Tag Archives: psychology

Research Opportunity: Androgen mediated neuroprotection in song birds

Con­tact Name: Ralf Luche

Con­tact Email: rluche[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Psychology

Descrip­tion:

The neuronal circuit that regulates birdsong during mating season also involves seasonal changes in the birdbrain that are dependent on testosterone and convey both neuroprotection and neurogenesis. Thus, the bird brain offers a unique model system to investigate these androgen dependent pathways with the ultimate goal to improve therapeutic intervention following traumatic brain injury.

Specifically, this project would involve cellular and molecular techniques for the detailed analysis and select disregulation of signaling components within these pathways. Interested students would be provided with relevant training in molecular and cellular biology techniques and depending on their level of commitment, may also be given the opportunity to develop their own project.

Require­ments:

Dedicated undergraduate students at a sophomore or junior level with relevant coursework and the ability to devote 10 or more hours per week for at least one year to this project.  Previous experience working in a laboratory setting highly desirable.

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Research Opportunity: Sleep and mindfulness – data transcription

Con­tact Name: Christopher Barnes

Con­tact Email: chris24b[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Management and Organization (Fos­ter School of Business)

Descrip­tion:

I have collected data on a project examining the effects of a mindfulness intervention on sleep and work outcomes the next day. This is new research that links an old idea (mindfulness) to new science on applied psychology and management. I need a volunteer to help transcribe the survey data from a set of paper surveys into electronic format. This will allow me to conduct the data analysis that will allow me to test the predicted model on how mindfulness influences sleep and work outcomes.

The data entry process will be admittedly a bit boring. But after that, I am happy to keep the volunteer in the loop on the data analysis process and subsequent writing of the paper. I would not expect the volunteer to participate in the analysis/writing stages, but by sharing information about these processes with the volunteer it is my hope that the volunteer would learn about the process of conducting scientific research in psychology and management.

Require­ments:

Conscientious, careful, vigilant effort in transcribing the data.

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LearnLab Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates

Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have an exciting opportunity summer research experience for undergraduates (REU) available for undergraduates. This REU program is sponsored by LearnLab, a Science of Learning Center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). We encourage applications from students who would like to conduct research in the fields of psychology, education, computer science, human-computer interfaces and language technologies. LearnLab’s REU program allows talented undergraduates to spend 8 weeks during the summer in a research laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, or one of our research partners.  The REU program supports LearnLab’s commitment to training a diverse set of science, technology, education, and psychology leaders.

Program Dates: Students will begin their research experience on Sunday, June 1, 2014 with a welcoming reception and information session.  The REU program will end on Friday July 25, 2014 with a poster session in the afternoon.

Application Deadline: Deadline for applications is February 17, 2014. Students will be informed of our decision by March 3, 2014.

Minimum Requirements: Students should have a minimum of 3.5 GPA out of 4.0 although we will consider students who show by other measures that they are exceptional and who have GPAs over 3.2. Class standing and grades in specific subjects that are close to the field of research will also be considered, as are recommendations.  Students must also be United States citizens or have a current F1 visa.

Learn more at: http://www.learnlab.org/opportunities/LearnLab_Summer_REU.php

Research Opportunity: 35th Year Alumni Study

Con­tact Name: Nancy B. Hertzog

Con­tact Email: nhertzog[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Educational Psychology

Descrip­tion:

This is the third longitudinal follow-up study of the Early Entrance Program, and the first one to examine the impact of the UW Academy for Young Scholars Program at the University of Washington. Data gathered from an electronic questionnaire related to graduates’ personal, academic, and professional lives since they graduated from the University.  Findings not only inform and improve the early entrance programs for current and future students, but they also contribute to a growing body of literature related to the effects of acceleration.

 

Require­ments:

I am looking for someone interested in gifted education, or accelerated learning.  We are in the process of coding our data and would love for someone who can help with coding, organizing data, and use computer software for coding. (Typing skills would be a plus).  We might also use students to interview participants for the next phase of the study, depending how far we get during this term.

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Research Opportunity: Social Identity Lab: Research on Prejudice, Stigma, and the Self

Con­tact Name: Gary Xia

Con­tact Email: garyxia7[at]gmail.com

Depart­ment: Psychology

Descrip­tion:

Students will participate in several research projects examining issues related to self, social identity, diversity, prejudice, and current political issues. Duties will involve running subjects, coding data, recruiting subjects, reviewing literature, and data entry. Students will also attend a weekly laboratory meeting where they will connect with the supervisors regarding the current activities and projects and provide feedback on improving the studies. Working in this laboratory is great experience for students interested in graduate school in social psychology and other research-based careers.

Require­ments:

Preferred candidates will have an interest in social psychology, able to work alone and in groups, a strong work ethic, a desire to learn about the research process, and completed or currently enrolled in Psych 209. Must be able to attend a weekly lab meeting that lasts for about an hour.

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Research Opportunity: RAD/iCAD – Alcohol-related Cognition (retraining and assessment)

Con­tact Name: Melissa Gasser

Con­tact Email: mlgasser[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Descrip­tion:

Project RAD is studying how implicit associations about alcohol affect alcohol use and whether these implicit associations can be retrained. Data collection for the first of two studies, looking at the implicit alcohol associations most strongly connected to heavy drinking, was completed in spring 2011. The second study, attempting to retrain those associations, launched in fall 2011. The pilot version of this study was completed in Spring 2012 and the modified full-scale version began in Fall 2012.

Project iCAD: The overarching objective of the project is to improve the prediction of hazardous in college students. This first of three studies, launched in Fall 2013, will take place online over the course of 2 years at 3 month intervals and include approximately 500 first and second year underclassmen. Dual process models posit that both explicit (slow, reflective) cognitive processes and implicit (fast, reflexive) cognitive processes contribute to addictive behaviors. However, alcohol research has emphasized explicit processes, which may leave implicit processes unaccounted for which may become increasingly important as addictive behaviors become established.

Research assistants will play an important primary role in running the remaining participants in the lab, conducting data analysis on the large data sets from Project RAD and will be trained in the use of computer software to design and deliver IATs (Implicit Association Tests; see Project Implicit’s website for examples) and other questionnaires. Research assistants may also assist in scheduling and conduct literature searches on relevant research topics, as well as assisting in manuscript and poster preparation as needed.

Require­ments:

2 or more credits for two consecutive quarters due to the training involved in working with our team

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Researcher Spotlight: Amanda Montoya

Amanda Montoya, Class of 2013

Mary Gates Research Scholar and Undergraduate Research Leader

Major: Psychology
Minor: Mathematics
Research Mentor: Dr. Sapna Cheryan

Where is Amanda now?
Since graduation, Amanda has continued on in the SIB Lab as the Lab Manager and plans to pursue graduate study in Quantitative Psychology.

Research Opportunity: Early Childhood Cognition Lab

Con­tact Name: Miranda Sitch

Con­tact Email: sitchm[at]uw.edu

Depart­ment: Psychology

Descrip­tion:

The Early Childhood Cognition Lab (ECCL) conducts research on how infants and children learn about their own and others’ behavior. Our projects are organized around two main themes: infants’ early social cognition, and infants’ understanding of cause and effect relations, and the mechanisms that support development in these domains. Our research uses both behavioral measures (e.g., habituation techniques, problem-solving paradigms) and neuroscience measures (e.g., event-related potentials and EEG). Our 499s typically devote 6 or 9 hours per week for 2 or 3 credits. Training is provided, and 499s have the opportunity to learn a wide range of research skills. We give preference to students who have daytime availability in at least 3 hour blocks. Experience working with children and previous coursework in developmental psychology and research design is preferable but not required.

If you are interested in applying to our lab, download an application from our website, http://depts.washington.edu/eccl/studentinfo.html#499 and email the completed application to eccl@uw.edu.

Require­ments:

6 hours per week
2 quarter commitment

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New Fall Research Opportunities

Every fall we get many new research opportunity postings all the time. Below are the postings from the last week or so. Follow the links for more details. As always, you can browse all postings here.

  • James Lawson, Nonviolent Revolutionary
  • Sharecroppers’ Troubadour: John Handcox, the Southern Tenant Farmers Union and the African American song tradition
  • A Novel Process for Water Purification
  • Development of point-of-care diagnostic devices for the developed and developing worlds
  • Effect of requirement for prior insurance clearance on accrual of patients onto clinical trials for acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
  • Closed Ecological Systems–Aquatic
  • Diversity and Teamwork Study
  • Stem cells as drug discovery agents
  • Transplant Surgery
  • Regulation of Macrophage Activation
  • Web-based Adolescent Health Screening and Risk Prevention
  • Medical Tricorder Project
  • Echocardiographic assessment of the structure and function of the normal and abnormal heart
  • Foster Business School Laboratory – 2 Research Assistants Needed
  • Manipulations of host cells by Chlamydia trachomatis
  • Local anesthesia in dentistry; techniques
  • Ultrasound imaging in dentistry
  • Human Immunology of Tuberculosis
  • Marketing/Social Media Research for Computer Experts
  • Sequencing Treatments for Mothers with ADHD and Their At-Risk Children
  • Myogenic stem cells: basic biology and applicability to muscle wasting disorders (muscular dystrophy) and age-associated muscle deterioration (sarcopenia)
  • Maternity, neonatal, Women’s health
  • Human Prostate Cancer Progression, Fred Hutch
  • Zebrafish models of heart and muscle disease
  • Oceanography research cruise
  • Undergraduate Research Assistant in Traumatic Brain Injury Lab
  • Learning in Biology
  • Platelet hyper-reactivity Cross talks between inflammation and hemostatic signals
  • Oral health and disease
  • Molecular Signaling Mechanisms of Heart Disease
  • Controlled fusion research in the HIT program
  • Blood-brain barrier in disease
  • Mouse genetics, cognition and Parkinson’s disease
  • Social Development in Childhood