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Jerry O. Haynes Memorial Award for Outstanding Seniors
This award is named after faculty member Jerry O. Haynes, and honors graduating seniors who possess outstanding records of achievement in academics, service, and research.
2009 Award Recipients
Theresa Egan - Theresa helped conduct a study focusing on the effects of saccharin concentration on saccharin consumption and preference, under the supervision of Dr. Serdikoff. Along with her co-researchers, she has presented the findings at the annual conferences of the Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis and at the Eastern Association for Behavior Analysis. She also assisted Dr. Serdikoff in research that focused on reducing smoking in college students using contingency management. Supervised by Dr. Barron, she conducted research focusing on motivation and helped to develop a survey to assess seniors' knowledge in the field of psychology in an undergraduate psychology program. She helped compile data to co-author a chapter for a psychology handbook. Currently Theresa is working on her honors thesis, supervised by Dr. Serdikoff, titled “Training discrimination of blood alcohol level following oral ethanol self-administration in college students.” A poster describing this research has been accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Association of Behavior Analysis. Theresa currently serves as the President for Psi Chi. She interned last summer for Dr. Pelham at the Summer Treatment Program held at the State University of New York at Buffalo, working as a trained paraprofessional therapist for children with ADHD, ODD, and CD. At JMU, Theresa served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Behavior Analysis. She also volunteered during her junior year with the Boys and Girls Club of Harrisonburg. Teresa received our Outstanding Achievement in Statistics and Research Methods in 2007 and our Junior Award for Achievement in Research in 2008. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Theresa’s personal research and long-term career goals are to conduct research and clinically work with children with behavior problems, specifically ADHD.
Maria Gandolfo - Maria has excelled in both research and service. She worked with Arnie Kahn on a research project on sexual assault that was presented at a Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) conference. This research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. She is currently working with Dr. Kahn on her honors thesis on women’s fear of rape, which has been accepted for presentation at the Colonial Academic Alliance (CAA) Undergraduate Research Conference. Maria is working on her second semester of a field placement at First Step, A Response to Domestic Abuse. For two years Maria was the president of Campus Assault ResponsE (CARE), the student-run sexual assault hotline. While president she recruited 5 times the current membership, and organized 2 campus speakers to raise sexual assault awareness. She also held multiple positions over the last three years with JMU’s Take Back the Night Coalition. Maria is a member of Psi Chi, and the Psychology Learning Community. She received both JMU’s Student Woman of Distinction Award and Psychology’s Junior Award for Distinguished Service in Spring of 2008. She intends to go to graduate school in community counseling, and to pursue at a career in a college counseling center or women’s resource center.
Kimberly Rodgers - Kimberly has worked with Dr. Grayson and Judi Weaver as an intern at the Batterer’s Intervention Program. She has assisted with a senior honor’s thesis also under the direction of Dr. Grayson, working as the statistical manager and through this experience, she co-presented at two conferences. Kim also worked for the Center for Preventative Health Research run by Dr. Nasim. Additionally, she was a member of Dr. Kahn’s research team looking at the attribution of blame in cases of rape and co-presented their findings at the Southeastern Psychological Association conferences as well as at the JMU Psychology Student Symposium. This research is up for publication in the Journal of Social Psychology. Kim is completing her honors thesis with Dr. Kahn, looking at the sexual refusal efficacy of acknowledged and unacknowledged rape victims. Her thesis has been accepted for a presentation at the Colonial Academic Alliance (CAA) Undergraduate Research Conference in 2009. Through Psychology’s Peer Advising group, Kimberly has assisted with JMU’s Special Olympics “Day with the Dukes” for two years and their annual “Food Fight Against Hunger.” She has been a member of JMU’s Campus Assault ResponsE (CARE) for three years and for the past two semesters have served as Presentations Coordinator. Kim has also served on the Take Back the Night Coalition for four years. Kim has been an active member of the Christian Student Union for four years and has participated in numerous fund raisers and service projects through this organization. Kim is a member of Psi Chiand the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She received the Dean’s Award for Best Research Poster in 2007, and was the recipient of Psychology’s James J. Hart Award for Outstanding Junior in 2008. Kim plans to pursue graduate work in Counseling Psychology. She is interested in pursuing a career in crisis intervention and women’s advocacy after graduate school. She would also like to continue her research into the effects of rape and effective treatment methods and prevention techniques.
Christina Wolf - Christina served as a research assistant in Dr. Stoloff’s lab for four years and helped to conduct a study that will result in the development of guidelines for successful undergraduate psychology programs. This semester Christina has begun to work with Dr. Zinn to conduct focus groups with female college students about recreational facilities use. In addition, Christina is working with Dr. Abrahamson and contributing to an honors thesis investigating the utility of a biofeedback device relative to other modes or anxiety reduction. In addition to her research activities, Christina has been involved in a variety of service activities including teaching kindergarteners at the Second Home Child Care Center and working in her church. Christina founded and serves as president of the Glona Project. The Glona Project was inspired by a JMU trip to Ghana to work with a school (the Glona Academy) that had no funding or schoolhouse and most of the children were orphans. Christina was moved by her experiences and formed the Glona Project to raise money for the Glona Academy. Christina plans to attend graduate school to study neuropsychology. She has applied for an NIH post-baccalaureate research training program to gain experiences to help her achieve this goal.
Past Award Recipients
2008
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Carolyn Bradshaw - Carolyn is a family studies minor who is currently completing her honors thesis with Dr. Arnie Kahn looking at sex differences and student preferences for hooking up and traditional dating in the college population. She presented her thesis for the Southeast Psychological Association this spring. She was a recipient of the Hart Award for Outstanding Junior last year as well as the recipient of the Edythe Rowley Honors Program Scholarship. Carolyn conducted research with Dr. Ashir Nasim on adolescent smoking and drinking behaviors, which she presented at the JMU poster session spring 2006. She is also a member of Psi Chi, National Society for Collegiate Scholars, JMU Honors Program, and Students for a Democratic Society. Carolyn has also volunteered at The Boys and Girls Club and with the “Baby Think It Over” program. Carolyn has worked as a residential faculty member at the Devereux Glenholme School in Connecticut for students with learning disabilities for two summers.
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Kristin Kiel – Kristin is a Behavior Analysis Concentration student who is completing an honors thesis under the supervision of Dr. Sherry Serdikoff looking at parameters that might impact the efficacy and effectiveness of contingency management interventions to decrease smoking in college students and is first author on a grant for more than $1,350 from Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, to support this work. Before this work Kristin, also contributed to projects examining resistance to change in an animal model of ADHD. She presented this earlier work at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Association for Behavior Analysis and will be presenting her thesis research at the Annual meeting of the International Association for Behavior Analysis in May. Kristin has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in Psychology of Learning and currently is serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant in Introduction to Behavior Analysis. Kristin has served as the Vice-President and currently serves as the President of the JMU chapter of Psi Chi and as the Department of Psychology’s representative to the CISAT Dean’s Student Advisory Council. She plans to attend a graduate program in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Kimbery Marchuk – Kimberly is completing her honors thesis this year under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Zinn. She has completed several independent research projects under the supervision of Drs. Zinn and Barron and has already presented and published multiple products along with several peers and Drs. Saville, Zinn and Barron, with several more presentations and publications proposed. Kimberly has served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and has served as the Training Liaison with Peer Advising for two years, and she was a member of the Psychology Learning Community. She has served as a tutor at Plains Elementary School and helped Dr. Monica Reis-Bergan create a health fair for elementary school students. She has also volunteered with Ride for Pride, Relay for Life, Special Olympics, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and the Food Fight against Hunger. She has co-taught a class with Dr. Bill Evans, and served as Teaching Assistant for Dr. Kenn Barron. Kimberly was a recipient of the 2006 Outstanding Statistics and Research Methods Award in Psychology. She is a member of Psi Chi, and plans to attend graduate school to become a School Psychologist.
Stefani Thachik – Last year, under the supervision of Dr. Joann Grayson, Stefani helped with an honors thesis project at VMRC nursing home. Currently, under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Zinn, she is completing an honors thesis evaluating the effectiveness of the two newly initiated Psychology career development courses and she will be presenting the results of her work at Eastern Psychological Association in March and at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in April. Stefani has served as a teaching assistant for the Careers in Psychology course, the Promotions Talking Head for Peer Advising, and Historian for Psychology Club. She has been involved in a number of other service activities including the Peer Advising Food Fight, Day with the Dukes and Big Brother/Big Sister Holiday Party with Psyc Club. Stefani is a member of Psi Chi, National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Golden Key. She hopes to pursue graduate training and a career in College Student Personnel/ Higher Education Administration.
2007
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Lizbeth Keller is completing her Honors Thesis with Dr. Bill Ernst. She has completed a four-semester research project with Dr. Michael Stoloff and worked for one semester with Dr. Cheryl Talley on a project that resulted in a presentation at the SYNAPSE conference. She is a member of Psi Chi and Psychology Club, was captain of a Relay for Life team, has volunteered as an intern at NIH that led to a poster presentation at the NIH summer symposium, and was elected vice president of the JMU’s Math Honors Society. She hopes to work at the National Institute of Neurologic Disorder and Stroke prior to attending medical school.
Kara Makara
is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in Special Education (non-teaching). She was a member of Dr. Michael Stoloff’s independent research team for three semesters. This semester she is completing an Honors Thesis with Dr. Kenn Barron that examines the link between the Achievement Goal Theory of motivation and outcomes of an undergraduate psychology program. Her past research with Kenn Barron has led to several conference presentations, including the annual American Educational Research Association conference this past semester. In the Psychology Department, she was a Psychology Peer Advisor and served as Head of Promotions Committee. She also served as Membership Officer for our Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society chapter. Additionally, she served on the CISAT Dean’s Student Advisory Committee. In 2006, she was presented with the James J. Hart Memorial Award for Outstanding Juniors. Kara completed an internship last summer with a non-profit organization helping at-risk youth. In the community she has assisted children with autism at a local school, went on Alternative Spring Break, and for the past two years has volunteered with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. She also has been inducted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Honors Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Kara’s professional goals are to become an educational researcher and improve public education policies. She will be attending graduate school next year to earn a doctorate in Educational Policy.
Bridget Schultz is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Psi Chi, and Psychology Peer Advising, where she serves as the Coordinator of New Major Sessions for the Department. She is completing an Honors Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Tracy Zinn. She has presented two posters at the Eastern Psychological Association and co-authored a publication for the Society of Teaching Psychology. She has completed a Field Placement experience with the Mountain Valley Corporation, and has volunteered as a Teacher’s Assistant at the Dayton Learning Center. Bridget is a Human Resources Development Minor, and plans to complete her Master’s degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with the ultimate goal of becoming a professional consultant.
2006
- Stacey Langsner - Stacey Langsner is doing her honors thesis with Monica Reis-Bergan. She has tutored with Joanne Brewster’s abnormal psychology class. She was the recipient of the Psychology Department award for Outstanding Achievement in Statistics in Research in 2005. She is a Gold member of Psi Chi, Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Historian of the JMU Chorale
- Jessica Major - has had a consistently outstanding record at JMU. She is a member of Psi Chi and was the recipient of the James J. Hart Memorial Award for Outstanding Juniors. Jessica has developed clinical skills and been of service by working at the Alvin V. Baird Learning Disabilities Clinic. She assisted with the ongoing research and administered assessments to parents and children. Jessica did a capstone field placement at the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. Here she assisted the Director in program coordination at area middle schools. Jessica has also been involved in the JMU Psychology Department Tutoring Program for at-risk maltreated children. She is dependable and supervisors consistently cite her innovation and team work skills.
2005
- Jennifer Burnett - Jen is the Projects Committee Chair for Peer Advising, one of five core leadership positions in the organization. She is also the Membership Officer for Psi Chi, and she is a Gold member of that organization. Jen is serving on the Psychology Student Advisory Committee this year and has been an active member of our Psychology Club. She was awarded membership in the JMU chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, the leadership honor society, and she was awarded the James J. Hart Memorial Award for Outstanding Juniors from the Department of Psychology in 2004. Jen has served as a research assistant for Drs. Michael Stoloff, JoAnne Brewster, and Steve Evans, and has also served as a teaching assistant for two sections of GPsyc 101.
- Brittany Iveson – Brittany is a Peer Advisor, English as a Second Language tutor at Thomas Harrison Middle School and regular volunteer with Special Olympics. She has tutored students in Abnormal Psychology for three semesters, and has assisted Dr. Suzie Baker with research on mammal behavior. Brittany is continuing her field placement experience with Dr. Joann Grayson, working on Teen Pregnancy Prevention. She is also a member of Psi Chi.
- Amanda Lindberg – Amanda has done research with Dr. Pam Gibson, which led to two presentations at the 2004 conference of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. In the Department of Psychology, she has served on the department’s Student Advisory Committee and presented interpersonal skills workshops at the Counseling and Student Development Center . Outside of the department, she has volunteered at several sites that focus on children. She is a member of Psi Chi, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, American Psychological Association and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Amanda plans to attend graduate school in counseling or social work, focusing on children and adolescents who suffer from abuse or depression.
2004
- Erin Burns
- Megan Forrester
- Mary Huntsberry
- Jamie Mickelson
- Matthew Thomas
2003
- Jennifer Capito
- Carey Caughlin
2002
- Brenna Doyle
- Matthew Howells
- Jill Sundheim
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