2008-2009 APS Student Caucus Executive Board

President
Kelli Vaughn-Blount
York University
Kelli Vaughn-Blount completed her Master’s in experimental psychology in May, 2008, at the University of Central Oklahoma and is a first year doctoral student in history and theory of psychology at York University in Toronto. Her primary research areas include the history of women in psychology, feminist psychology, social support of bereavement, and the teaching of psychology. Kelli’s current research projects include an ongoing discourse analysis of benevolent and hostile sexism over 107 years of History of Psychology textbooks, and a collaborative web archive, Feminist Voices, that will encompass a broad spectrum feminist psychologist histories. The Feminist Voices project will also include a history of women in psychology archive. Kelli previously served on the APSSC Board as the 2007-2008 Student Notebook Editor, as well as serving as grant and research award reviewer during several prior years. In addition to her APSSC work, she is the managing editor of the web based Journal of Scientific Psychology (psyencelab.com). Kelli has been, and continues to be, an ardent advocate for the inclusion of the history of psychology, with an accurate portrayal of the history of women, by trained psychologist-historians at all levels of psychological science education. For more information on this issue, see Kelli’s article History’s Mysteries, Demystified: Becoming a Psychologist-Historian (with co-authors Alexandra Rutherford, David Baker, and Deborah Johnson) in the 2008 fall issue of the American Journal of Psychology. She looks forward to the opportunity to serve and advocate for the members of the APS Student Caucus with the same tenacity and enthusiasm.

Past-President
Lisa Hasel
Iowa State University
Lisa Hasel, a 2008 PhD (Social Psychology, Iowa State University), is currently in a post-doctoral position at Iowa State University. During 2008-09, she will travel between four universities to maintain and enhance research collaborations between psychology and law research labs at those institutions. Her research in experimental psychology and law focuses on improving the diagnostic value of eyewitness, interrogation, and alibi evidence. She is the 2006 Psi Chi/APS Albert Bandura Graduate Research Award Winner for her research on facial composites, published in 2007 in Law and Human Behavior. She was the first Social Psychology Research Fellow (Fall 2006) at the Innocence Project in New York City.

Communications and Marketing Officer
Jeremy Houska
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Jeremy Ashton Houska is a 4th year doctoral student in Experimental Psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His primary research interests lie in social cognition, particularly attitude change and persuasion. Jeremy studies variables that contribute to persuasiveness of the narrative form. He values quality classroom instruction and has been recognized for his teaching efforts. Jeremy is a former president of the graduate and professional student body at UNLV, but he especially relishes the privilege to serve his colleagues and discipline as part of the APSSC.

Graduate Advocate
DeLeon Gray, Ohio State University
DeLeon L. Gray is a second-year doctoral student in educational psychology at The Ohio State University. He is particularly interested in the intersection between educational and social psychology. His current research focuses on the role of mortality salience in academic self-stereotyping.

Membership and Volunteers Officer
Amy Crook, Rice University
Amy Crook is a third-year doctoral student specializing in training and adult learning, in both higher education and corporate training contexts. Her program of study at Rice University is a combination of industrial/organizational psychology and cognitive psychology. Her research interests include e-learning, training design, aging, and personnel selection. Amy has been involved with the APSSC as a campus representative, Student Research Grant Competition reviewer, and Student Research Award reviewer.

RiSE-UP Coordinator
Michele Oliver, Central Michigan University
Michele Oliver is a third-year PhD student in Applied Experimental Psychology at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  Her research examines cardiovascular responses and reactivity during simulated driving in persons with and without ADHD.  Ultimately, she plans to investigate physiological disparities among African-Americans with learning disabilities.

Student Notebook Editor
Peter Vernig, Suffolk University
Pete is a fourth-year clinical student at Suffolk University in Boston. His research involves psychophysiological and self-reported emotional responding among alcohol dependent individuals, as well as treatment development and implementation for substance use disorders. He maintains active involvement in several professional organizations advocating scientific clinical psychology, and his clinical work centers on evidence-based treatment for substance users and dually-diagnosed patients.

Undergraduate Advocate
Molly Petersen, Iowa State University
Molly is in her last year of undergraduate training at Iowa State University and is interested in pursuing a PhD in counseling psychology. Her research interests include adolescents dealing with anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.