The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States has presented its first Innovator Award to Kevin O’Brien, PhD, a research psychologist in the Warfighter Performance Group at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory. O’Brien won for creating a device that demonstrates and measures the impact of nutritional supplements on soldiers’ visual performance. His project draws on a large body of research that shows that increasing macular pigment via nutritional changes can improve overall visual function and retinal health.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Shoenfelt, PhD, has been named senior director of APA’s Office of Applied Psychology. Shoenfelt is a licensed industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologist and has been working in applied psychology for more than 30 years, helping people perform their best in high-demand settings throughout industry, government, education, and sports. Shoenfelt, who is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Western Kentucky University, has taught psychology for 36 years and directed the I-O psychology master’s program for 28 years.
Harris M. Cooper, PhD, an emeritus professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, has been named the next editor in chief of APA’s flagship journal, American Psychologist. Cooper’s goals include publishing articles that break down the barriers between psychology’s researchers and practitioners. He will also focus on making psychology more transparent in its descriptions of methods, more open to data sharing, and more widely available.
The city of Statesboro, Georgia, has presented a key to the city to experimental psychologist Karen Z. Naufel, PhD, and several other members of her community for their efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the area. Naufel and other volunteers formed a group called Squashing the Spread in July 2020 when cases were rising in Statesboro and mask use was low. The team distributed more than 70,000 masks to residents and created a public education campaign that included hanging signs and banners in public spaces to promote healthy behaviors such as handwashing. Naufel is a professor of psychology at Georgia Southern University.
Thirteen psychologists have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by the association’s section on psychology. The new fellows are: Tammy D. Allen, PhD, University of South Florida; Peter R. Finn, PhD, Indiana University; Howard Goldstein, PhD, University of South Florida; William (Bill) P. Hetrick, PhD, Indiana University; Stefan Hofmann, PhD, Boston University; Elaine Hull, PhD, Florida State University; Blair T. Johnson, PhD, University of Connecticut; Angeline S. Lillard, PhD, University of Virginia; Raymond G. Miltenberger, PhD, University of South Florida; Jay Myung, PhD, The Ohio State University; Steven L. Neuberg, PhD, Arizona State University; Barbara A. Wanchisen, PhD, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and Cathy Spatz Widom, PhD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
The Mensa Foundation has presented a Distinguished Teacher Award to Southern Connecticut State University psychology professor Kenneth S. Walters, PhD. The prize honors teachers at any level who have had a positive influence on the education or life of a member of Mensa, the high-IQ society. Walters was nominated by his research assistant, Paul McKee, a Marine Corps veteran, Mensa member, and first-generation college student who now plans to pursue a career in academia.