Psychology and Human Factors News

Outreach and Teacher Education at World Water Day

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WWD 2013 ChaddeThe Center for Water & Society World Water Day poster competition was held at the Great Lakes Research Center on Thursday March 21, 2013. In addition to the student posters, there were presentations by faculty on research and by Joan Chadde on outreach and teacher education with the Western UP Center for Science, Math & Environmental Education.

She discussed the Summer Institutes for Teachers, the Great Lakes Research Center Environmental Education teaching lab, the first ever Lake Superior Water Festival from October, and the upcoming 10th Biennial Lake Superior Youth Symposium in May 2013.

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Neuroplasticity in the Motor System: Building a Bridge from Basic Science to the Clinic

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CLS and KIP Presentation

The Departments of Cognitive and Learning Sciences and Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology will host Alissa Fourkas on Tuesday, April 2, from 2:05 to 2:55 p.m., in Rekhi G05. Fourkas will provide a Research Presentation, “Neuroplasticity in the Motor System: Building a Bridge from Basic Science to the Clinic.” Fourkas, who earned her PhD in Health and Exercise Sciences from the University of Wales at Bangor, United Kingdom, is currently a researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and serves as an adjunct faculty at Marymount University. Fourkas’ primary research interest is to study the neural mechanisms underlying motor imagery and action execution in an effort to develop useable and effective motor imagery paradigms to enhance motor learning and control in healthy and injured persons.

For more information, contact Associate Professor Susan Amato-Henderson at slamato@mtu.edu.

From Tech Today.

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STEM, Water Quality, and Rail Transportation in Detroit

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Family Engineering Night DetroitThe National Society of Black Engineers Student Chapter (10 students) conducted classroom presentations at seven elementary, middle and high schools and Family Engineering Nights at three schools in Detroit during spring break week, reaching more than 2,000 students to promote college attendance and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

Joan Chadde conducted a Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum Support (MEECS) Water Quality workshop on Belle Isle for middle and high school teachers from Detroit and metro area schools participating in the U.S. Forest Service funded project “Developing Middle and High School Students to Become Urban Forest Stewards.”

Pasi Lautala and Joan Chadde presented an Intermodal and Rail Transportation Workshop for 22 Detroit Public School teachers. The workshop is funded in part by University of Wisconsin Center for Freight Infrastructure Research and Education and included a tour of the Norfolk Southern railyards in Detroit.

From Tech Today.

It’s Not Your Typical Spring Break!

“This is a great way to increase diversity on our campus, but more importantly, to have students who can relate to these kids and show them that a college education and career in STEM is possible for them,” said Chadde.

Read more at Family Engineering.

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Technology and Teaching During Spring Break

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Tech Silicon Valley Innovation GalleryAlt “Spring” Break

One of the student groups ventured to Silicon Valley, where they visited high-tech giants, including Brocade Communications and their board chairman Dave House ’65.

The students also visited Autodesk, Google, Cisco, Kyocera, and Tesla, some of which employ Michigan Tech alumni. Students learned about the technology of these cutting-edge corporations, career paths in Silicon Valley, and successful business strategies.

Krista Anderson, a psychology major from Kingsford, agreed. “Being able to be part of this experience definitely reassured me that I want to work for a high-tech company someday.”

“The evening was a great success with over 130 parents and children!” said Joy Reynolds, science teacher at Ludington Magnet Middle School. Clippert Academy Middle School had similar numbers. Science teacher Tracy Ortiz said that they had nearly 100 students attending, plus their parents, at Family Engineering Night.

“This is a great way to increase diversity on our campus, but more importantly, to have students who can relate to these kids and show them that a college education and a career in STEM is possible for them,” said Joan Chadde, education/outreach coordinator for the Western UP Center for Science, Math, and Environmental Education, who accompanied the students.

Read more at TechAlum Newsletter, by Dennis Walikainen.

Spring Break: A Chance to Explore, Learn, Inspire Others

The Tech students held Family Engineering Nights at schools. These events are designed to involve the entire family in games that introduce participants to engineering and scientific principles in a fun and engaging way.

Seeing how excited the kids were by the activities inspired Niekeiya Williams. “This trip was a chance to do something rewarding,” she says. “It really reaffirmed my decision to further my education.”

Read more at Tech Today, by Travis Gendron.

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Alice Stuhlmacher Visits April 1-3

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Alice StuhlmacherAs part of Michigan Technological University’s Visiting Women and Minority Lecturer/Scholar Series, the School of Business and Economics will welcome Alice Stuhlmacher to campus April 1st – 3rd, 2013. During the visit, Stuhlmacher will visit classes in the School of Business and Economics as well as the department of Cognitive Learning Sciences. Faculty and student groups will participate in presentations and round table discussions throughout the visit.

Read more at the School of Business and Economics News, by Lynn Makela.

Stuhlmacher Presenting for VWMLS Series

Alice F. Stuhlmacher is a professor of psychology at DePaul University. Her research interests include negotiation and conflict in organizations, particularly relating to gender, labor mediators, and virtual communication. She has been active in applying meta-analyses to summarize existing research and has also published research relating to personality, workplace safety, and decision making.

Read more at Tech Today.

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Ethical Decision Making

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The Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences will host Dr. Adam Feltz on Thursday, March 28th, 2:05 – 2:55 in Rekhi G06. Dr. Feltz will provide a Research Presentation: “Ethical Decision Making”.

Dr. Feltz, who earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Florida State University in 2008, is currently an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary Studies at Schreiner University. Connecting philosophical beliefs and real-world problems Dr. Feltz’s research aims to construct ethical decision support that is intimately linked to ancient questions regarding what it is to be rational, moral, and human.

For more information, contact Associate Professor Susan Amato-Henderson at slamato@mtu.edu.

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Hypothesis Generation: Temporal Dynamics and Hypothesis Guided Visual Search

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Research Presentation Being Hosted by Cognitive and Learning Sciences

Nicholas Lange will be presenting, “Hypothesis Generation: Temporal Dynamics and Hypothesis Guided Visual Search,” at 2:05 p.m., Monday, March 25, Rekhi G06.

Lange, who earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oklahoma, currently holds a dual appointment as a Postdoc Associate Research Fellow at Birkbeck College (University of London) and as a Postdoc Fellow at the University of Oklahoma. His research investigates the underlying role that memory systems play in supporting high-level cognitive tasks such as, judgment and decision making, with a focus on the role of hypothesis generation.

From Tech Today.

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Peace Corps Informational Meeting Thursday

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Brett Heimann, the regional recruiting representative for the Peace Corps, will hold an informational meeting at Michigan Tech at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 21, in Fisher Hall 125. He will talk about the Peace Corps overall and the Peace Corps Master’s International (PCMI) program. The session is free, and everyone is welcome.

Michigan Tech has eight PCMI programs in four different Colleges and Schools. Graduate students earn a master’s degree with a combination of classes and Peace Corps service overseas. For more information, contact PCMI campus director Kari Henquinet (SS), kbhenqui@mtu.edu, 7-1843.

From Tech Today.

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