Membership amends three bylaws
APA members received ballots in November to vote on amendments to association bylaws. Bylaws amendments must be approved by two-thirds of those voting to pass. Members voted in favor of three amendments:
* A proposal to increase the number of council seats to 162 from 143 seats on APA's Council of Representatives passed, with 83 percent (8,209 votes) approving. The amendment, which was designed to ensure that each division and state and provincial psychological association has a seat on Council, will take effect with the 2002 elections for legislative year 2003.
* A proposal to establish a Two-Year College Teacher Affiliate membership category passed, with 80 percent (8,067 votes) approving. This amendment, created to include individuals who would not otherwise be eligible for APA membership, took effect immediately.
* A proposal to shorten the term of the APA treasurer from five to three years passed, with 92 percent (9,216 votes) approving. This change will take effect with the next election in 2004.A proposal to remove the requirement that petitions for new divisions be considered only at Council's February meeting failed. Fifty-seven percent (5,610 votes) voted for and 43.5 percent (4,319 votes) against the measure.
Sign up for live distance-learning CE
The California Psychological Association (CPA) is offering a continuing education session on "Legal and ethical issues in using information technology" to members of CPA and APA via live simulcast technology during its April convention in Pasadena.
The session will be presented Saturday, April 6, from 2 to 4 p.m., PST. Remote participants will be able to hear and ask questions on their telephones while viewing all lecture slides on their Web browsers. The course is approved for two hours of APA and Mandatory Continuing Education for Psychologists distance-learning credits.
Session panelists will review how psychologists can use the Internet and other information technologies to enhance their professional services. The course will also review legal, ethical and technical issues and offer practical examples, suggestions and resources to help psychologists develop and successfully integrate electronic services into their practice.
A registration form may be downloaded from the CPA Web site at www.calpsychlink.org and must be returned with a $50 registration fee by March 25. Payment may be made by check or credit card (American Express, Visa or MasterCard). Registrants will be e-mailed course materials, including instructions and access codes to a toll-free number and Web site with the lecture slides.
For more information, please call the CPA at (916) 325-9786, or e-mail CPA-2002@attbi.com.
Talk it up on the online education forum
APA's Education Directorate invites APA members and affiliates to visit the new Education Leadership in Psychology Forum at www.apa.org/ed/highered, an online resource for educators to discuss and share information about education and training in psychology.
The idea for the forum came out of the 2000 Education Leadership Roundtable annual meeting and was unveiled during APA's 2001 Annual Convention.
This month, the forum is hosting discussions on education and technology, assessment of learning outcomes, innovations in education and training, psychological aspects of terror in the classroom, and issues in education and training that take place in various organizations. A designated area allows for suggested submissions for new topics.
The Education Directorate Web staff manages the site and also notes participants' comments and ideas for future changes.
Scholars in applied psychology: Apply for Singapore travel grant
APA has applied to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for support to administer a block travel grant program for U.S. participants in the scientific program of the XXV (25th) International Congress of Applied Psychology in Singapore, July 7-12. NSF and NIMH funding will be used exclusively for scholars working in areas that are central to their missions. At least half of the awards will be granted to investigators who are either students or within eight years of receiving their doctoral degree.
Although APA has not received final word from NSF and NIMH on availability of funding, applications are now available from APA's Office of International Affairs at the APA address or by phone (202) 336-6025, fax (202) 218-3599, e-mail: International or visit www.apa.org/international.
Students with interests in gerontology: Apply to the Minority Aging Network in Psychology summer institute
The Fourth Annual Summer Institute on Aging of the Minority Aging Network in Psychology (MANIP) will convene June 16-22 at the University of Southern California. The summer institute is designed to increase the pool of ethnic minority researchers in the field of gerontology. Participants will engage in presentations, didactic seminars, methodological workshops and a host of professional development and networking opportunities related to aging, ethnicity and cognition.
The institute is open to junior- and senior-level undergraduate students, as well as first- and second-year graduate students, who are in the field of psychology and have interests in ethnic minority aging research. Hotel, travel expenses and meals will be provided to those who are selected to attend. Applications are due March 15 and are available on the MFP Web site, listed below.
For more information regarding MANIP, which is administered by APA's Minority Fellowship Program and supported by funding from the National Institute of Aging, please contact the Minority Fellowship Program at (202) 336-6127, or visit the MFP Web site at www.apa.org/mfp.
Students' scholarships and awards deadline is fast approaching
Applications for American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) scholarships as well as nominations for APAGS awards are due June 14. The following awards and scholarships are offered:
* David Pilon Scholarship for Training in Professional Psychology.
* Scott Mesh Honorary Scholarship for Research in Psychology.
* Ellin Bloch and Pierre Ritchie Honorary Scholarship.
* Nancy B. Forest and L. Michael Honaker Master's Scholarship for Research in Psychology.
* Raymond D. Fowler Award.
* Kenneth and Mamie Clark Award.
* Department of the Year Award.
Winners of the 2002 awards and scholarships will be announced at APA's Annual Convention, Aug. 22-25, in Chicago.
Find more information about APAGS scholarships, awards and other programs by visiting www.apa.org/apags.
High school teacher workshops are set for April
The Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools and the Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Programs will offer several teaching workshops for high school psychology teachers in April. Each workshop focuses on strategies for teaching high school psychology:
* A mini-workshop will be featured among the programs at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association in Park City, Utah, April 4-6.
* A two-day workshop hosted by faculty from the psychology department of Belmont University, in collaboration with the the College Board, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., April 12-13.
* A one-and-a-half-day workshop will take place at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association in Corpus Christi, Texas, April 19-20.
To request information about these events, a workshop brochure or to register for the workshops, contact Martha Braswell at (800) 374-2721, ext. 6140, or by e-mail.
Apply for positive psychology awards
If positive psychology is your field of interest, it's time to apply for the Martin E.P. Seligman Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research in Positive Psychology. The award, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation, is a cash grant of $1,000 given to a scholar who has completed a PhD dissertation in any area of research related to positive psychology in the last three years and who plans to continue research in this area.
The award includes travel to and one day's lodging and expenses for APA's 2002 Annual Convention in Chicago, Aug. 22-25, during which the award will be presented.
The dissertation must have been completed after March 30, 1999. Interested candidates should submit six copies of their curriculum vita and a summary of their dissertation research--visit the Web address below for summary requirements. A committee will select three finalists by May 15; finalists will then submit a copy of their completed dissertations for review.
Materials must be postmarked no later than April 15 and sent to Lynn S. Glodek, Communications Senior Associate, The John Templeton Foundation, Five Radnor Corporate Center, Suite 100, Radnor, PA 19087. Visit www.templeton.org/Seligman.asp for more information.
APA Web sites receive four-star rating
Tufts University Child and Family WebGuide awarded APA with its four- and five-star ratings, referring to the sites on disobedience (www.apa.org/journals/ccp/ccp665715.html) and depression (helping.apa.org/family/malaise.html) as leading ones in the field. The ratings, given to fewer than 20 percent of sites screened, are the highest awarded by the WebGuide.
The WebGuide was launched last April to make the public aware of leading sites on more than 40 topics and presently includes 250 sites.
Subotnik accepts position in Education Directorate
APA's Education Directorate is pleased announce that Rena Subotnik, PhD, is the new director of the Center for Psychology in Schools and Education (CPSE).
Subotnik has been a professor of teacher education and an APA Congressional Fellow in child policy, and currently serves on the executive board of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Under her leadership, CPSE hopes to further the directorate's efforts in the application of psychology to education. She is also director of the Center for Gifted Education Policy, funded by the American Psychological Foundation. She will direct both centers under the management of CPSE.
Nominations wanted for two positions on the Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns
The Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC) seeks nominations for two positions that will begin next January. Nominees with expertise in children, youth and families; experience as an academic research scientist; involvement in issues related to ethnic minorities and cultural diversity; and experience in state psychological associations are invited to apply.
CLGBC welcomes nominations of ethnic minority psychologists and other psychologists who are members of underrepresented groups.
The committee consists of six members--three women and three men--appointed for staggered terms of three years. Committee members are required to attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA. Service on the committee also involves a substantial time commitment beyond the meetings themselves.
A statement of the nominee's interest in and qualifications for the committee as well as a current curriculum vitae should accompany the nomination. Self-nominations are accepted. Nomination materials are to be received by Aug. 1 to CLGBC Nominations, Public Interest Directorate, at the APA address. For more information about the committee and its mission, contact Charlene DeLong at (202) 336-6041.
--K. HEWLETT
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