Changes made to accreditation guidelines

APA's Committee on Accreditation (CoA) has made two changes to the language of its Accreditation Operating Procedures and Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology (G&P).

The first change extends the maximum interval between postdoctoral residency program site visits from five to seven years. The second change directs readers to the most recent version of APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, rather than to the outdated 1992 version. For copies of each document, contact the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation at (202) 336-5979; e-mail: apaaccred@apa.org.

Meet the 2004 Distinguished Scientist lecturers

Psychologists Mahzarin Banaji, PhD, John Gabrieli, PhD, and Randy Gallistel, PhD, are the speakers for this year's APA Distinguished Scientist Lecture Program. Through the program, sponsored by APA's Science Directorate, each psychologist will speak at a regional psychological association annual meeting.

Meet the speakers:

* Banaji will speak on "Mind bugs: the psychology of ordinary prejudice" at the New England Psychological Association meeting in Providence, R.I., Oct. 15-16. Banaji is the Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics in the psychology department at Harvard University and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute. She studies human thinking, feeling and attitudes in social contexts, with a focus on implicit or unconscious modes of thought. Her research also looks at how social perception and memory reveal characteristics of attitudes and beliefs, and at the unconscious nature of individuals' assessments of themselves and others.

* Gabrieli will speak on "How the human brain regulates thoughts, feelings and memories: evidence from functional neuroimaging" at the Southwestern Psychological Association meeting in San Antonio, April 8-10. Gabrieli is a psychology professor in the neurosciences program and in radiology at Stanford University. His research explores the brain basis of memory, language and thought, examining both normal brain functions and diseased functioning in stroke, epilepsy, dyslexia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and attention-deficit disorder. He also studies how changes in brain functions affect the growth of mental abilities in children and the decline of some abilities in normal aging.

* Gallistel will discuss "An information processing perspective on conditioning" at the Midwestern Psychological Association meeting in Chicago, April 29-May 1. Gallistel is a professor of psychology and cognitive science at Rutgers and co-directs the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science with his wife, Rochel Gelman, PhD. The long-term goal of his research is to determine the cellular and molecular bases of memory. He uses psychophysical methods to determine quantitative characteristics of the neural substrate for reward brain stimulation and has been exploring behavioral methods to screen genetically manipulated mice to search for the molecular machinery of memory.

The Board of Scientific Affairs, with the support of the regional association presidents, developed the Distinguished Scientist Lecture Program 14 years ago as part of its ongoing mission to promote scientific psychology. For more information on psychology's regional meetings, visit www.apa.org/science/regionals.html.

Volunteer to spread the word about APA benefits

APA seeks university and college faculty members to disseminate information about APA products, services and other information on their campuses. Interested faculty should send their contact information to dvn@apa.org or call (202) 336-5584. The information will be kept confidential and used only to inform volunteers of APA events, products and services.

Tap grants for education conferences, workshops

APA's Board of Educational Affairs is accepting proposals for its 2004 Block Grants in Support of Graduate, Internship and Postdoctoral Program Initiatives program. The program provides grants of no more than $2,000 to support conferences or workshops that address ways to improve the quality of graduate education, internship training and postdoctoral residency programs in psychology. Proposals should outline the goals and objectives of the conference, the qualifications of the participants involved in the conference, the impact of the conference, and the clarity of the budget. The proposal deadline is May 1. For information, visit www.apa.org/ed/graduate/homepage.html.

Cast your vote for APAGS officers

Graduate students: The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) officer elections will be held March 22 through April 16. APAGS members can read about candidates and vote online at www.apa.org/apags. For more information, contact Betsy Horrocks at ehorrocks@apa.org.

Comment on hypnosis, geropsychology petitions

APA's Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Proficiencies in Professional Psychology (CRSPPP) invites members to comment on two documents:

* A petition for the recognition of hypnosis as a proficiency, submitted by Div. 30 (Society for Psychological Hypnosis).

* A petition for the recognition of geropsychology as a specialty, submitted by APA's Div. 20 (Adult Development and Aging) and the Section on Geropsychology of APA's Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology).

Read both petitions at www.apa.org/crsppp. A 60-day comment and public-notice period for each--which began Feb. 1--is required before CRSPPP can consider the petitions. Comments will be accepted through April 2.

Submit comments to Joan Freund, APA Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education and Training, at the APA address; e-mail: jfreund@apa.org.

BEA award honors innovation in graduate education

APA's Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) is accepting nominations for the 2004 Award for Innovation in Graduate Education in Psychology. The award is sponsored by BEA and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology. Nominations should identify the innovative practice and describe how it was assessed and why it is award-worthy. Graduate departments of psychology may self-nominate or be nominated by others. The nomination deadline is Aug. 1. For more information, visit www.apa.org/ed/graduate/homepage.html. For information on last year's winners, see the February Monitor.

Learn to navigate the internship application process

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) will host a pre-convention internship workshop on July 27 in Honolulu, prior to APA's 2004 Annual Convention, July 28-Aug. 1. The workshop will offer students tips on finding a psychology internship and guidance on the application and Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers Match process. Participants will receive a free copy of "Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Match" (APA, 2004). Registration costs $25 for APAGS members and $30 for nonmembers. Registration after June 15 is $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers. For more information and to register, visit www.apa.org/apags.

APA seeks stories, materials from VA psychologists

APA's archives invites stories and archival materials from psychologists who worked for the Veterans Administration (VA) as trainees or staff members any time between 1946 and 1970. The archives is particularly interested in stories and materials from those who participated in cooperative research projects. Send materials and direct questions to Wade E. Pickren, PhD, APA Historian and Director of Archives, at the APA address; (202) 336-5645; e-mail: wpickren@apa.org.

APA committee seeks experts on LGB issues

APA's Committee on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns (CLGBC) seeks nominations for two positions that begin Jan. 1, 2005. The committee's mission is to:

* Study and evaluate how to address the issues and concerns of lesbian, gay male and bisexual psychologists.

* Encourage objective and unbiased research on issues related to lesbian, gay male, and bisexual adults and youths, and to examine the social impact of such research.

* Examine the consequences of inaccurate information and stereotypes about lesbian, gay male, and bisexual adults and youths in clinical practice.

* Develop educational materials for psychologists and other health professionals.

* Make recommendations about integrating these issues into APA activities to further the cause of civil and legal rights of lesbian, gay male and bisexual psychologists within the profession.

The committee seeks nominees who have a:

* Background in research on communities of color.

* Involvement in issues related to the effects of poverty on lesbian, gay male and bisexual populations--both environmentally and socioeconomically.

* Expertise and interest in bisexuality, aging and the elderly, or children, youth and families.

* Experience with gender-identity issues or state psychological associations.

The committee welcomes nominations of ethnic-minority psychologists and members of underrepresented groups. Committee members attend two committee meetings a year in Washington, D.C., with expenses reimbursed by APA, and work on committee projects throughout the year.

The nomination deadline is Aug. 1. To nominate an individual, include a statement of the nominee's interest in and qualifications for the committee and a current curriculum vitae. Self-nominations are welcome. Send nomination materials to: CLGBC Nominations, Public Interest Directorate, at the APA address.

Submit proposals for 2004 CEMRRAT grants

APA's Public Interest Directorate invites submissions for its Commission on Ethnic Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training in Psychology (CEMRRAT) grants. The $100,000 CEMRRAT fund supports individuals, organizations and educational institutions that initiate

projects to enhance ethnic-minority recruitment, retention and training in psychology. Eligible applicants include state psychological associations, APA divisions, departments and schools of psychology, APA boards and committees and individuals. Approximately three or four proposals will be funded under each of the following five priority areas:

* Training and professional development activities that improve psychological services for linguistic minorities. Approximately $4,000 is available.

* Strategies that increase the achievement and retention of students of color in math and science--especially in scientific psychology. Approximately $4,000 is available.

* Faculty and professional development activities that promote multicultural competence in teaching, practice and research among psychology faculty. Approximately $15,000 is available.

* Innovative strategies for the recruitment, retention and graduation of ethnic-minority undergraduate and graduate students in psychology. Approximately $15,000 is available.

* Activities that promote leadership skills and opportunities among ethnic-minority psychologists. These awards are targeted to APA governance groups, divisions and other organized entities of psychology, and applicants are expected to match the amount requested. Approximately $2,000 is available.

CEMRRAT grant applicants must be APA members at the time funds are awarded. Grants will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis. Progress reports are due annually by Dec. 1, and a final report is due upon completion of the funded activity.

There is no standard application form. An application of no more than five pages should describe the project's goals and activities, procedure, expected outcomes or findings, budget, and how the effort is consistent with the CEMRRAT funding priorities. Direct questions to Rachel Westerfield, APA's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, at the APA address; (202) 336-6029; e-mail: rwesterfield@apa.org.

--J. CHAMBERLIN