Nominate candidates for APA's recording secretary

The Board of Directors is seeking nominations for the position of APA recording secretary. The term of the current recording secretary ends Dec. 31.

According to the association's bylaws: "The Recording Secretary shall be a Member of the Association, elected by the immediately previous Council following nomination by the Board of Directors, and shall serve for a term of three years, beginning on January 1 of the year following his/her election, and shall not succeed himself/herself more than once in this office. During the term of office, the Recording Secretary shall serve as secretary of Council and of the Board of Directors and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed in these Bylaws. It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to keep the records of all meetings of Council and of the Board of Directors; to file and hold subject to call and to direct the publication of such records, reports, and proceedings as are authorized by these Bylaws and by vote of Council or the Board of Directors at any duly constituted meeting; and to perform all other secretarial duties for Council and the Board of Directors as are not delegated to the chief staff officer. In case of the death or incapacity of the Treasurer, the Recording Secretary is authorized to perform the duties normally assigned to the Treasurer."

Nominations must be received by March 15. Any APA member is eligible for nomination. APA's Board of Directors will select the final slate of candidates. The election ballot will be mailed on July 1 to all voting members of the 2002 Council of Representatives with a 30-day balloting period.

Send nominations to Gerald P. Koocher, PhD, APA Treasurer, Graduate School for Health Studies, Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115-5898, e-mail: koocher@simmons.edu.

Graduate student papers sought for ethics prize

The APA Ethics Committee and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students invite students to apply for the second annual prize for a graduate student paper on psychology and ethics.

"Psychology and ethics" is defined broadly to include any empirical or theoretical paper that examines psychology and ethics in relation to science or research, practice, education, public interest or theory of ethics.

The prize is open to any student affiliate of APA enrolled in a predoctoral graduate program. The honoree receives $1,000, a round-trip ticket to APA's 2003 Annual Convention, Aug. 7-10, in Toronto, plus two nights of hotel accommodation. The prize will be presented at the convention, where the student will present his or her winning paper for comment by senior psychologists.

The paper must indicate why its focus is worthy of attention. Submissions must be of publishable quality and written in APA style. Submissions may not exceed 25 double-spaced pages and may not have been previously published.

Submit papers to the APA Office of Ethics (Attn: Ethics Prize) at the APA address no later than March 7. Applicants should submit three copies: two should have no identifying information, the third should include the author's name and contact information, including an e-mail address. The Ethics Committee will judge papers based upon quality and originality of ideas, clarity of analysis and expression, and adequacy of literature review. The Ethics Committee will announce the winner by May 15.

For additional information about the prize, visit APA's Web site at www.apa.org/ethics.

Start the new year with a new mentoring relationship

APA's Disability Issues in Psychology Office is seeking mentees and mentors for its Disability Mentoring Program, which matches APA members who have disabilities with newly disabled psychologists and psychology students and new professionals with disabilities. Mentors provide mentees with emotional support and practical guidance in their academic or career pursuits.

Mentors are matched to mentees who share the same disability, identified area of assistance and/or major field in psychology. For additional information, and to apply, visit www.apa.org/pi/cdip/mentoring/homepage.html. For questions and other information, contact APA at (202) 336-6038; TTY: (202) 336-5662; e-mail.

New members sought for Minority Fellowship Program advisory committee

APA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) seeks three new members for its advisory committee to serve three-year terms beginning Sept. 1.

The MFP administers three federally funded training programs for doctoral students in psychology. MFP also aims to improve the quality of mental health treatment and research on issues of concern to ethnic-minority populations and to increase the number of those providing mental health services and research in these areas.

MFP is looking for candidates who have published research related to ethnic-minority mental health and whose research has received grant support from federal agencies, and members who have direct experience in training doctoral-level students in mental health and substance abuse services and research. Psychologists with expertise in school psychology, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse prevention and treatment are also encouraged to apply.

The deadline for nominations is March 1. MFP Advisory Committee members attend meetings in March of each year to select new MFP fellows, review the progress of continuing fellows and nominate graduate fellows for awards. Each December the committee holds a retreat to review the MFP program, update or revise MFP publication and brochures, develop and review programming for upcoming APA Annual Conventions, and review the MFP application and selection process.

Self-nominations are welcome. To nominate, send a letter of support and a curriculum vitae to the Minority Fellowship Program, Attn: Advisory Committee Selection, at the APA address.

Nominate colleagues for Tanaka dissertation award

APA's Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) seeks nominations for the Jeffrey S. Tanaka Memorial Dissertation Award in Psychology, which recognizes an outstanding dissertation in psychology that contributes to a better understanding of the psychological issues and concerns facing communities of color.

The winner receives a $500 prize and a $300 travel award, sponsored by APA's Science Directorate, to be used to present his or her dissertation at APA's 2003 Annual Convention in Toronto.

Tanaka was an Asian-American psychologist whose work emphasized the importance of culture and ethnicity in the scientific understanding of behavior. Tanaka was CEMA's chair-elect when he died in 1992.

CEMA welcomes applications from individuals who filed their dissertations in 2001 or 2002 on research in one or more of the following areas:

* Enhancing the psychological understanding of ethnic-minority issues.

* Improving psychological service-delivery systems to ethnic minorities.

* Developing new concepts or theories relevant to ethnic-minority populations.

* Creating methodological paradigms that promote effective research and understanding of the values, beliefs and needs of ethnic-minority communities.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is April 1. To apply, provide five copies of an abstract of no more than 1,000 words. The dissertation title should appear on all five copies, but only one copy should include the author's name, mailing address and daytime telephone number.

A CEMA-appointed selection subcommittee will choose the winner through an anonymous review process. Criteria include impact on ethnic-minority populations, completeness and clarity, creativity, and effectiveness of the research design. Semifinalists will be required to submit copies of their entire dissertation for the final selection process.

All submissions should be sent to the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs (OEMA) at the APA address. For questions or more information, call OEMA at (202) 336-6029.

Check out TOPSS-sponsored workshops at regional psychology meetings

Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is offering programs for high school teachers of psychologyat three regional association meetings. Three-hour sessions or "miniworkshops" on teaching introductory psychology in secondary schools are scheduled at the following meetings:

* Eastern Psychological Association, March 13-16, Baltimore.

* Southeastern Psychological Association, March 26-29, New Orleans.

* Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, April 11-13, Denver.

High school teachers may register for the workshops and attend other sessions at these conferences for a reduced rate. For program and registration information, please check the TOPSS Web site at www.apa.org/ed/topss/tconf.html or contact Mayella Valero at (202) 572-3013.

Guide to APA available

APA's Education and Science directorates have compiled an online reference handbook to help officers of the regional psychological associations navigate APA and host successful meetings.

The "Step-by-Step Reference Guide to APA," sent electronically to officers last fall, provides an overview of APA resources and services available to regional psychological associations and information about each regional association's annual conference, governance structure and officers. The guide also lists regional meeting dates and proposal deadlines, and includes a special section on meeting tips from APA's conference and convention experts.

The guide is based on recommendations and questions discussed at meetings of regional association officers and APA staff. The directorates welcome Member feedback on the guide. All comments, suggestions or questions may be directed to the listserv.

Volunteer opportunities with APAGS abound

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) invites its Members and APA Members to get involved with the organization's many activities in support of psychology students. Interested graduate students should complete a volunteer interest form online at the APAGS Web site at www.apa.org/apags/forms/voluntform.html. The APAGS office will link volunteers with activities and opportunities that fit with their interests and availability.

APA Members interested in sharing their experience and expertise with APAGS Members are encouraged to write articles for the APAGS Web site. Interested psychologists can also use the volunteer interest form on the Web site or e-mail the APAGS office.

--J. CHAMBERLIN