Science programs for APA's Annual Convention now listed on the web

APA's Annual Convention in Boston, Aug. 20­24, promises stellar scientific programming and a number of exciting events. Most of the science-related sessions will occur as part of the condensed Focus on Science programming, scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Among the highlights are:

* A Focus on Science plenary session talk by acclaimed sociobiologist E. O. Wilson, a recipient of the National Medal of Science.

* Master lectures by Tiffany Field, Klaus Miczek, Dan Schacter, Robert Sternberg, and Beth Sulzer-Azaroff (see article on page 18).

* The Neal Miller lecture by Robert Ader.

* Coordinated programming on "Mind, Brain and Behavior," sponsored by APA divisions of experimental psychology, and behavioral neuroscience and comparative psychology.

* Extended viewing poster sessions just for science, organized thematically.

* "The academic career workshop: a beginner's manual," a day-long workshop designed for new academics.

Check our web site for details of the programming shown above and all division programs for the Focus on Science divisions. Go to www.apa.org/science/fos99.html for a full list of the speakers noted above, details on various social events, and a link to APA's Annual Convention Office page.

APA public education campaign radio spot wins award

The APA family relations radio ad recently won the "Crystal Award of Excellence" from The Communicator Awards (CMA), a national awards organization that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. The Crystal Awards is CMA's top award category. APA's spot was nominated for outstanding work done on behalf of associations/institutions.

The family relations spot is the third in a series of ads available for placement through the APA public education campaign to enhance the value of psychological services.

Early campaign research revealed that family relations, along with work stress and the mind/body connection, was an issue of particular concern to consumers across the nation.

As with other campaign ads, the family relations ad encourages consumers to call the campaign's toll-free number, (800) 964-2000, to receive the "Talk to Someone Who Can Help" brochure. Callers may also be connected to the nearest state psychological association for a referral to a psychologist in their area.

With roughly 1,400 entries in the audio competition alone, CMA gave out about 150 total awards across various categories.

First-ever CE weekend focused on psychology and medicine

Psychologists have much to offer primary-care physicians and other medical professionals, including help with doctor-patient communication, expertise on getting patients to comply with treatment and the ability to treat behavioral and psychological problems that may underlie or exacerbate some medical conditions, according to psychologists presenting at the first APA Continuing Education Weekend in San Diego, Calif., Jan. 8­10.

The workshop, "Psychology and medicine: emerging research and new applications for practice," was the first sponsored by all four APA directorates and was designed to link research and practice through continuing education.

The first day was dedicated to the evidence that supports psychologists' roles in medical settings as counselors and behavior change experts. Among others, the University of Miami's Neil Schneiderman, PhD, and APA's Geoffrey Reed, PhD, presented data on how psychosocial interventions can decrease depression and isolation and even boost the immune system, all of which may be related to better health outcomes.

And Don Williams, PhD, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, N.Y., discussed evidence that psychosocial interventions with chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease can not only help patients, but can save the health-care system money.

On the second day, presenters discussed the nuts and bolts of how to get involved with primary care and hospital-based physicians and how to get paid for it.

Health futurist Jeffrey Bauer, PhD, of Hillrose, Colo., was optimistic about the role for psychologists in health-care's future. In particular, he emphasized a move toward population-based medicine that concentrates on disease prevention and whole-body medicine, including psychosocial issues.

If psychologists are to be successful, other presenters stressed, they must work to build the trust of the medical community.

"There's a real need for data and documentation," said Susan McDaniel, PhD, of the University of Rochester's School of Medicine and Dentistry. "But that's a limited view. We need to also use our skills to build personal relationships. Then, when we give them the data, they'll listen."

Working group on teaching and education opens new e-mail chat group

The working group of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) and the Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) have created a new listserv on which students and faculty can disseminate or request information on preparing for academic careers. The working group hopes that subscribers will use the listserv as a venue for sharing information on questions pertaining to professional development, teacher training programs, mentoring and the job market.

Students and faculty interested in joining the open discussion listserv for teaching and education issues can sign up by sending a command e-mail message to the list address listserv@lists.apa.org, leave the subject line blank and in the message area type: ADD

Education Directorate offers graduate school openings list

The Graduate School Openings List, a free service provided by the Education Directorate, is a compilation of graduate programs with vacancies after the April 15th deadline. Only students who have not accepted an offer from a graduate program should utilize this service. The list will be posted on the APA Education Web Site the second week in May 1999.

If you do not have access to the web and would like a copy of the openings, please write or fax your request to Patricia Willingham or Sandy Grout, Attn: Graduate Openings List, Education Directorate, at the APA address, (202) 336-5710, fax: (202) 216-7620, web site: www.apa.org/ed, e-mail: pwillingham@apa.org.

Task force for new professionals seeks members

The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) is seeking a broader membership for a task force that will explore and promote ways recent doctorates can make a smooth transition from student to professional.

The New Professionals Task Force (NPTF) wants to create a voice for new psychologists within APA and become a central source of information for new professionals on issues such as tenure, prescription privileges, publishing and the changing marketplace.

Currently, the task force members are gathering information and developing projects through e-mail communication and phone conferences, but a meeting will be scheduled at this year's APA Annual Convention in Boston. NPTF wants its members to reflect the diversity of psychology, so students and new professionals of all specialties, ethnicities and geographical locations are encouraged to join the task force. For information about becoming a task force member, contact the NPTF chair, Miguel Ybarra, Barry University, Department of Counseling Adrian Dominican School of Education, 11300 N.E. Second Ave., Miami Shores, FL 33161, (305) 899-3714, e-mail: mybarra@mail.barry.edu.

Committee seeks feedback from members on accreditation guideline changes

APA's Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation is accepting comments from members about changes to the "Guidelines and Principles for Accreditation of Programs in Professional Psychology" (G&P) and "Accreditation Operating Procedures" suggested by the Committee on Accreditation (CoA). CoA must comply with regulations set by the U.S. Secretary of Education by December 1999.

In accordance with the APA "Policies for Accreditation Governance," CoA will make the proposed changes available for a 60-day period of public review and comment, which will last from Feb. 15 through April 15. Following the public comment period, CoA will make the appropriate revisions based on the comments received and formally accept the changes to the G&P and the Operating Procedures.

Information on the proposed changes and instructions for commenting can be obtained by contacting the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, at the APA address, (202) 336-5979.

Don't miss the CE workshop booklet in the May Monitor

The tear-out booklet describing all of the workshops the Continuing Education (CE) Program will offer during APA's Annual Convention in Boston, Aug. 20-24 will appear in the May Monitor. CE has scheduled many topics at members' request to be included in half-day and full-day sessions. All workshops carry CE credit.

In addition to last year's most popular workshops, CE will host many new workshops, on such topics as adolescent self-injury, dual diagnosis, bioethics, executive coaching, dream analysis, religious issues, sport psychology interventions, working with infertile clients and treating the seriously mentally ill.

Mark your calendar to remove the booklet from the May issue so you can study it and enroll before popular workshops fill up. You can also find the workshops listed on APA Web Site. Remember: enrollments are limited and many workshops fill within a month after registration begins.

Any questions about CE Convention workshops should be directed to Macon Fooshe Austin, APA CE Programs, (202) 336-5994.

'Father of Alabama psychology' leaves bequest to APF

Clarence J. "Rosey" Rosecrans, PhD, has left the American Psychological Foundation (APF) a bequest of $20,000 to fund annual gifts in his name or to pay the expenses of lecturers at the annual convention. Rosecrans died in September 1997 after a lengthy struggle with leukemia, and he left the gift to the foundation as part of his estate.

He had been a member of the APF Legacy Club since 1996. The club consists of more than 30 individuals who have included the foundation in their will or estate plans.

Rosecrans remains well-known for his long and active involvement in psychology's professional community throughout his career.

He was a fellow of APA and served on the Council of Representatives, the Subcommittee on Professional Service Review, the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee of Div. 13 (Consulting), the Board of Directors of Div. 31 (State Psychological Association Affairs) and the Committee on Professional Practice. From 1969 until his death, he served as an accreditation site visitor of training programs in psychology at academic departments and internship sites.

Rosecrans's extensive list of accomplishments at the regional level also earned him the title "Father of Alabama Psychology." He was a past president of the Birmingham Regional Association of Licensed Psychologists, the Alabama Psychological Association, the Southeastern Psychological Association, the Alabama Academy of Neurology and Psychiatry, and the Birmingham Psychological Society.

He co-founded the Association of Licensed Psychologists in Alabama and served as a fellow of the Society of Personality Assessment. In 1964, he acted as vice-chair for the original Alabama Board of Professional Psychology, and served two extra terms, the last as chair from 1982 to 1983. For seven years, he was a member of the Southeastern Regional Board of the American Board of Professional Psychology, and served as chair for two years.

He received the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Alabama Psychological Association in 1981 and was elected a Distinguished Practitioner of Psychology by the National Academies of Practice in 1988.

At his death, Rosecrans was president-elect of the Alabama Psychological Association.

"APA is indebted to Rosey for his professional contributions to the association," said APA Chief Executive Officer Raymond D. Fowler, PhD. "His generosity in leaving this bequest to the foundation is both typical of him and deeply appreciated."

Individuals who would like to make donations in memory of Rosecrans may send them to APF at the APA address.

Two scholarships available for graduate students

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) in conjunction with Div. 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) seeks applications for the Henry Hécaen and Manfred Meier Neuropsychology scholarships. Both scholarships consist of one-year grants of $2,500, which are made annually to two graduate students who show great promise or achievement in their graduate studies through scholarly or research activity.

Arthur Benton, PhD, has funded the scholarships to honor two esteemed colleagues in neuropsychology. The late Henry Hécaen, a French neurologist, was instrumental in the founding and development of neuropsychology as a science. Manfred Meier, PhD, a former professor at the University of Minnesota, helped to establish the Neuropsychology Laboratory there, where he conducted neuropsychological research on patients with epilepsy, cerebrovascular disorders and Parkinson's Disease.

He has held appointments as professor in the departments of neurosurgery and psychiatry and an adjunct appointment in the department of psychology at the University of Minnesota.

Students who wish to compete for a scholarship should submit five copies of a letter that documents their scholarly or research accomplishments, their financial need and how they will use the award money. This letter should be co-signed by a faculty mentor or director of training after he or she has certified the accuracy of the student's presented information.

The applicant should also submit five copies of this letter and supporting materials, such as cited scholarly or research work. All materials must be submitted by June 1 to: Hécaen and Meier Scholarships, APF, at the APA address.

Division president makes generous donation in memory of daughter

Donald K. Routh, PhD, president of Div. 12 (Clinical Psychology) and founding president of the International Society of Clinical Psychology, has donated more than $30,000 to the American Psychological Foundation (APF) to establish the Rebecca Routh Coon Injury Research Fund. The fund will support an annual award of $1,000 for psychosocial research on injuries to children and young adults through accidents, violence, abuse or suicide.

The fund honors the memory of Donald and Marion W. Routh's daughter, who died in an automobile accident in 1988. Rebecca, who was born in 1964, received her BS in nursing from the University of Iowa in 1987. She was a registered nurse and served as an obstetrical nurse with a hospital in Woodstock, Va. Rebecca married Richard G. Coon of Washington, D.C. in 1987.

The Society of Pediatric Psychology (Section 5 of Div. 12) created the Routh Fund in 1982 to finance student grants researching relevant topics in pediatric psychology at a maximum of $500 each.

"At that time, I was completing my term as editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology," says Routh. "It seemed to me that helping to establish that journal had been about the most significant thing that I had done in my career up to that point, and I wanted to give something back to the field."

In 1997, the society renamed the award the Rebecca Routh Coon Injury Research Fund in honor of Routh's daughter.

The society transferred the fund to APF this past fall, and it will now focus specifically on injuries to children and young adults. Routh reports that the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web site indicates that in 1994, unintentional injuries were the number one cause of death for people age 1 to 34. Research also showed such injuries were among the top 10 causes of death for all age groups.

In addition to Routh's distinguished career and participation in numerous regional, national, and international professional organizations, he has devoted much effort and time to this particular area of research.

"I sincerely hope that the fund will stimulate the momentum toward an established body of high quality psychosocial research on injury control in pediatric psychology, which has grown at a slow but steady pace in the 1990s," he says.

Routh would like to see this new APF fund supplement the work of such programs as the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, university-based injury control research centers, and research programs sponsored by the federal Department of Transporta-tion and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Div. 12 will solicit nominations for the award, and a committee of its members will select the annual winner's name to submit to the APF Board of Trustees for final approval. Individuals who would like to submit donations may send them to the Rebecca Routh Coon Injury Research Fund, APF, at the APA address.

APF awards graduate student scholarships

APF and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) awarded $11,000 in scholarships for the 1998­99 school year to support graduate students in their study of psychology. Eight graduate students were awarded $1,000, and Lori L. Holt received the $3,000 Ruth and Joseph Matarazzo Scholarship for her outstanding research project.

Holt is enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin­Madison researching speech acquisition in infants.

By studying vocalizations in humans and animals, she hopes to document the decline of infants' ability to discriminate non-native speech sounds from native speech sounds in the first year of life.

Because of the limitations presented by studying infants, Holt will use Japanese quail, which have been shown to discern speech sounds and acquire speech categories in a manner similar to humans. Holt intends to incorporate the results of her research into her dissertation.

APF gave eight $1,000 scholarships to psychology graduate students who demonstrated merit and evidence of need. The winners were Karen Z. Attwood, Wake Forest University; Aileen M. Bailer, University of Georgia; Markus Kemmelmeier, University of Michigan; Remo Ostini, University of Minnesota; Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Carnegie Mellon University; Rebekah E. Smith, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Amy Wenzel, University of Iowa; and Jeffrey Zacks, Stanford University.

COGDOP invited graduate departments of psychology who were members in good standing to nominate one candidate for a research scholarship. Winners can use the scholarships for books, supplies, scientific research or travel to a scientific meeting.

Promising high school students recognized with scholarships

In conjunction with the American Psychological Foundation, the Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPPS) awarded four high school students a total of $4,250 for their exemplary research projects in psychology. The recipients of the 1998 scholarships are Beth Erin Bruder, Randi Levine, Brian Dylan Walsh and Joleen Roslyn Okun.

Neva Mahoney, a retired school psychologist from Schenectady, N.Y., funded the scholarships to support the education of young people. Bruder won $2,500 for her paper, "High anxiety and panic at an academically competitive high school," which hypothesized that the occurrence of panic attacks among students would increase in schools that place heavy emphasis on academic achievement and peer competition for admission to prestigious colleges. Bruder graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, and attends the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Levine received $1,000 for her paper, "Aging and visual perception: search task reveals decline of serial processing system and relative stability of parallel processing system as aging occurs," which tested the effect of aging on the parallel and serial processing systems. The parallel processing system enables people to process simple features (such as the color of an object) whereas serial processing allows people to perceive complex features, such as placing simple features together to recognize an entire object. Levine graduated from Susan E. Wagner High School, Staten Island, N.Y. and attends Yale University.

"Associations between gender and the origin of math anxiety in three sequential schools within the Chesterfield County school system," earned Walsh third place and a $500 prize for investigating the differences in math anxiety levels between male and female students.

The survey, distributed to students and teachers from elementary school through high school, revealed that female students experienced greater levels of math anxiety beginning in middle school. Walsh graduated from Chesterfield County Mathematics and Science High School at Clover Hill, Midlothian, Va. He attends the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Okun received $250 for her paper "Gender differences in competition and cooperation among elementary school students: a three-year study," which explored the correlation between gender, and the levels of competition and cooperation among first and fifth graders. She measured levels of cooperation and competitiveness in both individual-pursuit games with rules and "team" games without rules. Okun graduated from Ward Melville High School, East Setauket, N.Y., and attends the University of Virginia.

The TOPSS members who selected the 1998 scholarship winners were Rob McEntarffer, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln, Neb.; Alan Feldman, Perth Amboy High School, Perth Amboy, N.J.; Karl Honma, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamuela, Hawaii; and Allyson Weseley, Roslyn High School, Flushing, N.Y..



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