Forward

A Message from Chair Sheri Mizumori

Although the weather in Seattle has been unusually cool since our Spring 2010 newsletter, the Psychology Department has continued to move forward in many exciting ways.  In this newsletter you will see that faculty continued to secure significant grant funds to support cutting edge research that addresses fundamental problems in psychological science.  We continued to provide instruction for record numbers of students, providing them with not only high quality, but often unique personal experiences.  In addition, we launched our first professional certificate program (in Early Childhood Leadership) offering training to the broader community.  We have pursued new ways to use our research and instructional successes to engage and enrich the local and global communities in the hope that we will work together to discover solutions to important societal problems.  In September, a small contingent of our faculty traveled to Beijing China to identify common mental health issues on which we can work together to find solutions. In October, Professor Randy Kyes traveled to Washington, D.C. to represent our Department's Center for Global Field Studies at the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo. Also in October, the Psychology Department teamed up with the UW Center on Human Development and Disabilties (CHDD) to sponsor a public forum at which we discussed how we could bring research on Autism Spectrum Disorder to practice.  Most recently, together with the Evergreen School (Shoreline, WA), we co-sponsored a free public event at which the latest innovative methods for integrating neuroscience and cognitive psychology research with K-12 educational objectives were discussed by leading scholars.  These last two events were made possible by a generous donation from the Edwards family who established our Department’s Allen Edwards Endowed Lectureships. We are most grateful to the Edwards family, and to all of our Friends of Psychology for their support during these especially trying economic times. We are looking forward to our 6th Annual Edwards Public Lecture Series that will focus on issues related to 'Diversity, Culture and Behavior'.

I hope you enjoy reading about the many important contributions and accomplishments of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni.   Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Cheers,

Sheri Mizumori

Professor and Chair