Psychology

Name of the Faculty Mentor: Andrew Olney

Faculty Mentor’s Department: Institute for Intelligent Systems & Department of Psychology

Contact Information: aolney@memphis.edu

Project Description: Students will work on AI projects involved conversational interfaces (e.g., Siri, Alexa, etc.) Multiple projects are available, ranging from entertainment to educational applications.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Ideally, students will have some knowledge of a programming language. However, students with a strong interest in the topic are encouraged to contact the faculty mentor even if they have no programming skills.

Application or Interview Process: Applicants should submit a cover letter, letter of reference, and unofficial transcript to the faculty mentor's email address. Applicants who pass initial screening will be invited to interview.

Hours per Week the Student Will Work: 10-15, negotiable

Starting Date: A September 1st starting date is anticipated, but applications will continue to be processed until the position is filled.

Name of the Faculty Mentor: Helen Sable

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Contact Information: hjsable@memphis.edu

Project Description: The student will assist in daily behavioral testing sessions in rodents. Testing will be done using automated operant testing chambers. The student will weigh the animals, set up testing chambers and load animals, start the testing sessions, record data when sessions are complete, remove animals from testing chambers, sustain appropriate husbandry for the animals, and complete other general lab duties as assigned. Currently, we are assessing inhibitory control, working memory, and attention in several different animal models of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Ideal fit for students in good academic standing who are interested in neuroscience. Student must complete lab animal orientation with the campus veterinarian prior to starting and wear appropriate PPE at all times while working working with the animals.

Application or Interview Process: Resume, Letter of Interest/Cover Letter, Unofficial Transcript

Hours per Week the Student Will Work: 10-20

Starting Date: ASAP

Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Simon

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Contact Information: nickwsimon@gmail.com

Project Description: The Simon lab uses a rat model to study the brain systems that enable the evaluation of rewards and consequences during decision-making. Students will contribute to a variety of projects, including the relationship between risk-taking and substance use, the role of prefrontal-amygdala brain circuitry in sensitivity to outcomes that are either risky or occur later in time, and the development of decision-making across the lifespan. Student fellowswill learn to handle rats, collect and analyze decision-making data, perform stereotaxic surgery to implant cannulae and optical fibers into the brain, and slice and mount brain tissue. This experience will be highly beneficial to students interested in PhD programs in neuroscience-related disciplines or medical school.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Major in psychology or biology. Students must be part of the Helen Hardin Honors program in good academic standing. Enrollment in Physiological Psychology (PSYC 3306) either before or during this experience is STRONGLY encouraged.

Application or Interview Process: Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview

Hours per Week the Student Will Work: 6-10

Starting Date: ASAP

Faculty Mentor: Meghan McDevitt-Murphy, PhD

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Contact Information: 901-678-2891; mmcdvttm@memphis.edu

Project Description: The student will assist Dr. McDevitt-Murphy's lab (The Trauma and Coping Research Group, or TCRG). The TCRG lab has multiple projects going on, the primary one being Project BRAVE, a federally funded study of military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This student will have the opportunity to assist with participant recruitment and data collection/entry on Project BRAVE. The student will also be involved with other ongoing studies of psychological trauma, and with data analysis and manuscript development. The student will be working side by side with graduate students in our clinical psychology PhD program as well as our Master of Science in General Psychology program, and will have the opportunity to obtain guidance about navigating the graduate school process in psychology. Student will attend lab meetings where didactic material is presented.

Qualifications: Student must be a psychology major who has taken courses in abnormal psychology (PSYC 3102), research design, and statistics (both PSYC 3010 & 3020 preferred). Familiarity or experience with military culture would be a plus

Application or Interview Process: Cover letter, unofficial transcript, and resume (including references). Promising candidates will be interviewed.

Hours per week: approximately 15 hours per week, some weekends expected.

Faculty Mentor: James Murphy, PhD

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Telephone/Email Address: 901-678-2630; jgmurphy@mephis.edu

Project Description: Project BETA is a longitudinal developmental study of alcohol and drug use among young adults recruited from the Memphis Community. Participants complete a number of psychological and social measures and their alcohol and drug use is measured over a three year period to determine risk and protective factors that predict escalating versus diminishing alcohol and drug use.

Qualifications: Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and psychology majors are preferred.

Application or Interview Process: Resume. Virtual interview may be scheduled.

Starting Date: Flexible

Hours per week: 10-15 hours

Method of Compensation: Volunteer

Faculty Mentor: James Whelan

Academic Department: Psychology

Contact: jwhelan@memphis.edu; 901.678.3736

Project Description: The Institute for Gambling Education and Research (TIGER) is a research and clinic with the mission of providing accessible and engaging evidence-based treatment to reduce the risk of gambling-related harms. TIGER is a leading gambling research center that focuses on questions to prevent, assess, and treat those affected by gambling-related harms. Examples of current research include the interaction of substance use and gambling, treatment engagement and efficacy, and responsible gambling strategies. If interested in working with TIGER, please contact us by phone at 901.678.3531 or by email at gambling@memphis.edu

Qualifications: Students should be interested in being involved on an ongoing basis and are willing to commit a minimum of 5 hours per week.

Application Requirements: Students should submit a resume, letter of Interest to Dr. Whelan. Candiates will be contacted for an interview.

Hours Per Week: Flexible

Start Date: Flexible

Faculty Mentor: Xiangen Hu

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Telephone/Email Address: 901-678-5736; xhu@memphis.edu

Project Description: This program of research focuses on exercise and learning. Research assistants will help develop materials and collect data in a series of experiments. In addition to exercise, we are investigating how content presentation affects statistics learning, as well as the role of various individual differences measures (ADHD, math anxiety, etc.).

Qualifications: Statistics knowledge and graphic design skills (e.g., Photoshop) are a plus, but not required.

Application or Interview Process: Applicants should contact Dr. Brent Morgan (brent.morgan@memphis.edu) for an interview.

Starting Date: Research assistants can begin immediately.

Method of Compensation: Volunteer

Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Howell, PhD

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Email Address: k.howell@memphis.edu

Project Description: The Resilience Emerging Amidst Childhood Hardships (REACH) Lab (https://sites.google.com/site/reachlabmemphis/) examines pathways to risk and resilience among children and families who have been exposed to trauma. Dr. Howell and the REACH lab have developed partnerships with local Memphis organizations serving children and families who have experienced adversity. Studies in the REACH lab examine interventions to assist families and youth exposed to violence, as well as projects that study how different factors protect youth from the consequences associated with adversity. As a student in the lab, you will have the opportunity to: conduct literature reviews, connect with community partners via outreach events, assist with data entry, interview study participants, and contribute to research posters, presentations and/or manuscripts.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Students should be psychology majors and in good academic standing (3.0 GPA or higher).

Application or Interview Process: Email a completed REACH Lab application to Dr. Howell at k.howell@memphis.edu to schedule an interview. You can download the application on the REACH Lab webpage >

Starting Date: Flexible

Hours per week: Approximately 10 hours per week

Name of the Faculty Mentor: Meghan McDevitt-Murphy, PhD

Department: Psychology

Contact Information: 901-678-2891; mmcdvttm@memphis.edu

Requirements for Student Applicants: Student must be a psychology major who has taken courses in abnormal psychology (PSYC 3102), research design, and statistics (both PSYC 3010 & 3020 preferred). Familiarity or experience with military culture would be a plus

Application or Interview Process: Cover letter, unofficial transcript, and resume. Promising candidates will be interviewed.

Hours per week the student will work – approximately 15 hours per week, some weekends expected.

Method of Compensation: Volunteer

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Berman

Faculty Mentor's Department: Psychology

Telephone Number and/or E-mail: 901.755-2311; jberman@memphis.edu

Project Description: Assist in Psychotherapy Research Lab on projects examining processes involved in psychotherapy and related psychological treatments.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Must be a psychology major.

Starting Date: Open

Application or Interview Process: Interview

Hours per week: 10 hours

Method of Compensation: Volunteer

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Huette

Department: Psychology

Contact Information: 901-678-3677, shuette@memphis.edu

Project Description: The Language and Behavior lab (LaBlab) seeks to understand the principles and mechanisms of cognitive processes that underlie meaning in language as well as their implications for behavior. We also investigate the role of behavior and the environment on learning and real-time processing of language. Our research uses eye-tracking and motion-tracking technologies to track behavior in real-time, as well as neural network models of information processing and learning. We have anywhere from 6-10 projects going on at any given time.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Psychology, Philosophy, and Computer Science majors are all encouraged to apply, though all majors may be considered. There are no minimum qualifications but students must demonstrate excellence in at least one area: academics, extracurricular activities, job experience, interpersonal skills, and/or computer programming and data analysis. All applicants must apply and interview for positions in the lab, and number of positions are limited.

Starting Date: Ongoing

Method of Compensation: Volunteer, academic credit, or stipend.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrew Tawfik

Department: Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

Contact Information: aatawfik@memphis.edu

Project Description:The Instructional Design & Technology (IDT) Studio is a lab that is interested in the design, development, and evaluation of educational technologies. The Studio partners with schools and organizations within the community and helps them apply edtech in meaningful ways. This position would include data analysis, working directly with users, and possible multimedia development. In terms of scholarship, the students would be included on conference presentations and journal publications.

Requirements for Student Applicants: Multimedia development (e.g – familiarity with tools such as Adobe, iMovie, etc)

Application or Interview Process: Students should submit a brief letter of interest; Face to face interview

Hours per week the student will work: 20/week

Starting Date: Immediately

Method of Compensation: Volunteer