STRESS*FEST: Educating the Campus Community about Stress Effects and Coping Strategies
SUSANNE M. MEEHAN, The University of Akron-Wayne College. Orrville, OH 44667
REBECCA M. STULTZ, University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Wilmington, NC 28403
meehan1@uakron.edu
STRESS*FEST is a campus-wide event designed to raise awareness about the impact of stress on health and to provide the campus community with opportunities to learn and practice effective stress reduction techniques.  Initially begun by psychology faculty in response to 9/11, the event has evolved into the Psychology Club college service project. 

Shared student governance: Including students in university governance through a departmental Student Advisory Committee
BRYCE F. SULLIVAN, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
bsulliv@siue.edu
The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is an advocate for the educational interests of our students. The SAC assisted the department in improving its mission statement, web pages, undergraduate handbook, graduate handbook, undergraduate curriculum redesign, and student life. The SAC provides the opportunity for our students to participate in shared governance.

Research Practicum
BRADLEY B. HUFFEY, MICHELLE M. TOLIVER, SARA R. CHURCH, JAMIE ADAMS, DARAH LEACH, STEFANIE DYAR, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
bhuffey@smwc.edu
This program will discuss the benefits of a Research Practicum course at the undergraduate level. The course provides an opportunity for students to be involved in the research process from beginning to end. It uses a mentoring process and prepares students for research at the graduate level. 

*Service-Learning and Undergraduate Research: Symbiotic Applied Learning Across the Psychology Curriculum
PHIL D. WANN, Missouri Western State University
wann@missouriwestern.edu
Linking together undergraduate research with service-learning projects helps to integrate applied learning experiences across the psychology curriculum. This poster describes an undergraduate research study designed to assess the outcomes of a service-learning project in the capstone psychology senior seminar course that involved mentoring of     at-risk elementary school children.

2006 Creative Department or Program 
Poster Award Competition at MPA

Linda L. Walsh, CUPP Midwestern Coordinator, Session Organizer

Using an Advising Center and an Orientation to the Major Course to
Make Advising More Accessible and Increase Student Retention
GEORGE A. GAITHER & KIMBERLY MILLER, Ball State University
ggaither@bsu.edu
Our department has developed an Orientation to the Major course and an Advising and Resource Center which work together to provide students with support as they learn to set academic goals using a person-environment fit model.

*Using a State Mental Health Grant to Develop an Undergraduate
Internship Program for Underserved Populations
RYAN K. MAY, MARK E. SIBICKY, & MARY V. BARNAS, Marietta College
ryan.may@marietta.edu
We describe the acquisition of a grant that has allowed us to develop and implement an undergraduate internship program.  The positive impact the program has had on students, the community, and the local mental health system is discussed along with suggestions concerning how other small departments might secure similar funding.

Protecting Undergraduate Volunteers: Balancing Confidentiality with
the Duty to Protect and/or Warn
Laura Pawlow, Andy Pomerantz, & Bryce Sullivan, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
lpawlow@siue.edu
Undergraduate psychology students are typically utilized as volunteer test-takers for graduate assessment classes.  This can lead to ethical dilemmas that may ultimately harm undergraduate students.  Unfortunately, there is scant literature on this topic.  After consultation with multiple sources, we proposed a solution that could ultimately serve to protect undergraduate volunteers.

2005 Creative Department or Program 
Poster Award Competition at MPA

Linda L. Walsh, CUPP Midwestern Coordinator, Session Organizer

*Coffee-Mate 
LEANNE OLSON, Wisconsin Lutheran College, LAWRENCE KOSZEWSKI,  Rehabilitation Center- Central Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division, ELIZABETH SANCHEZ, Concordia University,  JENNIFER CARRAN,  & JESSICA JONES, Wisconsin Lutheran College
leanne_olson@wlc.edu
To enrich the quality of life for residents with severe and persistent mental illness at a county mental health complex, the students from the Wisconsin Lutheran College Psychology Club instituted a Coffee Shop in order to transplant a small portion of the community into a residential treatment center.

Automating IRB Submission and Review at an Undergraduate Institution
BRIAN C. CRONK, Missouri Western State College
cronk@mwsc.edu
Missouri Western State College has implemented an automated IRB submission and review system which has allowed the institution to monitor undergraduate research without imposing a bureaucratic burden on the faculty or the students. This system allows exempt or expedited review research projects to be approved within 24 hours of being submitted, and allows for better dissemination of details of the projects being conducted.

*Encouraging Career Exploration and Planning for Psychology Majors
ALISA M. PAULSEN, Ohio State University
paulsen.10@osu.edu
Career education initiatives including the Psychology Career and Graduate School Fair, Career of the Month bulletin board, and Ask-an-Alum/Career Mentoring Program aim to promote career exploration and planning for psychology majors.  Program goals include encouraging early planning for life after college and promoting connections between volunteer opportunities, internships, graduate school, and careers.

Attending the MPA Convention from a Student and Teacher’s Perspective
DERRICK L. PROCTOR, ALISA M. E. WILLIAMS, HERBERT HELM, JONATHAN COOK, DAVID H. WHATTON, & REBECCA E. TURK, Andrews University
proctor@andrews.edu
Every year Andrews University takes students to MPA.  It has enhanced our undergraduate department because students compare their research with that of others, and they are exposed to people they hear about in class.  Students and teachers reflect on how attending the convention has improved their educational experience.

Early and Often: Using Research Experiences in Introductory Psychology
to Prepare Students for the Research Methods Course
Preston R. Bost, Wabash College
bostp@wabash.edu
The methodology unit of Introductory Psychology has
traditionally been delivered through lecture sequence near the
beginning of the semester.  These concepts were spread across a set of
six in-class “recitations” embedded in content units.  Each recitation
requires students to work with data, understand methodology, and
generate appropriate conclusions from results.

Using a Research Ethics Committee to Teach Research Ethics
Murdock, G., Adamopoulos, A., Cathey, C., Cochran, K., Cole, A., Cole, C., Griffin, B., Huffman, L. & McDermid, R.
Department of Psychology, Missouri Southern State University – Joplin
Murdock-g@mssu.edu
Students learn APA ethical standards for human research by completing a Departmental Research Ethics review.  The reviewers include faculty members in and outside of the department.  Experimental and controversial projects are reviewed more extensively than correlational projects. This system is efficient, yet properly oversees the research and develops students’ skills.

*Improved Advising at a Comprehensive University 
EMILY J. JOHNSON & BETSY L. MORGAN, University of Wisconsin La Crosse
johnson.emi2@uwlax.edu
Our department initiated an advising coordinator position, increased freshmen outreach,
an on-line tutorial and increased communication with students to improve advising. In
1993, 38% of a sample of seniors rated advising as good or excellent, whereas in 2003
the percentage had risen to 70%.

Psychology Student Center
AMANDA K. HENDRICKSON, University Of Wisconsin Stout
psytutor@uwstout.edu
Organized by psychology students and faculty advisor, the Psychology Student Center's
services include tutoring, peer advising, make-up exams, G.R.E information, proof
reading, and basic study skills. The Psychology Student Center offers these free tutorial
services to enhance overall education in psychology in a stimulating environment for
students.

*Research Abroad: Creating Opportunities for Undergraduates
KATHLEEN STETTER, SUSAN MCFADDEN, & KELLY CAREW, University Of
Wisconsin Oshkosh
stetter@uwosh.edu
Two experiences which combine study abroad and research are described. The University
of Wisconsin Oshkosh Department of Psychology offers two trips in alternating years:
one to Belize, Central America, to study howler monkeys; and one to Salvador, Brazil, to
conduct cross-cultural research with Brazilian psychology majors as partners.

Senior Thesis Research for All Psychology Majors
MURDOCK, G., BABBITT, B., CATHEY, C., COLE, A., COLE, C.,
GRIFFIN, B., HUFFMAN, L., & MCDERMID, R., Missouri Southern
State University
murdock-g@mssu.edu
Senior thesis is the capstone experience for all majors. Students take 11
hours of preparatory coursework, covering statistical analysis, research
design and scientific writing. The culmination is an APA style manuscript
and an oral presentation. Alumni report that thesis has enhanced their
skills for the workplace and graduate study.

Teaching practicum for advanced undergraduate students
AMYKAY COLE & K. CASEY COLE, Missouri Southern State University
cole-a@mssu.edu
Advanced undergraduate students gain teaching experience and provide mentoring to less
advanced students by assisting a faculty member in one class. Student responsibilities
include presenting information in class and providing study sessions as well as office
hours. Benefits include developing presentation skills as preparation for graduate school
and providing a positive student model.

Integrating Research into the Curriculum to Foster Intellectual Development
Regardless of the Career Path
JOHN H. KRANTZ, STEPHEN DINE YOUNG, ELLEN ALTERMATT, & WILLIAM
ALTERMATT, Hanover College
krantzj@hanover.edu
Our curriculum integrates the research process into all aspects of the curriculum as a
means of teaching all students the "process of inquiry"--i.e., how to formulate questions
based on theoretical concepts; how to answer these questions using appropriate methods;
and then critically analyses methods and results.

Psychology Majors Show What They Know: The Senior Assignment
SUSAN L. THOMAS & BRYCE F. SULLIVAN, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
suthoma@siue.edu
The Senior Assignment (SRA) is a scholarly inquiry between students and faculty members
that results in a research presentation at either departmental sessions or at the annual
meeting of the MPA. Students have shown through the SRA that they are quite
sophisticated in their critical thinking, research and presentation skills. 

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* Winning posters

National CUPP Website

Call for Submissions to "The Creative Department or Program" Poster Session

Contact LindaWalsh