Honor education innovators

APA’s Board of Educational Affairs is seeking nominations for its Award for Innovative Practices in Graduate Education, a $5,000 prize that recognizes departments of psychology that have initiated innovative practices that enhance the quality of graduate education and training in psychology. To nominate a department, submit a proposal that includes a brief description of the department’s innovation and objectives, and details when the innovation was initiated, the people involved in its development and the outcomes achieved by the innovation. The nomination deadline is Nov. 15.

Find additional information on the award at www.apa.org/ed/graduate/innovative03.html. To read about last year’s winners, visit the July/August issue of the Monitor online at http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug07/honoring.html.

Present for APAGS in Boston

The 2008 Annual Convention of the APA will take place August 14–17, 2008, in Boston. That might seem far off, but now is the time to think about presenting your work at this prestigious event! Materials must be received in the APA Central Office by Dec. 3 to be considered.

By presenting your work at the APA convention, you will not only gain valuable knowledge and professional contacts, but also professional experience unlike any other available to most graduate students. APAGS follows APA rules for submissions, so if you plan on presenting at APA or other major conferences in the future, this is a great way to learn the process and refine your skills.

Full details on APA’s convention policies are available on the APA Web site at www.apa.org/convention. For specific information on presenting for APAGS, please contact the APAGS Central Office at (202) 336-6014.

Spend a year on Capitol Hill or at a federal agency

APA is seeking applications for its 2008–09 Congressional Fellowship and Science Policy Executive Branch Fellowship Programs. Through the programs up to six psychologists spend a year in Washington, D.C., learning about federal policy-making. Working as special legislative assistants in congressional member or committee offices, Congressional Fellows engage in many facets of policy-making, including legislative and oversight work, staffing legislators at hearings, preparing briefs and writing speeches. Special fellowships are available for mid-career psychologists and those with expertise in health and behavior issues.

The Executive Branch Fellow gains crucial experience in science policy and research coordination working in a federal science agency, such as the White House or the National Institutes of Health.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and APA members, and hold a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field. A minimum of two years of experience postdoctorate is preferred. Both programs provide a yearlong stipend, a supplement for relocation and travel expenses during the year, and an additional monthly stipend for health insurance and other fellowship-related expenses.

For more information on the fellowships and application process, visit www.apa.org/ppo/fellows or contact the Public Interest Government Relations Office at (202) 336-5935. Applications are due on Jan. 3 and 7, respectively, for the Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowships, with selections made in early spring.

Your input needed to shape the future of undergraduate psychology

APA’s Board of Educational Affairs invites educators to apply to attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in Psychology, to be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash; June 22–27, 2008. Conference participants will examine critical issues, developments and concerns in undergraduate education in psychology. APA and the University of Puget Sound will cover most of the conference expenses.

Applicants are invited to complete the application process online at www.apa.org/ed. For more information, contact Martha Boenau in APA’s Education Directorate. The application deadline is Nov. 15.

One-stop shopping for teachers

Need to revive your curriculum? Tap APA’s Psychology Department Program, which provides psychology departments access to the APA’s teaching and advising publications and subscriptions to the Monitor and gradPSYCH for $300 per year. The program includes the new editions of “Career Paths in Psychology: Where Your Degree Can Take You” (APA, 2006); “Getting In: A Step-by-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology” (APA, 2007); “Graduate Study in Psychology: 2008,” and the Careers in Psychology video. The package also includes three complimentary student affiliate memberships to APA and a subscription to PDP-NEWS, an online news source for psychology faculty and students. For more information, visit www.apa.org/ed/pcue/psydeptprog.html.

Fund your conference

The Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) is awarding $5,000 in grants in 2008 to support conferences on enhancing the quality of undergraduate education in psychology and advancing the teaching of psychology at the secondary, two-year, or four-year level. To be considered for funding, the conference must be directed by an APA member, associate or affiliate. The grant may be used to offset travel expenses of selected conference participants, registration fees of conference participants and speaker fees.

Applicants may receive up to $1,000 during a given year. However, if fewer than five acceptable applications are received in a given year, the BEA may award more than one block grant to the same conference in that year.

Funding requests for teaching conferences in 2008 should be postmarked by Feb. 4. Send written requests to Martha Boenau, Education Directorate, at the APA address or via e-mail.

APA honors students on the rise

APA handed out prizes to seven young psychological scientists as part of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Albuquerque in May. Each year, ISEF brings together nearly 1,500 high school students from 40 countries to compete for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prize of a $50,000 college scholarship. APA presented awards for the best projects in the psychological sciences.

The winners are:

•   First-place award of $1,500:   Sonika Tyagi, William Dickinson High School, Jersey City, N.J.

•   Second-place award of $1,000: Scott Miguel Munguia, Tecnologico   de Monterrey Campus Guadalajara,   Guadalajara, Mexico.

•   Third-place awards of $500: Mounir Ahmad Koussa, Tucson High  Magnet School, Tucson, Ariz.; Lacey Nicole Stansill, Seneca High   School, Seneca, Mo.; Sophia Ariella   Porrino, Bergen County Academies,   Hackensack, N.J.; Victoria Amanda   Wheeler and Michelle Angelique   Wheeler, Greenwood High School,   Greenwood, Miss.; Nathalie Fay   Tadena and Jessica Susan Palmer,   Ossining High School, Ossining, N.Y.

For information on ISEF, visit  http://www.sciserv.org/isef/.

—D. Schwartz