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Psych Students Prove Their Mettle
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Sponsored by the Oklahoma Psychological Society and the Oklahoma Psychological Association, the "Jeopardy!"-style bowl has been won by ORU more times than not in the last 12 years. Although the ORU team took second place in March, faculty advisor Dr. Clark Eldridge is pleased with the results (and with being named "Teacher of the Year" at this eighteenth annual student research conference).
"I feel good about doing as well as we do, when we have fewer resources, less equipment, and fewer faculty than the other schools," he said. The ORU behavioral sciences department is exploring options for refurbishing and upgrading its Experimental Psychology lab. (Any contributions toward the goal would indeed be appreciated.)
This year's team was composed of Brian Socall, Femina Varghese, Joe Edwards, Amy Mathew, and Lindsey Brumbley. They were cheered on by more than 50 of their classmates.
What is the value of the competition and the research conference?
"It gets the students acquainted with the graduate programs that are available in the state of Oklahoma," Dr. Eldridge says. More important, "They experience a climate of research for the first time in their lives. They meet peers who are interested in research, people who are genuinely excited about what they're doing. They stop thinking like adolescents and start thinking like preprofessionals."
Two of the team members are already making their marks outside ORU. Amy Mathew, a 2000 graduate and daughter of theology dean Dr. Thom Mathew, completed her degree in three years and was one of the top four candidates accepted for the doctor of psychology program at Texas Woman's University for this fall. About 60 applicants vie for six to ten spaces each year.
Femina Varghese is spending her summer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, one of the few students selected for an internship through the Stanley Summer Scholars Program. She's assisting a professor with mental health research.
