Student Awards

Current Graduate Students

  • Erin Guty  - Congratulations to Erin who won First Place in the Social and Behavioral Sciences for her poster presented at the Penn State University Graduate Research Exhibition. This award was based upon Erin’s poster entitled, “Executive Functioning in College Students with Chronic Postconcussion Symptoms.” Erin was awarded the Ellen V. Piers scholarship in fall, 2019 and in spring of 2020 received Penn State’s Research and Graduate Studies Office (RGSO) award to support her dissertation research.

  • Kaitlin Riegler - Congratulations to Kaitlin who was awarded the inaugural Matthew Ryan Serafino Scholarship from the Department of Psychology in Spring 2020. Kaitlin was also awarded to Pennsylvania Psychological Foundation Rex Wellness Education Award in Summer 2020. Kaitlin has been a recipient of the Psi Chi Unrestricted Travel Grant two times during her graduate career, Summer 2018 and Summer 2020, to help support travel to research conferences to present her work. In Summer 2020, Kaitlin was selected to participate in the clinical mentorship program sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Kessler Foundation.

Alumni Graduate Students

 

  • Cristina Roman - Congratulations to Cristina. Cristina's poster entitled "Decreased White Matter Integrity Predicts Hyperconnectivity Following TBI" was awarded the Student Liasison Meritorious Presentation Award at the 42nd Annual International Neuropsychological Society conference. In addition, Cristina received an academic scholarship from the Penn State Almuni Association, Los Angeles Chapter in 2014. In 2015, she received the Martin T. Murphy Award for Excellence in Clinical Psychology and Julius and Philip Epstein Endowed Scholarship. Cristina was one of twelve individuals selected (worldwide) to partake in the Multimodal Neuroimaging Training Program at The University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon in 2016. In 2017, Cristina was awarded the PSULA Alumni Endowed Scholarship! Furthermore, her dissertation research was awarded the Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center Dissertation Award, an APA Dissertation Award, and a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Award!

  • Meg Cadden - Congratulations to Meg who was awarded the 2015 Scott and Paul Pearsall Scholarship from the American Psychological Foundation (APF). In 2018, Meg was awarded a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Award to fund her dissertation research. Additionally, Meg was also one of two national winners of the prestigious Benton-Meier Neuropsychology Scholarship from APA through the American Psychological Foundation (APF). In 2019, Meg was awarded the Psychology Department's Wisniewski Family Enhancement Fund Award for mental health research.

  • Jessie Meyer- Congratulations to Jessie who was awarded the Scott Mesh Honorary Grant for Research in Psychology! Furthermore, she was awarded both an APA Dissertation Research Award and a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Award in 2016. Her dissertation research received an honorable mention from the Janet Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant (APA Div 35) and her poster presenting preliminary dissertation data was awarded 3rd Place in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Graduate Student Exhibition Award at PSU.

  • Victoria Merritt -Victoria was awarded the Scott Mesh Honorary Grant for Research in Psychology and received the Benton-Meier Neuropsychology Scholarship through the American Psychological Foundation in 2014. Victoria was awarded an APA Dissertation Award in 2015 and also received a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Award to fund her dissertation research in 2015. In 2017, Victoria won NAN's Outstanding Dissertation Award. Additionally, Victoria recently received NAN’s 2020 Early Career Award.

  • Dede Ukueberuwa - Congratulations to Dede Ukueberuwa, who won a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Award in the fall of 2013 to support her dissertation research. She also received the Psychology Department's Wisniewski Family Enhancement Fund Award for mental health research in spring 2015.

  • Gray Vargas - Congratulations to Gray, who is now working at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Gray also won a Graduate Student Dissertation Support Grant from Penn State in the fall of 2012 to support her dissertation research. She also won the Best Student Poster Award at the National Academy of Neuropsychology conference in 2011. Gray also was the 1st place winner in Social and Behavioral Sciences for her poster presented at the Penn State University Graduate Research Exhibition, March 29, 2009. Most recently, Gray was awarded the Herndon Award for Outstanding IJMSC Article for her 2013 article entitled "Attributional Style in Multiple Sclerosis: Examining the Learned Helplessness Model." This award is given by the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) for the best article published in this journal during the preceding calendar year.

  • Amanda Rabinowitz - Congratulations to Amanda Rabinowitz, 3rd place winner in Social and Behavioral Sciences for her poster presented at the Penn State University Graduate Research Exhibition, March 27, 2010. This award was based upon Amanda’s poster entitled, “Assessing motivation in baseline concussion testing.” Amanda was also one of two national winners of the prestigious Benton-Meier Neuropsychology Scholarship from APA through the American Psychological Foundation.

  • Christopher Bailey - Congratulations to Christopher Bailey, winner of "Best Student Poster" awards at the two most recent National Academy of Neuropsychology annual conferences. Chris's award-winning poster in 2004 was entitled, "Differential motivation on baseline and post-MTBI neuropsychological performance in collegiate athletes." His 2005 poster was entitled, "Assessment of effort in baseline MRBI neuropsychological testing."

  • Lauren Strober - Congratulations to Lauren Strober, winner of the 2005-2006 Penn State College of the Liberal Arts Award for Excellence in Research. This award was based upon Lauren’s publication of her Master’s thesis entitled: “An examination of four models predicting fatigue in multiple sclerosis.”

  • Megan Smith - Congratulations to Megan Smith, winner of the “Best Student Poster" award at the most recent National Academy of Neuropsychology annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. Megan’s poster was entitled, “Physical Disability and Perfectionistic Concern Over Mistakes Predict Depression in an MS Population: Replication And Extension.”Megan Smith, was also the winner of the 2005 Psi Chi undergraduate teaching excellence award for her instruction at Penn State.

  • Fiona Barwick - Congratulations to Fiona Barwick, winner of the “Best Student Poster" award at the 2005 National Academy of Neuropsychology annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. Fiona’s poster was entitled, “Impact of anxiety and cognitive dysfunction on social support in MS.”

  • Joe Beeney - Congratulations to Joe Beeney, 2nd place winner for his poster presented at the Penn State University Graduate Research Exhibition, March 26, 2006. This award was based upon Joe’s presentation entitled, “Stress and affective memory bias interact to predict depressive symptoms in multiple sclerosis.”

Alumni Undergraduate Students

  • Megan Bradson - Congratulations to Megan for winning Costello Family Scholarship Award from the Department of Psychology at Penn State for 2018.

  • Mark Klemencic - Congratulations to Mark for winning Costello Family Scholarship Award from the Department of Psychology at Penn State.

  • Josh Zollman- Congratulations to Josh for winning 3rd place in the Psi Chi undergraduate symposium. This award was based on research he did as part of his senior honors thesis that was done in the MS lab. Also, congratulations to Josh for winning Costello Family Scholarship Award from the Department of Psychology at Penn State.

  • Maggie Sikora - Congratulations to Maggie Sikora for winning 2nd place in the Psi Chi undergraduate symposium. This award was based on research she did as part of her senior thesis that was done in the MS lab.

  • Katherine Robinett - Congratulations to Katherine Robinett who won 2nd place at the Penn State undergraduate research symposium in April, 2011. This award was based on research she completed as part of her honors thesis in the Sports Concussion lab.

  • Chelsea Morse - Congratulations to Chelsea Morse who won 2nd place at the Penn State undergraduate research symposium. This award was based on research she completed as part of her senior thesis in the MS lab. Chelsea will be starting Drexel University's Clinical Psychology graduate program in the fall.

  • Kristina Krecko - Congratulations to Kristina Krecko who won the Gerald A. Hauser Award for the Best Overall Presentation at the Penn State Undergraduate Research Exhibition on April 7, 2010. This award was based on research she completed as part of her senior thesis in the MS lab. Kristina will be starting medical school at Penn State University’s Hershey Medical Center in the fall.

  • Rayna Macher and Megan Wagner - Congratulations to Rayna Macher and Megan Wagner, winners of first and second place for the "Best Student Poster Award" for the PSU Psychology Dept. Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Exhibition, April 4, 2005. Rayna's poster was entitled, "Computerized vs. clinical testing: Examining validity in cognitive assessment of sports-related concussion." Megan's was entitled, "Daily stressors, coping, and depression in multiple sclerosis."