Volume 21: No. 5, May 2007

May 2007 Announcements

San Francisco beckons!

Don't forget to register for the APA Convention in the beautiful city by the bay, August 17-20. Preconvention registration rates are available until July 2 - go to www.apa.org/convention for complete Convention details!

The Science Directorate's Scientist's Guide to the APA Convention will be available on the Science Directorate website in mid-June. Paper copies will be available at the Directorate's booth in the Moscone Convention Center. Stop by to see us!

Upcoming Deadline: APF/COGDOP Graduate Research Scholarships

Promising graduate students are invited to apply for one of the graduate research scholarships offered by the American Psychological Foundation (APF) and the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP). The purpose of this scholarship program is to assist graduate students of psychology with research costs. To be eligible for these prestigious awards, students must be enrolled in a COGDOP member department, in a doctoral program or in an interim master’s program en route to a doctoral program.

The application deadline is June 15, 2007. Applications must include an official application form approved by the Department Chair, a letter of recommendation from the nominee's graduate research advisor, an outline of the nominee's thesis or dissertation research project, and a vitae. Application forms and detailed instructions are available online, at www.apa.org/science/apf-cogdop.html.

Time Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences Partners with DHS

Time Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS) is principally a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded platform for conducting population-based survey research. The project is lead by political psychologist, Diana Mutz and political scientist, Arthur Lupia. And although TESS accepts proposal on a rolling schedule throughout the year, they have issued a special request for proposals with a deadline of July 1. This round will focus on three substantive areas of interest to the Department of Homeland Security: 1) risk communication and its effects on disaster preparedness; 2) government and individual attributions of responsibility and perceived responsiveness; and 3) inter-group threat and cooperation. While those are the primary foci, the website does indicate that “Other areas of research with relevance to terrorism, disaster preparedness, or the public health and public policy consequences of terrorism and of man-made and natural disasters will also be considered.” For full details see: http://www.experimentcentral.org/.

APA Travel Grants for International Affiliates to attend the APA Convention

This award covers the registration fee at the Annual APA Convention. Eligible applicants are APA International Affiliate members. All are invited to apply. Preference will be given according to the following criteria: (a) 1st author presentation at the APA convention; (b) Affiliate from a low income or a restricted currency country; (c) Have not attended an APA convention in the past 2 years. Application requirements: application form, affiliate number. Deadline extended to July 1, 2007.

Visit www.apa.org/international/awardintravel.html for more information.

Contribute to HHS Blog on Pandemic Flu

On June 13, Michael Leavitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is convening a leadership forum on pandemic preparedness, which brings together highly influential leaders from the business, faith, civic and health care sectors to discuss how best to help Americans become more prepared for a possible influenza pandemic.

The Department is hosting this five-week blog summit to expand this conversation as part of an ongoing effort by the Department to help Americans become more prepared.

And as part of the effort to reach as many people as possible, a blog has been set up to discuss the conference's theme pre-and post-gathering. Comments from scientists would be especially welcomed.

Until the end of June, 2007, you may access and contribute to the blog at this address: http://blog.pandemicflu.gov/.

The five week theme is laid out at the web site. The first week’s theme (May 21) is “Why We Need to Prepare.”

SAVE THE DATE - May 30, 2007 - "Neurobiological Approaches to Autism"

On May 30, 2007, the New York Academy of Sciences is hosting a meeting entitled “Neurobiological Approaches to Autism” in collaboration with Autism Speaks that will feature talks by Gerald Fischbach, Fred Volkmar, Mirella Dapretto and Michael Goldberg. This meeting will occur from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, is free and open to the public and requires pre-registration through a link on the Academy’s website.

APA Travel Grants for US psychologists to attend international conferences

This award will cover or partially cover conference registration fees at international conferences held outside the US and Canada. APA and APAGS members are eligible to apply. Preference will be given according to the following criteria: (a) Significant contribution to the conference program (e.g., 1st author, symposium chair, roundtable moderator); (b) Have not attended an international conference in 2005 or 2006; (c) Early career or graduate student psychologist. Application requirements: Application form, Conference submission, Letter from Department Chair indicating need. DEADLINE EXTENDED for Round III to July 1, 2007.

Visit www.apa.org/international/awardintravel.html for more information.

Register Now for a Pre-Convention ATI on GIS

Each year the APA Science Directorate sponsors a series of Advanced Training Institutes (ATIs) on new and emerging technologies in psychological science. Professors, researchers, and graduate students of psychology take part in these programs, which provide high quality, cutting edge training at a low cost. This year we are hosting a new ATI: a pre-Convention program on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Psychology. For more information about this program visit www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html

This new ATI will introduce Geographic Information Systems for Psychological Research, and will be held Thursday August 16, 2007 at the San Francisco Marriott, 55 Fourth Street, and is within walking distance of the Moscone Convention Center as well as many restaurants and shops. This ATI will focus on the uses (and potential uses) of GIS in psychological research, with plenty of examples from active research programs. A panel of psychologists who use GIS in their research will speak about the strengths of this methodology and its contribution to their investigations. A brief overview of the technology will also be provided, including an overview of different types of GIS software. The day will conclude with a final panel discussion to answer questions. 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 are being accepted for the ATI on GIS until seats are filled – so don’t delay, register today!

Tuition for all ATIs is substantially lower than marketplace prices because of a subsidy from APA’s Science Directorate. The lineup of ATIs for each summer is announced in December. Applications must be submitted electronically through the program’s website, and are being accepted for the 2007 GIS program until seats are filled. For more information, view www.apa.org/science/ati_promo.html or contact the Science Directorate via email or 202.336.6000.