Undergraduate Announcements

How to Calculate your GPA

• A+4.0
• A 4.0
• A- 3.7
• B+ 3.3
• B 3.0
• B- 2.7
• C+ 2.3
• C 2.0
• C- 1.7
• D+ 1.3
• D 1.0
• D- 0.7
• NCR 0

Multiply the number of units a course is worth by the grade points and that gives the quality points of a course (e.g. a three credit course given a grade of A equals 12). Do this for each course taken. Total the quality points and divide by the number of units taken for the semester. Every course attempted is included in the calculation with the exception of courses taken pass/fail.

GRADUATE STUDY IN PSYCHOLOGY AT NORTHWESTERN FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS:

Northwestern's psychology department is hosting a program on June 1st and 2nd for undergraduates who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups, and who are potentially interested in pursuing graduate study in psychology.  Activities will include a workshop designed to help with the graduate school application process and opportunities to meet psychology department faculty members and graduate students to learn what graduate school is like and how they might fit into the graduate programs and laboratory groups at Northwestern.  Travel and accommodation costs associated with participation will be covered, and the application process will be fast and free (applications are due by April 6).  Please visit the Northwestern website for more information:

MIDWEST UNDERGRADUATE COGNITIVE SCIENCE CONFERENCE

The Indiana University Student Organization for Cognitive Science and the Indiana University Cognitive Science Program are pleased to announce the 4th Annual Midwest Undergraduate Cognitive Science Conference on Sunday, April 15, 2012 in Bloomington, IN.

This conference is organized to provide undergraduate cognitive scientists with an opportunity to present their research to their peers from across the Midwest. We are pleased to have Edward Castronova, Professor of Telecommunications & Cognitive Science at Indiana
University, presenting the plenary address, “The Cognitive Science of Games.”

Undergraduate students who wish to present a poster or talk should visit the submissions page on the MUCSC website (http://mucsc.info/submissions.php) for more information. The deadline for submissions is February 27, 2012. Abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the program committee, and notifications will be emailed by March
12, 2012.

Please see http://mucsc.info for more information about presenting a poster or talk and how to participate in MUCSC RUCKUS.

Registration is free and required by all attendees, whether presenting or not; register at http://mucsc.info/registration.php. Submitters of
an abstract for a poster presentation or a talk will be automatically registered as a conference attendee. Transportation and lodging arrangements will be the responsibility of the participants. Travel information and hotel suggestions are available on the MUCSC website.

Further details will be announced closer to the conference. To be placed on our mailing list, send a message to listserv@indiana.edu with the body “subscribe cogsconf-l” – and if there are any questions, please contact cogsconf@indiana.edu.

Thank you,
Kate Sanders
Chair, Midwest Undergraduate Cognitive Science Conference (http://mucsc.info)
Cognitive Science Program (http://cogs.indiana.edu)
Indiana University – Bloomington
cogsconf@indiana.edu

SUMMER 2012 CHILD CARE JOB

Seeking bright, kind, and motivated person to mentor two of my boys, ages 12 and 15 years old.   One has Asperger Syndrome.  Involves keeping the boys stimulated with activities they are interested in (e.g., Biking, Archery, Fishing, intellectual conversations), and facilitating having friends over to socialize. 

Summer hours are flexible and will include some weekend and some weekday evenings.  There is a potential for work next year as well.  Pay $12/hour.  We live within walking distance of Washington University. 

If interested, please contact Tobey, at (314) 863-3847

Clinical Research Assistant

PEDIATRIC ANXIETY RESEARCH CLINIC
Bradley/Hasbro Children’s Research Center
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Rhode Island Hospital
Brown Medical School

The Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC) at Rhode Island Hospital (located in Providence, RI and affiliated with the Brown Medical School), is looking for a full-time clinical research assistant for several projects concerning anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Current research projects are focused on treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), family factors associated with anxiety disorders, neuropsychological functioning in OCD, and effective therapist behaviors and dissemination of childhood OCD treatment. The research assistant will participate in all aspects of clinical research projects. Duties include scheduling and screening study patients, tracking progress of the studies, administering ratings scales, coding treatment sessions and videotaped family observations using newly developed and existing coding systems, and data entry and analysis.  Aiding in study recruitment and developing innovative recruitment strategies is an important role of the research assistant. Participation in multidisciplinary discussions regarding research design and implementation is expected.  Opportunities to assist in writing scientific articles for publication and grant submissions are provided.  Other duties include preparing submissions to the Human Subjects Protection Committee and Office of Research Administration and coordinating communication with research collaborators in other cities.  A strong academic record is essential and past research experience is desirable. 

QUALIFICATIONS: Require a bachelor's degree or higher, preferably in psychology, human biology, or related fields. Excellent computer and communication (verbal and written) skills a must. Past experience of hands-on involvement in a research project, a career interest in clinical psychology or in psychiatry, and proficiency in the use of Microsoft applications are desirable. Must have strong organizational and interpersonal skills, the ability to work well with children and parents, a willingness to tackle complex tasks in an independent manner, and a strong sense of responsibility towards work.

This position would begin in May/June of 2012, and we ask for a two-year commitment.  To apply, please send a cover letter, resume/CV, and two written recommendations to Priya Josyula no later than April 10st, 2012.  We prefer to receive applications via email, but if you or your recommenders would prefer to send us written correspondence, please use the address provided below.  We will review applications as they are received and contact applicants to extend invitations to interview at our clinic.  

Send cover letter and resume by April 10th to:

Priya Josyula 
Clinical Research Assistant
Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic (PARC)
Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center
Coro West, 2nd Fl., Suite 204
One Hoppin Street
Providence, RI 02903
401-444-3003
kjosyula@lifespan.org

FULL-TIME RESEARCH ASSISTANT POSITION AVAILABLE in VISION/ATTENTION/

COGNITIVE SCIENCE

LOCATION: CAMBRIDGE, MA

START DATE: Spring-Summer ‘12

This position is in the lab of Jeremy Wolfe and Todd Horowitz. We conduct psychophysical/behavioral research primarily in the area of visual attention. How do you find what you are looking for in a world full of things you are not looking for? How do radiologists find a tumor in an x-ray? How do their eyes move when they are looking? How could we help make them more accurate? Healthy young adults are the experimental observers for many experiments. Experts like radiologists are observers in other experiments. The position involves all stages of the research process from planning experiments and preparing documents for the ethics review board to helping to write up results for publication, but the main focus is data collection and analysis. Research assistants typically attend and present at one scientific meeting each year, funding permitting.

This position requires a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. A major in Psychology or related field would be preferable, but is not necessary. Some research experience would also be useful. The lab is primarily Macintosh based. A candidate should have some computer experience and should be willing to learn how to use our statistics, graphics, and word processing packages. Programming experience is not necessary, but familiarity with MATLAB would be a plus. Familiarity with eye tracking would be another plus. A candidate must be able to work in an organized, independent manner on multiple tasks and should be able to interact with subjects in a tactful and pleasant manner.

This is an excellent position for a new college graduate who wants to spend two or more years in a research setting before going on to graduate or medical school. NOTE: A two-year commitment is required. The position is not appropriate for those with advanced degrees. Visa and funding issues make it extremely difficult to hire non-US residents.

If interested, please contact Jeremy M Wolfe – wolfe@search.bwh.harvard.edu

and/or Todd Horowitz – toddh@search.bwh.harvard.edu

Brigham & Women's Hospital Visual Attention Lab

64 Sidney St., Suite 170, Cambridge, MA 02139

http://search.bwh.harvard.edu/     

Research Assistants for Autism and Psychotic Disorders Research Programs at the University of Texas Southwestern at Dallas

Research Assistant in Autism

The Autism Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, directed by Dr. John Sweeney, has multiple ongoing research projects investigating cognitive and sensorimotor abilities and their underlying brain systems in individuals with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.  These clinical research projects are conducted in the Autism Center’s clinical assessment and treatment services, providing many opportunities for active involvement in patient evaluations and discussions. 

Research Assistant in Psychosis Research

The psychosis research program involves studies of schizophrenia and bipolar patients at the onset of their disorder.  Psychological and brain changes associated with psychosis are examined, as are the effects of drug treatment on brain functions and behavior. 

Responsibilities for both positions include administering neuropsychological, eye movement, MRI and EEG testing, scoring cognitive and sensorimotor test data, data entry, preparing  Institutional Review Board (IRB) reports, and participating in meetings reviewing and interpreting data, preparing manuscripts, and planning future studies.  This position provides the opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with clinical populations, developing skills in psychological and neuropsychological testing, and participating in each phase of the research process within large-scale NIH funded research studies.  The majority of previous RAs in these positions have successfully gone on to pursue training in medical school, clinical psychology programs, and cognitive neuroscience programs.  

Applicants should have a BA or BS in Psychology, Neuroscience or a related field. Interested participants are asked to make at least a 2 year commitment due to the extensive training required.

For questions regarding the position, please contact Dr. John Sweeney at john.sweeney@utsouthwestern.edu or Dr. Matt Mosconi at matt.mosconi@utsouthwestern.edu

Undergraduate students are invited to apply for summer research fellowships to pursue research with a Washington University faculty member affiliated with the Cognitive, Computational and Systems Neuroscience (CCSN) pathway at Washington University.

Announcement: http://goo.gl/y1BJf
Application: http://goo.gl/yIWAJ