Psych News
Accomplishments
USF Psychology Honors Undergraduate Accepted into the University of Delaware's SOURCE
Program
[April 9, 2025]
Congratulations to Anh (Summer) Van Nguyen, a USF Psychology Honors undergraduate who was accepted into the University of Delaware's Summer Opportunities for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE) program. This is a 10-week research internship that covers housing and food costs and provides a small stipend. Admission is very competitive. Summer will work under the supervision of Dr. Christina Barbieri of the School of Education.
Graduate Student Susan Rodriguez Wins Poster Award at 2025 Conference of Florida Graduate
Schools
[April 9, 2025]
CNS student Susan Rodriguez earned 2nd place in the Biological, Health, and Life Sciences category at the Statewide Graduate Research Poster Symposium for the 2025 Conference of Florida Graduate Schools. Her poster, titled "Rest or Risk: Exploring the Sex-dependent Association between Napping and Cardiovascular Function Among Older Adults," was the result of a collaborative project with the CASH Lab at the College of Nursing, directed by Dr. Ashley Curtis.
American Psychological Foundation (APF) Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Winner
[February 13, 2025]
The Roy Scrivner Memorial Research Grant, a prestigious national award recognizing outstanding contributions to LGBTQIA+ family psychology and therapy, has been awarded to Jason R. Schmidt Avendaño for his pioneering research exploring the neural mechanisms of emotional regulation in LGBTQ+ individuals within the context of family connectedness. This competitive grant, established in honor of Dr. Roy Scrivner’s legacy as a advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and psychological representation, supports promising young investigators dedicated to advancing the understanding of LGBTQIA+ family dynamics, resilience, and well-being. Jason’s research examines how individual factors such as family bonds, cohesion, and sibling relationships influence emotional processing at the neural level. Utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs), his study integrates cognitive neuroscience and social psychology to identify neural markers associated with processing both negative and positive emotional experiences in LGBTQ+ individuals. By shedding light on the intersection of family relationships and emotional resilience, this work offers valuable insights into the internalized effects of familial support, ultimately informing social policy and therapeutic interventions aimed at fostering well-being within LGBTQ+ communities.
Warm Welcome Donation Project to Support Local Refugee Families
[December 20, 2024]
Thank you to all of the generous donors of items and gift cards to the Warm Welcome Donation Project sponsored by the USF Psychology Student Diversity Committee and the USF Psychology Department Diversity Committee. It was another tremendously successful year and the families are grateful. Thank you!
Seven Psychology majors named King O'Neal Scholars at Fall Commencement
[December 16, 2024]
Seven Psychology undergraduates were honored as King O’Neal Scholars at USF’s Friday, December 13, 2024, commencement ceremony. These scholars all graduated with 4.0 GPAs. They are Kyla Chee, Amaya Dixon, Sophia Kaul, Andrew Kuntz, Katelyn Pike (who was also the undergraduate student speaker at this ceremony), Alina Shroff, and Taylor Zuczek.
52 Undergraduate and Graduate Students Inducted into Psi Chi at Fall Ceremony
[November 24, 2024]
Congratulations to the 52 undergraduate and graduate students inducted into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, on Friday, November 22. They come from all three campuses of USF. Faculty advisors are Sandy Schneider (Tampa), Kemesha Gabbidon (St. Petersburg), and Valentina Iturriaga (Sarasota-Manatee). Chapter President is Alexis Thaxton, VP is Violette Javanjavidan, and Secretary is Elsa El Awar. Fall initiates are Adams, Violet; Barringer, Jordan; Bell, Elise; Brinkman, Arielle; Carter, Sarah; Carvajal, Karime; Cembalest Silva, Lyanne; Copeland, Melanie; Dray, Noah; Dumet, Alayna; Earley, Gianna; Garcia, Evita; Goldberg, Leah; Gonzalez, Adriana; Gonzalez Huebner-Petterson, Allan; Hayes, Lily; Hidalgo Carrillo, Favianna; Ibarra, Emanuel; Jenkins, Amielle; Joseph, Nayana; Kaneko, Katherine; Kennedy, Kiley; Kokkinolambou, Nefeli; Lojo, Angeline; Lopez, Anabella; Martinez, Alexander; McKeon, Kiera; Miranda, Kiele; Monifar, Kamran; Moore, Lamya; Moran, Erica; Nguyen, Anh Van; Nguyen, Khanh; Oliveira, Isabel; Pestova-Habera, Michael; Pettersen, Tahirih; Pineda, Andrea; Pollard, Sarah; Poovey, Kendall; Ramirez, Braelyn; Raptis, Maria; Reeves, Jordan; Rivera, Michelle; Rodriguez, Amelia; Rosenfield, Jasmine; Sadigzade, Nigar; Smith, Lily; Solache, Rodrigo; Stanley, Paris; Sullivan, Cailey; Walker, Isabella; and Walsh, Charlotte.
Two Psychology majors receive Golden Bull Award
[June 27, 2024]
Two Psychology majors, Samay Shah and Mridula Singh, were recently given Golden Bull Awards. The Golden Bull Award is one of the University of South Florida’s highest honors awarded to undergraduate and graduate students each year who “encompass the spirit of USF and have demonstrated its values.” Held in coordination between Student Success departments, the Golden Bull Awards are presented at the conclusion of each spring semester. Read more...
Psychology Undergraduates Honored at Spring 2024 Commencement
[May 5, 2024]
From left: Samantha Salley, Lorena Covo Vergara, and Weili Lu
Congratulations to the 12 Psychology majors who were named King O’Neal Scholars at USF’s Spring 2024 commencement ceremony. These students graduated with 4.0 grade point averages. They are Heleana Bentley, Lia Chenault, Lorena Covo Vergara, Kate Finotti, Gabrielle Fuchslocher, Claire Jennings, Claudia Laux, Weili Lu, Joanne Neston, Gabrielle O’Neill, Adison Roman, and Samantha Salley. In addition, congratulations to the 8 students who received their bachelor’s degrees with a certification in Advanced Research Experience in Psychology: Heleana Bentley, Beatrice Cortes, Alexander Ebbinghaus, Maya Lane, Madison Monette-Waters, Marley Myers, Snezana Trendova, and Mattie Zeigler.
I-O Psychology Doctoral Student Molly Schoffel receives Honorable Mention for NSF
GRFP Competition
[April 16, 2024]
Second-year I-O Psychology doctoral student Molly Schoffel has received an Honorable Mention in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) competition. Her advisor is Dr. Tammy Allen. The NSF GRFP recognizes promising graduate students in STEM fields who have demonstrated the potential to make significant advances in scientific research. Receiving an Honorable Mention is considered a noteworthy academic achievement for students who do not receive full fellowship offers. Molly is currently pursuing her proposed research plan as part of her master’s thesis project, which will be an experience sampling study comparing how hybrid workers manage their work-nonwork boundaries on in-person work days versus remote work days.
47 students become members of Psi Chi at spring 2024 initiation
[April 15, 2024]
47 students were initiated as members of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, on Friday, April 12. They include both undergraduate and graduate students on both the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses. The new members are Abdelmagid, Reem; Addo, Samuel; Al Awar, Elsa; Baldinger, Brianna; Bastian, Aanya; Bent, Riana; Calhoun, Jacqueline; Carmack, Alexia; Dixon, Amaya; Elmadolar, Ashley; Geller, Sydney; Gonzales Zacharias. Isabella; Gonzalez, Gabriella; Graham, Amari; Higinbotham, Mia; Kurinji, Mitali; Kusma, Mackenzie; Lam, Britney; Lewandowski, Casey; Lizardi, Jessica; Louiz, Jacob; Mahan, Brogan; Melei, Ella; Murray, Brendan; Myers, Ananda; Nasibova, Amina; Neira, Abigail; Nguyen, Jennifer; Parbhoo, Anjalee; Persaud, Lyah; Richards, Kristina; Roberts, Hugh; Rogenski, Chantal; Roman Barrera, Carmen; Romero, Bryce; Rubio, Mia; Selfridge, Jacob; Shearman, Benjamin; Singh, Kiran; Smith, Hailey; Sulcaj, Nadija; Switzer, David; Taylor, Riley; Timony, Danielle; Tran, Truc; Whittle, Skylar; Williams, Alysa; Zeron, Brianna Faculty advisors are Dr. Judy Bryant (Tampa), Dr. Kim Badanich (Sarasota-Manatee), and Kemesha Gabbidon (St. Petersburg).
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student Kendall Smith receives NSF GRFP
[April, 10, 2024]
Clinical Psychology doctoral student Kendall Smith has earned acceptance into the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Her advisor is Dr. Edelyn Verona. The NSF GRFP helps ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education With the support of the NSF GRFP, Kendall intends to conduct research involved in externalizing behaviors, psychological intersections with the criminal legal system, bias, and improving equity for marginalized populations. Her proposed research involves exploring measurement of the externalizing construct within system involved populations. Specifically, she plans to assess if certain behavioral indicators of externalizing vary in the extent to which they reflect trait liabilities to externalizing across persons exposed to sociodemographic, environmental, and systemic disadvantages to address potential measurement issues and structural biases that may be inherent in how we currently measure the construct.
Warm Welcome 2023
[December 15, 2023]
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Warm Welcome donation project, which benefits local families in the refugee committee. The USF Psychology Department Diversity Committee and Student Diversity Committee are happy to report that we had another tremendously successful year. Gift wishlists were filled for 27 individuals from 4 families.
52 Students Inducted into Psi Chi,the International Honor Society in Psychology
[November 16, 2023]
52 students were inducted into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, on November 15. They include undergraduates and graduate students from all three campuses. To qualify for membership, students must meet a number of requirements including a 3.4 psychology GPA and 3.45 overall GPA. New members are: Ally, Alysa; Anderson, Audrey; Ball, Jenna; Bastian, Paris-Moret; Camacho, Nicholas; Cortes, Beatrice; D'Alasandro, Ana; De Paula Silva, Julia; Dykstra, Shauna; Elliott, Lexi; Emerle, Cynthia; Fandozzi, Marisa; Finnerty, Chloe; Fuchslocher, Gabrielle; Gagnon, Isabella; Gooch, Alexandra; Grimaldo, Samantha; Harbor, Kessie; Jason-Vikram, Sarah; Javanjavidan, Violette; Korkoske, Renee; Lambert, Kayleigh; Lessen, Jada; Lu, Weili; Madden, Lauren; Maltese, Arianna; Mami, Miriam; Martinelli, Mia; McCullough, Megan; Mckee, Alyssa; Mobley, Lauryn; Moran, Nicole; Morris IV, Andrew; Naresh, Lakshmi; Orban, Laura; Paggio, Lilly; Pike, Katelyn; Pruthi, Jasmin; Ramos, Bianca; Rockey, Caroline; Rodriguez, Susan; Romanova, Alexandra; Ruiz, Anthony; Serra, Christopher; Smith, Dana; Smith, Lily; Su Xiao, Winni; Thalgieh, Zoya; Thompson, Courtney; Torres, Skyler; Weldeyohannes, Yabsera; Wofford, Kaelyn
2023 Fellowship Recipients in Psychology
[June 16, 2023]
See the full list of recipients...
Serena Wasilewski received the 2023 APA Ethics Committee Writing Prize
[June 8, 2023]
Serena Wasilewski, a recent graduate of the M.A. program in Psychological Sciences, received the highly competitive 2023 APA Graduate Student Ethics Writing Award for a paper she first drafted as a course requirement in Dr. Tiffany Chenneville’s Graduate Ethics course in Fall 2022. The title of the paper is "Ethical Considerations for Requesting Waivers of Parental Consent for Research with Minor Adolescents who Identify as LGBTQ+." She will present her paper at the APA convention. The APA Ethics Committee is recommending her manuscript for publication in Ethics and Behavior. For more information about this award, please see this link.
Fourteen Psychology Majors Receive King O’Neal Scholars Awards at Spring 2023 Commencement
[May 20, 2023]
The USF Alumni Association awards the King O’Neal Scholars award every semester to graduating undergraduates who achieved a 4.0 GPA. The award was created in honor of charter USF graduates Lucas King and Evelyn O’Neal.
The psychology students receiving this award at the May ceremony were Laura Enciso, Sofia Fonseca, Isha Harshe, Kaitlyn Hennessy, Sela Keating, Chloe King, Anna Moffitt, Savannah Moore, Teresa Pham, Ana Rey, Karlene Rivera, Kylee Salvior, Cassandra Smith, and Julia Stryjewski.
Presley Camp and Karly Underwood received the 2023 OneUSF Undergraduate Research Awards
[April 25, 2023]
Presenter: Presley Camp, Social Science
Mentors: Alora McCarthy, M.A. & Dr. Edelyn Verona
Title: Trauma Incarcerated: Investigating the Link Between Adverse Childhood Experiences
and Adult Criminal Offending Behaviors
Research: This research sought to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and
adult criminality in incarcerated individuals. Using data from 1000 participants incarcerated
at the Pasco County Jail, it was found that there were significant, positive correlations
between participants' Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores and frequency of
offenses, violent offenses, and lifetime arrests. These results allow us to infer
that experiencing more traumatic events in childhood is related to exhibiting more
criminal behaviors in adulthood.
Presenter: Karly Underwood, Social Science
Mentor: Dr. Christine Ruva
Title: Age and Accountability: The Effects of Defendant Age on Verdicts and Credibility
Research: We examined the effects of defendant age, victim age, and age-related stereotypes
on undergraduate mock jurors’ (N = 251) verdicts and defendant credibility ratings.
To address gaps in the literature we focused on the difference between young and older
adult victims and defendants. Overall, the current findings suggest that defendant
and victim age influence juror decisions and perceptions, and contribute to the gap
in the literature concerning age effects for older defendants.
49 Students Initiated into Psi Chi Honor Society
[April 18, 2023]
Candle ceremony during the spring 2023 initiation.Spring 2023 Psi Chi Induction Program | At the April 14 induction ceremony, 49 students representing all three campuses were initiated into Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. New officers were installed, and the 2022-23 officers were thanked for all their hard work.
Among the Top 10 Poster at SIOP 2023
[April 7, 2023]
With over 700 posters submitted, Lavanya Shravan Kumar's Master’s thesis poster was selected as among the top 10 Poster at this year’s national Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Annual Conference. Lavanya is a third-year doctoral student in I-O Psychology at USF working under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Stark. Her research interests are in psychometrics and item response theory, specifically, in topics such as measurement invariance and dimensionality of forced-choice measures and corresponding applications. She is also interested in applications of newer machine learning methods in testing and assessment. She earned her M.S. in I-O Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology in 2020 and her Master’s thesis was recently published in Personnel Psychology.
2023 SPR Early Career Award Winner
[February 24, 2023]
Dr. Peter Clayson has received the Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions to Psychophysiology from the Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR). SPR is an international scientific society aimed at promoting research on the relationship between physiological and psychological aspects of behavior.
Warm Welcome 2022
[December 19. 2022]
Thank you to everyone who made the Warm Welcome donation project such a success this year. The project benefits families in the local refugee community and this year we filled the wishlists of 5 families (21 individuals) with almost $2,500 worth of items. Thank you to everyone who participated and especially to OROD Visual Production LLS for providing superb photographic coverage. For the 21st year is a row, we did good. Thank you!
8 Psychology Majors Named King O'Neal Scholars at Fall 2022 Commencement
[December 13, 2022]
8 Psychology majors were named King O'Neal Scholars at the December 9, 2022, commencement ceremony. These scholars graduated with the highest possible grade point average, 4.0. They include Beatriz De Faria Sousa, Veronika Ghobrial, Melannie Laya, Anna Moffitt, Andrew Moore, Casey Stringer, Aerial Wilson, and Felicia Zito.
USF Psi Chi Inducts 33 New Members
[November 20, 2022]
The USF Chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in Psychology, inducted 33 new members at its ceremony November 18, 2022. New members are Walter Aye, Theresa Brown, EmmaLynn Calderon, Grace Calvello, Presley Camp, Julie Duong, Valentina Felipak, Abril Guevara Gamboa, Paulina Huntington, Sofia Lehovitis, Sydney Maringas, Brittney Mathis, Madison Monette-Waters, Allyana Musa, Madison Philio, Megan Proctor, Brianna Ralston, Ana Rey, Norma Reyes, Nicholas Romano, Emma Sadler, Samantha Salley, Kylee Salvior, Kaitlyn Serafin, Callie Sierra, Madison Smith, Emily Swank, Chrissy Terziu, Alexis Thaxton, Otilia Trejo-Soto, Emelina Vaughn, Bethany Warren, Madeleine Wiggins. Inductees represented all three campuses of USF.
USF Chapter of Psi Chi named a Model Chapter
[August 16, 2022]
The Psi Chi Board of Directors and the Central Office staff have designated the USF Chapter a 2021-22 Psi Chi Model Chapter. Psi Chi is the international honors society in psychology. Our chapter was one of only 28 to receive this recognition out of over 1,150 chapters worldwide. The chapter will receive $100 and a custom certificate.
47 Students Initiated Into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology
[April 16, 2022]
Congratulations to the 47 undergraduate and graduate students who were initiated into the USF chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, during April 2022 initiation ceremonies. New officers for 2022-23 were also announced. New members are Baca, Myakka; Bassett, Kristen; Bell, Lauren; Blackard, Grace; Bostic, Jayda; De Faria Sousa, Beatriz; Eisenberg, Sabrina; Errig, Tyler; Espinet-Pizarro, Keven; Feld, Kyla; Fraleigh, Liana; Gordon, Jennifer; Green, Alanna; Halko, Amanda; Hanson, Tabitha; Hector, Brittany; Henao, Nicole; Henderson, Savannah; Javaid, Aqsa; Lane, Maya; Leon Romero, Alejandro; Monterde, Leilani; Mullins, Denaya; Murray, Connor; O'Neill, Gabrielle; Pham, Devlyn; Pramberger, Nina; Ramirez Pagan, Shakira; Sala, Matthew; Schenk, Jennifer; Schroeder, Brittany; Shaw, Mason; Silver Espinosa, Melody; Sinclair, Grace; Singh, Sushant; Skidmore, Ethan; Sood, Odeline; Stevenson, Jessica; Stringer, Casey; Surin, Mariell; Swaine, Lauren; Texter, Amy; Thakurdesai, Sanikaa; Thomas, Hannah; Trigueros, Allison; Upton, Rebecca; and Warden, Brittany. These students come from all three of our campuses.
USF Chapter of Psi Chi Recognized
[January 27, 2022]
The International Honor Society in Psychology, Psi Chi, has recognized the USF chapter for 55 years of excellence.
Warm Welcome 2021
[December 15, 2021]
The USF Department of Psychology has been supporting local refugee families during the winter holidays for 20 years and this year was our most successful to date. Through the Warm Welcome Donation Drive, the USF Psychology Student Diversity Committee and the USF Psychology Faculty Diversity Committee received $1142 worth of new donated items (everything that the families asked for!) and another $975 of monetary donations that were converted into gift cards. We are honored to be part of such a generous and caring community of scholars. Thank you to all who participated, including the awesome families.
Psi Chi Honor Society Inducts New Members
[November 20, 2021]
The USF chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, initiated 41 new members at its fall ceremonies in November. New members came from all three campuses. Magdelin Lopez served as Psi Chi President this fall. Faculty advisors are Dr. Judy Bryant (Tampa), Dr. David Robertson (Sarasota-Manatee), and Dr. Wendy Rote (St. Petersburg).
8 Psychology Majors Honored For Perfect Grades at Spring 2021 Commencement
[May 9, 2021]
At USF’s May 8 commencement ceremony, 8 psychology majors were named King O’Neal Scholars. These students were recognized by the Alumni Association for having earned 4.0 overall grade point averages. They are Sumeyye Erdem, Amanda Fritz, Christiana Hancock, Natalie Italiano, Dana Kellman, Jessica Newman, Joshua Nusekabel, and Nicole Ritenour.
Psychology Undergraduates Earn Academic Recognitions
[April 29, 2021]
Five Psychology students have been inducted into USF's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.
They are Otttavio Barbanente, Siena Ho Shue, Nataliya Kuzmin, Brian Long, and Kendall
Paris. Thirty eight students have been inducted into USF's chapter of Psi Chi, the
Psychology honor society. They are Ashley Accius, Moet Bailey, Gabrielle Baudoin,
Asianna Blount, Nicole Brown, Rachel Bucek, Sachin Dhulipalla, Caleb Edney, Victoria
Estevez, Lewis Evans, Alexa Goldblum, Daimarelys Gonzalez, Vittoria Gonzalez, Kate
Gray, Owen Hastings, Margo Hebert, Milca Jaime Brunet, Avisha Jais, Emily LaLiberte,
Stephanie Lang, Magdelin Lopez, Kaitlyn Maxey, Courtney May, Miguel Mockabee, Taylor
Mosley, Jacey Napoli, Whitney O'Keeffe, Wren Orteneau, Abigail Piervil, Sebastian
Ponce Perez, Abriella Richards, Carolina Rittenhouse, Rebecca Rodriguez, Ellie Rowe,
Samruddhi Shinde, Priya Singh-Collins, Jeremiah Siplin, Ariel Skinner, Linnea Week