9/3/13

The inside scoop on staying engaged and up-to-date with the Psychology major!

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.
--------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE:
PSYCHOLOGY ADVISING FEATURES
--1.WELCOME!
--2.Fall 2013 Drop-In Hours for Psychology Undergraduate Advising
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
--3.Schizophrenia Research at the VA Medical Center
--4.RA Needed for Psychopathology Research at VA Medical Center
--5.ADAPT Project Seeks Undergraduate Research Assistant
--6.Wanted: Paid Research Assistant
--7.Research Assistant Position in Prosocial Behavior Lab
--8.Research Assistants for Educational Psychology Project
JOB/INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
--9.Cognitive Trainer Positions Open
--10.Undergraduate Internships at the Rape and Sexual Abuse Center
--11.Professional Data Analysts Seeks Part-Time Phone Interviewer (PAID!)
COURSES OF INTEREST
--12.ID 3208 Internship Reflection: Making Meaning of Your Experience
--------------------------------------------

PSYCHOLOGY ADVISING FEATURES
*****
1.WELCOME!
Psychology Undergraduate Advising would like to welcome you to campus for the start of Fall 2013! As you get back in to gear, keep our office's resources in mind. Some of you are returning from exciting summer experiences such as study abroad or internships or, for others, the less-exciting coursework and GREs. No matter what your summer consisted of, we can likely help you in moving forward! Advisors in our office are available for appointments year-round to assist with psychology course-selection and major progress, career and graduate school preparation and selection, and general engagement to make the most out of your time here. To schedule an appointment, visit: . We look forward to seeing you and wish you the best of luck in the coming semester!
*****
2.Fall 2013 Drop-In Hours for Psychology Undergraduate Advising
Due to the high student demand the first two weeks of the term, Psychology Undergraduate Advising will have a drop-in advisor available from 8:00am - 4:30pm M., T., W., F. and 9:30am- 4:30pm Th. for quick five - ten minute issues. Our normal drop-in hours will take effect after Monday, September 16th. After this date, drop-in hours are held by each advisor during a specific time once a week. We are not able to address drop-in questions (including research contract signatures) outside of these times. This semester's drop-in hours can be found on our website at the following link:
*****
--------------------------------------------

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
*****
3.Schizophrenia Research at the VA Medical Center
A laboratory at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is conducting treatment outcome research to examine how individuals with schizophrenia change as a result of participating in computer-based skills training. There is an opportunity for 4 undergraduate students to become involved with this project as a Research Lab in Psychology experience. The students will learn about the assessment and treatment of schizophrenia, with emphasis on symptom severity, social functioning, cognition, and rehabilitation. Student will work as a part of a research team lead by a psychologist and will be involved with multiple aspects of the project, including collecting data, scoring measures, entering data, and piloting of new study protocols. As part of the research experience, students will attend a weekly lab meeting in which topics related to the project are discussed. In addition, students will write an APA style paper on a related topic. All research activities are conducted at the VA Health Care System. Students must be able to commute to the VA. Student will be asked to register for research credit and to commit an average of 9 hours each week between the hours of 8am and 5 pm Monday through Friday. For more information, please contact Tasha Nienow, Ph.D. at 612-467-1004 or send a resume to .
*****
4.RA Needed for Psychopathology Research at VA Medical Center
Participate in cutting-edge clinical research in the Research Division of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System by serving as a research assistant in the laboratory of Professor Scott Sponheim, PhD. The Minneapolis VA is easily accessible by light rail from the U of M campus. The successful candidate will be a current Junior or Senior pursuing a psychology major, have a GPA of 3.0 or high, and be flexible in hours (evenings/weekends). An interest in graduate school in psychology is a plus. Duties include: 5-10 hours per week in the laboratory, recruiting and scheduling participants, preparing clinical interview materials, attending weekly lab meetings, and data entry. Opportunities are available to conduct your own research project. This may be done as a volunteer or for PSY 4993 research credit. Please submit a resume or CV, transcripts, and references to Nicolaas VanMeerten, .
*****
5.ADAPT Project Seeks Undergraduate Research Assistant
The ADAPT project is seeking observational coders to assess parenting behaviors and dyadic/triadic relationship qualities during 50-minute family problem-solving discussions and teaching tasks. ADAPT is partially supported with funding from the National Institutes Drug Administration and tests the effectiveness of Parent Management Training in a sample of military families. The coding lab is located in the Department of Family Social Science on the St. Paul campus. Please contact Dr. Osnat Zamir at to learn more. Please include (1) a resume including a list of references, (2) cover letter with description of how this research experience fits with your interests, and (3) a list of psychology, sociology, and behavioral science courses you've completed. Can be for credit or volunteer and there is a 9 hour per week minimum. Check out our website to learn more: .
*****
6.Wanted: Paid Research Assistant
Native, fluent speaker of Spanish needed to help with data collection in a language development study in Maria Sera's Language and Cognitive Development Lab for fall and possibly spring semester(s). Psychology, Child Psychology, or Education majors who have experience working with children, and have taken statistics and research methods preferred. Primary duty will involve testing children and adults in a word-learning task for approximately 10 hours per week. Please contact Christopher Hammerly () with questions or with a resume and statement of interest.
*****
7.Research Assistant Position in Prosocial Behavior Lab
The prosocial behavior lab seeks enthusiastic and conscientious research assistants for research investigating helping behavior in Elliott Hall, East Bank. Duties may include lab preparations, running participants, coding, data collection, and entering data. Weekly commitment is 5-10 hours for at least one semester, and you can receive research credit. You should have a strong academic record and preferably some knowledge of Excel or SPSS. Prior research experience is a plus. For more information please contact Alex Maki at .
*****
8.Research Assistants for Educational Psychology Project
The Department of Educational Psychology is looking for four to six upper level undergraduate students to help with a grant-funded research project. In this third year of the grant, the research team is continuing development of a teaching intervention to improve reading comprehension by struggling fourth graders. Applicants should be interested in working with student's learning data and experiencing educational research. Tasks that selected undergraduates will provide include transcribing recordings of student's oral test responses, scoring, coding, and other data-entry tasks, and producing teaching materials. Selected undergraduates will also attend a bi-weekly lab meeting. Most of the work will be performed in the Education Sciences Building during M-F daytime hours. Undergraduate research assistants may receive course credit (Psy4993) or volunteer 3, 6 or 9 hours per week. The study continues into spring semester, if the undergraduate research assistant is interested and available to continue. To apply, email Bonnie Janda (), who will reply with an application. Group information sessions and individual interviews will be held the week of September 16.
*****
--------------------------------------------

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.
*****
9.Cognitive Trainer Positions Open
We have part-time positions open for Cognitive Trainers in Chanhassen, Maple Grove and in Vadnais Heights. Come join the LearningRx cognitive skills training team and help change lives by improving cognitive ability! Our part-time Cognitive Skills Trainers work one-on-one with individuals utilizing clinically-proven procedures to improve areas such as memory, attention, auditory processing and IQ. We are looking for quick thinking, high energy individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree or are graduating soon. Hours are flexible but we require at least four days with availability between the hours of 3PM-8PM. For more information and to request an interview give us a call at 952-949-6900. Resumes can be sent to .
*****
10.Undergraduate Internships at the Rape and Sexual Abuse Center
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Center offers undergraduate internships for students in human services. Other volunteer opportunities also available. Interns provide supportive counseling and crisis intervention to survivors of sexual violence and concerned persons. Training begins in April 2014. Call the Community Services Coordinator @ 612-746-8530. To apply, fill out our application at .
*****
11.Professional Data Analysts Seeks Part-Time Phone Interviewer (PAID!)
Professional Data Analysts, Inc. (PDA) is currently seeking a part-time telephone interviewer to collect data for an evaluation study of the effectiveness of a stop-smoking program. The position will begin in September and finish at the end of June, 2014, with the possibility of extending the position. This is a great opportunity for a young researcher or evaluator to gain hands-on experience with data collection. The interviewer will conduct telephone surveys and interviews with tobacco users who have taken part in a stop-smoking program and have agreed to be contacted by an evaluator. You may be asked to help print advanced letters, stuff and stamp envelopes, and some light data entry for mail survey responses. Candidates who are interested may be asked to help analyze qualitative and/or quantitative data on other projects as well. This position requires a commitment of 10 to 20 hours per week. The specific hours will vary. You will need to be available to work 2 weekends per month from October through June. Qualifications include: High school degree (college degree a plus), friendly and professional phone manner, strong command of spoken English, and comfort using the internet are essential. Experience or interest in survey research methods, evaluation, and/or public health is a plus. To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to by September 6, 2013.
*****
--------------------------------------------
COURSES OF INTEREST
*****
12.ID 3208 Internship Reflection: Making Meaning of Your Experience
Make the most of your internship, and earn credit at the same time! Through this online class, you'll examine and reflect on your internship experience. Among the many things you'll: tie your internship to your personal and career goals, learn what it means to be a "professional" working in professional environments, evaluate your internship performance and accomplishments, and get feedback from others, develop a strong resume that demonstrates your knowledge and skills, and learn how to incorporate your internship experiences into a resume. This is an online course open to sophomores, juniors and seniors doing an internship. You must be doing an internship during the semester the course is taken, and the internship must be new and not continued from a previous semester. For more information go online: .
*****
--------------------------------------------

The inside scoop on staying engaged and up-to-date with the Psychology major!
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.
--------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE:
PSYCHOLOGY ADVISING FEATURES
--1.WELCOME!
--2.Fall 2013 Drop-In Hours for Psychology Undergraduate Advising
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
--3.Schizophrenia Research at the VA Medical Center
--4.RA Needed for Psychopathology Research at VA Medical Center
--5.ADAPT Project Seeks Undergraduate Research Assistant
--6.Wanted: Paid Research Assistant
--7.Research Assistant Position in Prosocial Behavior Lab
--8.Research Assistants for Educational Psychology Project
JOB/INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
--9.Cognitive Trainer Positions Open
--10.Undergraduate Internships at the Rape and Sexual Abuse Center
--11.Professional Data Analysts Seeks Part-Time Phone Interviewer (PAID!)
COURSES OF INTEREST
--12.ID 3208 Internship Reflection: Making Meaning of Your Experience
--------------------------------------------
PSYCHOLOGY ADVISING FEATURES
*****
1.WELCOME!
Psychology Undergraduate Advising would like to welcome you to campus for the start of Fall 2013! As you get back in to gear, keep our office's resources in mind. Some of you are returning from exciting summer experiences such as study abroad or internships or, for others, the less-exciting coursework and GREs. No matter what your summer consisted of, we can likely help you in moving forward! Advisors in our office are available for appointments year-round to assist with psychology course-selection and major progress, career and graduate school preparation and selection, and general engagement to make the most out of your time here. To schedule an appointment, visit: . We look forward to seeing you and wish you the best of luck in the coming semester!
*****
2.Fall 2013 Drop-In Hours for Psychology Undergraduate Advising
Due to the high student demand the first two weeks of the term, Psychology Undergraduate Advising will have a drop-in advisor available from 8:00am - 4:30pm M., T., W., F. and 9:30am- 4:30pm Th. for quick five - ten minute issues. Our normal drop-in hours will take effect after Monday, September 16th. After this date, drop-in hours are held by each advisor during a specific time once a week. We are not able to address drop-in questions (including research contract signatures) outside of these times. This semester's drop-in hours can be found on our website at the following link:
*****
--------------------------------------------
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
*****
3.Schizophrenia Research at the VA Medical Center
A laboratory at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System is conducting treatment outcome research to examine how individuals with schizophrenia change as a result of participating in computer-based skills training. There is an opportunity for 4 undergraduate students to become involved with this project as a Research Lab in Psychology experience. The students will learn about the assessment and treatment of schizophrenia, with emphasis on symptom severity, social functioning, cognition, and rehabilitation. Student will work as a part of a research team lead by a psychologist and will be involved with multiple aspects of the project, including collecting data, scoring measures, entering data, and piloting of new study protocols. As part of the research experience, students will attend a weekly lab meeting in which topics related to the project are discussed. In addition, students will write an APA style paper on a related topic. All research activities are conducted at the VA Health Care System. Students must be able to commute to the VA. Student will be asked to register for research credit and to commit an average of 9 hours each week between the hours of 8am and 5 pm Monday through Friday. For more information, please contact Tasha Nienow, Ph.D. at 612-467-1004 or send a resume to .
*****
4.RA Needed for Psychopathology Research at VA Medical Center
Participate in cutting-edge clinical research in the Research Division of the Minneapolis VA Health Care System by serving as a research assistant in the laboratory of Professor Scott Sponheim, PhD. The Minneapolis VA is easily accessible by light rail from the U of M campus. The successful candidate will be a current Junior or Senior pursuing a psychology major, have a GPA of 3.0 or high, and be flexible in hours (evenings/weekends). An interest in graduate school in psychology is a plus. Duties include: 5-10 hours per week in the laboratory, recruiting and scheduling participants, preparing clinical interview materials, attending weekly lab meetings, and data entry. Opportunities are available to conduct your own research project. This may be done as a volunteer or for PSY 4993 research credit. Please submit a resume or CV, transcripts, and references to Nicolaas VanMeerten, .
*****
5.ADAPT Project Seeks Undergraduate Research Assistant
The ADAPT project is seeking observational coders to assess parenting behaviors and dyadic/triadic relationship qualities during 50-minute family problem-solving discussions and teaching tasks. ADAPT is partially supported with funding from the National Institutes Drug Administration and tests the effectiveness of Parent Management Training in a sample of military families. The coding lab is located in the Department of Family Social Science on the St. Paul campus. Please contact Dr. Osnat Zamir at to learn more. Please include (1) a resume including a list of references, (2) cover letter with description of how this research experience fits with your interests, and (3) a list of psychology, sociology, and behavioral science courses you've completed. Can be for credit or volunteer and there is a 9 hour per week minimum. Check out our website to learn more: .
*****
6.Wanted: Paid Research Assistant
Native, fluent speaker of Spanish needed to help with data collection in a language development study in Maria Sera's Language and Cognitive Development Lab for fall and possibly spring semester(s). Psychology, Child Psychology, or Education majors who have experience working with children, and have taken statistics and research methods preferred. Primary duty will involve testing children and adults in a word-learning task for approximately 10 hours per week. Please contact Christopher Hammerly () with questions or with a resume and statement of interest.
*****
7.Research Assistant Position in Prosocial Behavior Lab
The prosocial behavior lab seeks enthusiastic and conscientious research assistants for research investigating helping behavior in Elliott Hall, East Bank. Duties may include lab preparations, running participants, coding, data collection, and entering data. Weekly commitment is 5-10 hours for at least one semester, and you can receive research credit. You should have a strong academic record and preferably some knowledge of Excel or SPSS. Prior research experience is a plus. For more information please contact Alex Maki at .
*****
8.Research Assistants for Educational Psychology Project
The Department of Educational Psychology is looking for four to six upper level undergraduate students to help with a grant-funded research project. In this third year of the grant, the research team is continuing development of a teaching intervention to improve reading comprehension by struggling fourth graders. Applicants should be interested in working with student's learning data and experiencing educational research. Tasks that selected undergraduates will provide include transcribing recordings of student's oral test responses, scoring, coding, and other data-entry tasks, and producing teaching materials. Selected undergraduates will also attend a bi-weekly lab meeting. Most of the work will be performed in the Education Sciences Building during M-F daytime hours. Undergraduate research assistants may receive course credit (Psy4993) or volunteer 3, 6 or 9 hours per week. The study continues into spring semester, if the undergraduate research assistant is interested and available to continue. To apply, email Bonnie Janda (), who will reply with an application. Group information sessions and individual interviews will be held the week of September 16.
*****
--------------------------------------------
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.
*****
9.Cognitive Trainer Positions Open
We have part-time positions open for Cognitive Trainers in Chanhassen, Maple Grove and in Vadnais Heights. Come join the LearningRx cognitive skills training team and help change lives by improving cognitive ability! Our part-time Cognitive Skills Trainers work one-on-one with individuals utilizing clinically-proven procedures to improve areas such as memory, attention, auditory processing and IQ. We are looking for quick thinking, high energy individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree or are graduating soon. Hours are flexible but we require at least four days with availability between the hours of 3PM-8PM. For more information and to request an interview give us a call at 952-949-6900. Resumes can be sent to .
*****
10.Undergraduate Internships at the Rape and Sexual Abuse Center
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Center offers undergraduate internships for students in human services. Other volunteer opportunities also available. Interns provide supportive counseling and crisis intervention to survivors of sexual violence and concerned persons. Training begins in April 2014. Call the Community Services Coordinator @ 612-746-8530. To apply, fill out our application at .
*****
11.Professional Data Analysts Seeks Part-Time Phone Interviewer (PAID!)
Professional Data Analysts, Inc. (PDA) is currently seeking a part-time telephone interviewer to collect data for an evaluation study of the effectiveness of a stop-smoking program. The position will begin in September and finish at the end of June, 2014, with the possibility of extending the position. This is a great opportunity for a young researcher or evaluator to gain hands-on experience with data collection. The interviewer will conduct telephone surveys and interviews with tobacco users who have taken part in a stop-smoking program and have agreed to be contacted by an evaluator. You may be asked to help print advanced letters, stuff and stamp envelopes, and some light data entry for mail survey responses. Candidates who are interested may be asked to help analyze qualitative and/or quantitative data on other projects as well. This position requires a commitment of 10 to 20 hours per week. The specific hours will vary. You will need to be available to work 2 weekends per month from October through June. Qualifications include: High school degree (college degree a plus), friendly and professional phone manner, strong command of spoken English, and comfort using the internet are essential. Experience or interest in survey research methods, evaluation, and/or public health is a plus. To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to by September 6, 2013.
*****
--------------------------------------------
COURSES OF INTEREST
*****
12.ID 3208 Internship Reflection: Making Meaning of Your Experience
Make the most of your internship, and earn credit at the same time! Through this online class, you'll examine and reflect on your internship experience. Among the many things you'll: tie your internship to your personal and career goals, learn what it means to be a "professional" working in professional environments, evaluate your internship performance and accomplishments, and get feedback from others, develop a strong resume that demonstrates your knowledge and skills, and learn how to incorporate your internship experiences into a resume. This is an online course open to sophomores, juniors and seniors doing an internship. You must be doing an internship during the semester the course is taken, and the internship must be new and not continued from a previous semester. For more information go online: .
*****
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