Volume 19: No. 10, November 2005

December 2005 Announcements

Neal Miller Lecturer Nominations Sought

BSA is pleased to be able to dedicate time during the APA convention to neuroscience and animal research.  The board honored the eminent neuroscientist Neal Miller by naming the lecture after him.  Past speakers include:  Neal Miller, Nancy Wexler, Larry Squire, Joseph LeDoux, Martha McClintock, Robert Adar, Linda Bartoshuk, Steven Maier, Elizabeth Gould, Edward Taub, J. Bruce Overmier, and Lynn Nadel.

Please send a vita for your nominee by e-mail or fax (202-336-5953) to Suzanne Wandersman, APA Science Directorate, 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC. 20002-4242.  Nominations must be received by February 10, 2006.

Call for Nominations for 2006 McGuigan Prize

In 2006, APF will award its third biennial $25,000 F. J. McGuigan Young Investigator Prize to recognize the efforts of a young psychological science investigator to explicate the concept of the human mind from a primarily psychophysiological perspective. Physiological and behavioral research may qualify for support, but dualistic approaches, such as those espoused by many contemporary cognitive psychologists, do not qualify for support.

Nominees must have earned a doctoral degree in psychology or a related field and be fewer than 9 years post-doctoral degree at the time of the nomination. Nominees must also be affiliated with an accredited college, university or research institution. The prize will be awarded to the recipient’s institution for the benefit of his or her research. Faculty salaries and indirect costs may not be requested.

The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2006. Nomination packages must contain six (6) copies of a nomination package, each package to include: a letter of nomination written by a senior colleague (no self-nominations); 1-2 page statement of accomplishments and plans for the next five years (written by nominee); a curriculum vitae; and two representative publications. Materials should be sent to: APF Frank Joseph McGuigan Young Investigator Prize, APA Science Directorate, at the APA address.

For more information, visit the website or contact the APA Science Directorate.

Meritorious Research Service Commendation Call for Nominations

The APA Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) is soliciting nominations for the Meritorious Research Service Commendation.  This commendation recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to psychological science through their service as employees of the federal government or other organizations. Contributions are defined according to service to the field that directly or indirectly advances opportunities and resources for psychological science.  This may include staff at federal or non-federal research funding, regulatory or other agencies.  Nominees may be active or retired but ordinarily will have a minimum of 10 years of such service.  The individual’s personal scholarly achievements (i.e., research, teaching, and writing) are not considered in the selection process independent of their service contributions.

To submit a nomination provide the following:

• A letter of nomination that describes and supports the individual’s contributions (e.g., nature of the individual’s service to psychological science, positions held, program development activities).  The nomination letters should be no more than two pages long.
• A curriculum vita
• Three letters of support from scientists, at least two from outside the nominee’s organization

Deadline for submitting nominations is March 1, 2006.  Please send nominations to Suzanne Wandersman.  For a list of past recipients, visit the APA Science Directorate Website.

SHARON BREHM ELECTED PRESIDENT OF APA FOR 2007

Sharon Stephens Brehm, Professor of Psychology in the clinical and social programs at Indiana University Bloomington, has been elected president of APA for 2007.

Brehm received a BA and PhD from Duke University and an AM from Harvard. She has had a distinguished career in psychology. Her research has examined the effects of psychological reactance, empathy, and self-focus. She has published numerous articles and chapters as well as highly regarded monographs and edited. In collaboration with her colleagues, she has also published multiple editions of textbooks focusing on intimate relationships and social psychology. During her fifteen years as a faculty member at the University of Kansas, Brehm was selected as an Intra-University Professor at the University of Kansas, inducted into the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame, and appointed as a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.

During her presidency, Brehm will focus on two major areas that she believes are crucial for the association and its members. First, she will emphasize the importance of communications. “In any large, complex organization, communication is crucial for reaching one’s goals. We must enhance both internal and external communications,” Brehm states.

Brehm is a strong proponent for increasing advocacy on behalf of psychology. “Making our case to state and federal legislators and agencies is absolutely essential for the long-term success of psychology,” she states.

Brehm’s second area of emphasis is on preparing psychology for the future. Her interests in this area are wide-ranging. She stresses the importance of reaching out to students and to early career psychologists. “There is nothing more important in any community than nurturing the next generation. APA has been active in this area, but I would like to see its efforts become even more vigorous.”

Brehm will serve as a member of the APA Board of Directors and the association’s president-elect in 2006. She will assume the office of president on January 1, 2007.