Volume 21: No. 4, April 2007

April 2007 Announcements

Research funding available for stigma and mental illness

APF seeks proposals for the 2007 Violet and Cyril Franks Scholarship for graduate-level scholarly projects that use a psychological perspective to help understand and reduce stigma associated with mental illness.

Applicants for the $5,000 award must be graduate psychology students enrolled full time and in good standing at an accredited university. Proposals should answer the following five questions in five pages or less:

• What is the projects goal?
   
• What prior research in the area has been conducted?
   
• Whom will this project serve?
   
• What are the intended outcomes and how will the project achieve them?
   
• What is the total project cost?

Proposals, a letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor, and a cv should be submitted online at http://forms.apa.org/apf/grants/. The deadline is May 15. For more information, contact Idalia Ramos via email or phone: (202) 336-5814.

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of Drs. Cyril and Violet Franks. Cyril Franks is distinguished professor emeritus of the psychology graduate school of Rutgers University and is co-founder and first president of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. Violet Franks has been a psychologist in private practice since 1960 and has also served as consultant and director of the psychology department of the Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead, New Jersey.

Grants Available for Scientific Conferences, Proposals Invited

The Science Directorate is currently seeking proposals for research conferences in psychology. The purpose of this program is to promote the exchange of important new contributions and approaches in scientific psychology. Over 90 conference grants have been awarded to date. The next deadline for applications is June 1, 2007.

Grant money ranging from $500 to $20,000 is available for the scientific conference. Proposals will be considered using such formats as "add-a-day” conferences ($500-$3,000 available), "stand alone” conferences ($5,000-$20,000 available), and festschrifts ($5,000-$20,000 available). APA is also open to innovative ways of holding conferences. The conference must be additionally supported by the host institution with direct funds, in-kind support, or a combination of the two. Please note that a detailed budget including institutional support is required for application.

Conference proposals must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• One of the primary organizers must be a member of APA.
• Only academic institutions accredited by a regional body may apply. Independent research institutions must provide evidence of affiliation with an accredited institution. Joint proposals from cooperating institutions are encouraged.
• Conferences may be held only in the United States, its possessions, or Canada.
• APA governance groups, APA Divisions and other related entities are not eligible for funding under this program.

Conference proceedings and presentation materials (including electronic presentations) must be submitted to APA three months after the date the conference is held. APA will hold the conference proceedings for three years. If a book has not been published by APA or another publisher within the three-year holding period, APA will place the conference proceedings in PsycEXTRA.

Seventy-five percent of funds will be distributed to grantees prior to the conferences, and the remaining twenty-five percent will be released following the conference and after the submission of a final financial report detailing conference expenditures equal to or exceeding Grantees proposed total budget.

Conference review committee members are: Oscar Barbarin, Anita Davis, Michael Domjan, Kathleen McDermott, Kevin Murphy, and James W. Pennebaker.

For more information on review criteria, proposal contents, and budget guidelines, please refer to the APA website (www.apa.org/science/confer2.html) or contact Stephanie Cox via email.

Proposal writers must contact Stephanie Cox before submission.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: June 1, 2007

Announcing the 2007 APF/COGDOP Graduate Research Scholarships

The American Psychological Foundation (APF) and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) are jointly offering graduate research scholarships. Promising graduate students are invited to apply for one of these awards, including the $3,000 Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship, the $2,000 Clarence J. Rosecrans Scholarship, and a number of $1,000 scholarships.

The purpose of the scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs. Eligible students are those enrolled in a doctoral program or an interim masters program in a COGDOP member department. Students currently enrolled in terminal masters programs in COGDOP member departments are eligible for the award if they intend to enroll in a PhD program immediately after earning the masters degree. Students at any stage of graduate study are encouraged to apply, and several fellowships have been reserved for students who, at the time of application, are within the first two years of graduate study in psychology.

Applications must be received by June 15, 2007. Visit www.apa.org/science/apf-cogdop.html for complete instructions and a link to the application form.

Funding Available for Violence Prevention

APF will award up to $20,000 in 2007 for innovative community programming aimed at interventions to prevent and reduce violence in society. Proposals from non-PhD holders and non-psychologists will be accepted provided their proposal meets the following program goals:

• Encourages the transfer of psychological science with regard to violence, its prevention, and intervention strategies to programmatic applications within the community
   
• Supports the implementation of innovative community programs aimed at preventing violence in a number of social settings (e.g. young adult populations, the elderly, domestic partnerships, and others)

Applicants must be engaged in research-based program implementation. Special consideration will be given to programs that show promise for broad-based community support. For application information, visit www.apa.org/apf/violence.html. The deadline is June 1.

2007 Academic Career Workshops

The Science Directorates Academic Career Workshops have become an integral part of many scientific society meetings. We continue to receive rave review from attendees. The purpose of these workshops is to introduce graduate and postdoctoral students to the nuts and bolts of pursuing an academic career. Topics range from a description of variations in the academic culture across institutions to the pragmatics of the recruiting and hiring process.

See below for the workshops that are scheduled for the spring. If you are interested in additional information about the workshops, such as co-hosting or attending one, please contact Stephanie Cox by phone at 202-336-5918 or email.

Also, please check out our webpage for more information on an academic career at www.apa.org/science/careers.html.

There is no charge to attend these workshops!

Spring 2007 Academic Career Workshop Schedule

MPA: May 3-5, 2007
Chicago, IL
Workshop Date: Thursday, May 3, 2007
Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
www.midwesternpsych.org

Career Day at University of Maryland at Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD
Workshop Date: Friday, May 4, 2007
Time: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

APA Science Directorate Publishes Pamphlets on fMRI and Psychological Science

In March 2007 the Science Directorate published two new printed and web resources for students and the general public to learn about functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) in psychological science.

During the past six summers, the APA Science Directorate has supported a series of NIMH funded Advanced Training Institutes on how psychologists can incorporate fMRI into their research. As the capstone of this series of ATIs, we have published two new booklets (one for adults and one for teenagers) about fMRI-based psychological research. Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about the advances allowed by fMRI, with special emphasis on its applications in psychology.

These booklets highlight some of the most exciting fMRI research taking place in psychology by focusing on four broad sections: Improving Lives, Treating Disorders, Addressing Social Problems, and Exploring the Mind. A broad range of research is highlighted in each of these sections, on such problems as addiction, racism, and dyslexia. We seek to make the material come alive for readers through the use of numerous examples, straightforward language, and a full-color format including plenty of illustrations.

The booklets are intended for general audiences who are interested in learning about psychological science and its applications to everyday life. Through outreach activities, such as the publication of these booklets, the Science Directorate is working to increase public knowledge and understanding of psychological science. 

Electronic versions of both the teen and adult booklets are available on the web at www.apa.org/science and www.apa.org/science/fMRIBooklets.html for educational uses. Printed copies can be requested via email. Be sure to share these resources widely.

APA Training Institutes on GIS & Web-Based Research

Applications are still being accepted for two of this summers APA Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs). These intensive training programs expose advanced graduate students, new and established faculty, post-docs, and other researchers to state of the art psychological research methods and emerging technologies. More information about these programs can be found at: www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html

We encourage you to consider these programs for yourself and to forward this announcement widely to colleagues and students who may be interested.

An ATI on Performing Web-Based Research will be held July 9-13, 2007, at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. This program will cover the how, why, and why not of designing and implementing web-based research. Examples of interactive experiments that are conducted on the web are discussed, and instructors provide background on the history of internet-based research, as well as the ethics of collecting data on the web. Other topics include longitudinal web methods, large shared databases, web panels, and the recruitment and retention of online participants. Website creation is introduced using basic html and the Authorware software package, as needed for each individuals project. Attendees should come prepared with a web project (or an idea for a web-based experiment) that they would like to work on during the week. Applications will be accepted until seats are filled.

Another ATI will introduce Geographic Information Systems for Psychological Research, and will be held August 16, 2007, in San Francisco, CA. The timing of this one-day program immediately prior to the APA Convention is intended to make it easier for psychologists to attend and learn about this emerging technology. This ATI will focus on the uses (and potential uses) of GIS in psychological research, with plenty of examples. A panel of psychologists who use GIS in their research will speak about the strengths of this methodology and its contribution to their investigations. The development of current the current technology and computer programs will also be discussed. When possible, demonstrations of GIS technology will be matched to the research interests of attendees as described on the registration forms. Dr. Reginald Golledge, a leading behavioral geographer, will direct this ATI. Applications will be accepted until seats are filled.

Tuition for all ATIs is substantially lower than marketplace prices because of a subsidy from APAs Science Directorate. Applications are available at www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html and must be submitted electronically through the programs website. For more information, contact APAs Science Directorate via email or (202) 336-6000.

Early Researcher Awards Deadline Set

The APA Science Student Council has announced September 14, 2007 as the deadline date for submissions for the 2007 Early Researcher Awards. These awards recognize outstanding student researchers who are currently early in their graduate training. We are unable to accept submissions from advanced graduate students for research completed earlier in their graduate training.

Strong preference will be given to students who demonstrate outstanding research abilities earlier in their graduate training (i.e., up to and including masters thesis or equivalent), and who show a considerable level of independence in conducting their research.

Up to three awards will be given in 2007, drawn from basic science, applied science, and interdisciplinary science areas. Each recipient will receive an award of $1,000.

More information about the Early Researcher Awards is available at www.apa.org/science/era.html. The application is now available at www.apa.org/science/era_app.html

If you have any questions, please send an email to the Science Directorate or telephone at 202-336-6000.