these alternative hypotheses will be considered, and illustrated with measures of nicotine use and cortical thickness measured in twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. Come to the session to learn more!
--------------------------------------------
PSI CHI/PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
*****
PLEASE NOTE: All students interested in Psychology are welcome to participate in Psi Chi/ Psychology Student Association activities. No previous participation or membership is required. If you're interested, please attend!
*****
2.SIGN UP NOW FOR THE RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM!
Although the deadline has passed to sign up to receive free honor cords, you can still participate with Psi Chi/Psychology Club in Relay for Life! The U of M's 2012 Relay for Life will be held on Friday, April 27th. Click here to join our Relay team! If you are interested or have any questions, please send an email to psichi@umn.edu.
--------------------------------------------
EVENTS
*****
3.MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY (MHAD) 2012--TOMORROW!
Join us on Wednesday, April 25th on the Coffman Union front lawn for Mental Health Awareness Day! The purpose of this day is to promote awareness about the sometimes profound impact that suffering from, living with, and recovering from mental health issues have on college students. There will be a feature display titled "Don't Sit In Silence", spoken word performances, and more. Please consider making this day as successful as possible by sharing your personal experience with mental health by submitting a story, volunteering the day or the event, or just stopping by to decorate a T-shirt. For more information and/or to volunteer, visit our Facebook page.
--------------------------------------------
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
*****
4.SUMMER UGRA POSITIONS IN THE MINNESOTA TWIN REGISTRY- FOR CREDIT
Undergraduate students are needed to help with research-related collection in the Minnesota Twin Registry under Dr. Robert Krueger. This is an excellent 3-4 credit research opportunity for those interested in working within personality, psychopathy, and twin research while still having a flexible schedule. Qualified candidates would demonstrate good academic standing with 3.3 GPA or higher; customer service experience (strongly recommended: telephonic skills); experience with excel, SPSS, and data entry. Strongly recommended classes to have taken include: behavioral genetics, research methods and/or statistics. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 1) updating and maintaining registry records; 2) contacting registry twins by multiple forms of medium (email, phone, social networking); 3) managing participant relations (participant requests, grievances, info); 4) Data entry; 5) locating registry twins' contact information. If interested please contact Shandell Pahlen at pahl0045@umn.edu with the email's subject title as 'undergrad summer app,' with your resume and transcript attached, and a short description about yourself and why you are interested. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
--------------------------------------------
VOLUNTEER/COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
*****
5.SUMMER/FALL INTERN & VOLUNTEER ADVOCATE POSITIONS AT TUBMAN
Tubman is currently recruiting students for a number of internship and volunteer opportunities starting either this summer or fall. Here are some of the fantastic opportunities: Youth Advocate- work with children and youth who have experienced family violence. Promote family healing through creation of a fun environment, provision of activities, and respite childcare; Women's Advocate- provide supportive services to women currently living in one of our domestic violence shelters; Transitional Housing Advocate- provide supportive services to families living in Tubman's transitional apartments; Community Advocate- provide supportive counseling, crisis intervention, resources and referrals to individuals who call or walk into Tubman sites; Youth & Young Adult Assistant (YAYA)- assist individuals between the ages of 13-24 who are survivors of dating violence, assault, stalking, or domestic violence. Help them access resources and attain goals of safety, stability, and a violence-free life. Training for summer positions starts on May 19th, so students need to contact Tubman as soon as possible. Fall training starts on August 25th. A full training schedule and the application can be found on our website at www.tubman.org. Please contact either Joanie Braun at 612-767-6680 or Katie Massie at 651-789-6752 if you have questions.
*****
6.GAIN EXPERIENCE: THE AURORA CENTER IS SEEKING VOLUNTEERS!
Apply to be a Special Projects Volunteer at The Aurora Center, an organization that provides a safe and confidential space for University members who are victims/survivors/concerned people of sexual assault, relationship violence, or stalking. Initial training is Friday, May 18th from 12:00 to 6:00 pm (location TBA). Job description, application, and recommendation forms can be found at The Aurora Center's webpage or by contacting Jerie Smith smith449@umn.edu.
--------------------------------------------
JOB/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.
*****
7.INTERNSHIP WITH CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILY CONSORTIUM (CYFC)
CYFC is an intermediary organization in the UMN Extension that connects research, teaching, policy, and community practice to organizations that, in turn, apply that information in direct service to children and families. This position offers the unique opportunity to work with a wide range of activities related to connecting research and practice in children's mental health. The intern will provide assistance related to research, communication, and event planning and marketing, and have the opportunity to work with staff to identify one major area of focus of interest to the student. Student interns engage with professionals and faculty members in order to: conduct literature searches on topics related to children's mental health; assist with training event activities (presenter preparation, marketing, evaluation); assist teams of professionals working to promote public engagement and close the research-practice gap; complete written and oral communications activities. Desired is a committed individual with excellent written and oral communication skills, demonstrated initiative and dedication to children's mental health; someone who enjoys working in an environment where every day brings different tasks and activities, enjoys both team and autonomous work, and is committed to working with diverse populations of community members, researchers and practitioners. Candidate will have demonstrated an ability to learn, handle and prioritize multiple tasks to meet deadlines, maintain a professional demeanor with CYFC's constituents, be effective at identifying and solving problems, and pay close attention to detail. Candidate will have familiarity with University operations, Macintosh applications, library systems, and Google applications. Hours are 10 - 15 hr/week Monday - Friday (schedule negotiable). To apply, contact supervisor Cari Michaels by April 30th, 2012 at cmichael@umn.edu or (612) 626-0520 to be considered for this position.
*****
8.PEER ASSISTED LEARNING FACILITATOR FOR SMART LEARNING COMMONS!
The SMART Learning Commons is looking to hire undergraduate students to lead weekly study sessions for students enrolled in the following classes: STAT1001 and PSY1001 for Fall 2012. Candidates should be in good academic standing (must have a combined GPA of 3.2 or above and at least an A- in the course or equivalent) and have a genuine interest in helping others. This is a very rewarding position that offers great opportunities to grow in leadership, organization, self-confidence and much more. For more information and to apply, please see the job descriptions here.
*****
9.BECOME AN UNDERGRAD TA FOR WELLNESS COURSES! PT ON-CAMPUS
The Rothenberger Institute is hiring Undergraduate Teaching Assistants at UMN-TC for undergraduate wellness courses: Alcohol & College Life (ACL); Sleep, Eat & Exercise (SEE); and (the newest course) Success Over Stress (SOS). These are one-credit online courses designed for undergraduate students and are offered on multiple campuses throughout the state. Applicants should have prior experience acting as a resource to peers. For more information and to apply, visit the U of M employment site posting.
*****
10.URBAN ED MATH TUTORING FELLOWSHIP--FT JOB FOR GRADUATING SENIORS
Match Corps: Merrimack Valley is a full-time, 10.5-month urban education math tutoring fellowship in two high schools in the Merrimack Valley (New England). The program is hiring 50 smart, idealistic, relentless people to work during the 2012-2013 school year. Each Fellow works during the school day with two students at a time for five periods a day, and will have a personal caseload of 12 students all year long. Fellows not only will drive student achievement by providing individualized instruction, but will also build personal and meaningful relationships with urban students and their families during this pioneer year of service. Fellows will receive a modest living stipend ($1428 per month, for 10 ½ months); full health benefits; a transportation reimbursement of $60/month; free registration for the Massachusetts Educator Licensure Tests in High School Math and Communication ($250); and the lifelong appreciation of the 12 students they serve, and their families. For more information and to apply, visit the Match Corps website.
*****
11.FT RESEARCH POSITION: I/O APPLIED TO CLINICAL PRACTICE IN COMMUNITIES
Gregory Aarons, Ph.D. of the University of California San Diego Psychiatry Department and Child & Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) is currently seeking a research assistant to work on his research studies regarding implementation of evidence-based practice. The lab investigates what it takes to effectively implement clinical practices in community-based settings. We focus on organization and policy factors that affect whether clinical interventions are used effectively with clients and patients. The studies aim to identify and support the organizational factors that improve evidence-based practice implementation, including organizational culture, organizational climate, and leadership. The research also focuses on adaptation of evidence-based practice for health, mental health, and social service settings. Under supervision, the incumbent will work as a Research Assistant for the Child & Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) in the UCSD Department of Psychiatry. The main duties and responsibilities will include: coordinating research participant retention and tracking, preparing and administering survey instruments, managing longitudinal data using SPSS and web-based data collection programs, conducting data coding and analysis, and assisting with preparing reports and presentations. Other duties will be assigned as needed. The ideal candidate will have college level coursework completed in psychology, psychiatry, or a related field or equivalent knowledge or experience, possess knowledge of public sector mental health and social service organizations, and have demonstrated experience managing survey data and performing basic descriptive analyses using SPSS or SAS software. Coursework and/or research experience in Industrial-Organizational Psychology is preferred. The position is full-time, starting salary ranging from $2,560 - $2,760 per month. Full benefits available. Preferred start date is mid-May. Interested applicants should send their resume to nshapiro@ucsd.edu AND apply at the website. The deadline for application is 5/1/12. After that date, applications will not be consider.
*****
12.LEAD DIRECT CARE COUNSELOR FOR GROUP HOME & PERSONS W/DISABILITIES
Dependable Home Health Care is seeking an organized and experienced Lead Direct Care Counselor to join the team at a group home in Andover. The Lead Direct Care Counselor is to work directly with persons served in the implementation of the written Individual Support Plans, documenting progress and response to program services, and ensuring the safety and well-being of each person. In addition, the Lead Direct Support Professional will directly coordinate and deliver supportive services for 1-4 individuals with disabilities living in their home. This individual generally works without direct immediate supervision in the performance of assigned tasks. Acts as the first point of contact and provides staffing coverage when the Designated Coordinator is unavailable. Ideal candidates have at least two years experience working in this field. Knowledge of DHS licensing rules 245B and 203 is ideal. Please visit the website to learn more about current positions and to apply. For more information, please contact Jane Schneider at janes@dependable-care.comor 651.779.9810 x101.
--------------------------------------------