Information about Awards

This page will be updated in the future
for awards for the 2012 SEPA meeting.

~ Award Information ~

 

Mentor Award

Award Winner receives Plaque and $300 award

               SEPA is seeking nominations for the 2012 Mentor Award.  Please nominate a SEPA member who has demonstrated exceptional mentoring through some or all of the following activities:

                   a.  Involving large numbers of students in the annual SEPA meeting

                   b.  Shepherding the careers of various members of the SEPA

                   c.  Supervising and teaching various members of the SEPA

                   d.  Contributing to the professional development of members of the SEPA

Outstanding Professional Paper Award

Award Winner receives a $500 award

Eligibility: The sole or first (senior) author, as described in the APA Publication Manual, must be a non-student, professional member of SEPA in good standing at the time of the 2012 meeting.

 

CEPO Student Research Award
for Research on Minorities or Women

First Place in Women’s Issues - $250

First Place in Minority Issues - $250

Second Place Overall - $100

This is NOT the same as the CEPO Undergraduate Research Program (poster session), which must be submitted via U.S. mail.

Eligibility: A student who is not a member of SEPA may submit an application for membership or be sponsored by a SEPA member. If the paper is co-authored by a faculty member, the student must be the first author as described by the APA Publication Manual and be able to present the paper if it is accepted for the award. Papers not selected for awards, but deemed appropriate for SEPA presentation, will automatically be considered for the SEPA program. Therefore, DO NOT submit your paper to both the SEPA and the CEPO Student Research Award Program.  Authors who are selected to present their work in the CEPO Student Research Award paper session will be expected to be present for the awards ceremony on Friday evening.

SEPA Graduate Student Research Award

First place winner receives a $200 award 

Additional award(s) may be made at the judges’ discretion.

Eligibility:  The sole or first author, as described in the APA Publication Manual, must be a graduate student in a regionally accredited psychology program.  The submission must be sponsored by a current SEPA Member, unless the submitting graduate student is a post-masters student and SEPA Member. The paper cannot be simultaneously submitted to other SEPA competitions or programs. However, legitimate submissions that are not nominated for consideration will automatically be reviewed for the SEPA program. 

Authors who are selected to present their work in the Graduate Student Research Award paper session will be expected to be present for the awards ceremony on Friday evening.

 

~ Past Winners ~

2010 Mentor Award

The Mentor Award Committee selected Dr. Susan Walch
from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida as the
winner of the 2010 Mentor Award.  Dr. Walch received a plaque and a
check in the amount of $300.  She is an outstanding mentor and
richly deserves the award.

2010 Outstanding Professional Paper Award

Debra Sue Pate reported on the Outstanding Professional Paper Award, funded by the APA Science Directorate.  Fifteen papers were submitted and reviewed. The winner of the 2010 OPPA is Dr. Lisa VanWormer from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida.  Dr. VanWormer's winning paper was titled, "The effect of color cues on inhibiting irrelevant information."   Dr. VanWormer received a plaque and a check in the amount of $500.

2010 CEPO Undergraduate Student Research Award

The CEPO Undergraduate Student Research Awards were chaired by Amy Lyndon.  Seven submissions were received.  The Minority Issues Award went to Claire Lisco, Tracie L. Stewart, Ioana Latu and Ashley Myers from Georgia State University, and the Gender Issues Award went to Dawn M. Howerton, Michael A. Olson, and Rebecca D. Hatmaker from the University of Tennessee. The first authors (Lisco and Howerton) each received a check in the amount of $250.

2010 Graduate Student Research Award

Steve Nida, Chair of the Graduate Research Award announced that he received
15 submissions. Four were invited to present papers and the rest were invited to the opening poster session. The four finalists were:

Amanda Rodrigue (University of Louisiana at Lafayette):  “Divergent Thinking Abilities Across the Schizophrenic Spectrum” (with David R. Perkins)

Anna Warren (Mississippi State University):  “Rape Myth and Consent Law Education Reduces Mock Juror Bias” (with Ashley Norwood and Kristine Jacquin)

Sadie Leder (University at Buffalo):  “Strategic Partner Selection:  A Risk Regulation Model of Partner Choice” (with Sandra Murray)

Spencer Fix (University of West Florida):  “Mental Training Increases Mindfulness and Moderates Performance Decrement” (with Jennifer Brace, David Bumgarner, and William Mikulas)

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2009 Mentor Award

The Mentor Award Committee selected Dr. Sandra Willis from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama as the winner of the 2009 Mentor Award. Dr. Willis, who has been at Samford University since 1993, takes students to numerous student research conferences and typically takes numerous students to the annual SEPA meetings. She is an outstanding mentor and richly deserves the award.

2009 Outstanding Professional Paper Award

The OPPA Committee reviewed nine professional papers. The Committee is pleased to announce that the 2009 award for Outstanding Professional Paper went to Dr. Quentin Davis, of Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia.  Dr. Davis’ paper was entitled “Turn Initiations in Signed Conversations with Cross-Fostered Chimpanzees.”  Dr. Davis received a cash award from SEPA in recognition of her research, along with a congratulatory letter that was sent to her Department Chair and Dean.

2009 Graduate Student Research Award

The committee responsible for this year's Graduate Student Research Award competition was chaired by Steve Nida (The Citadel).  On the basis of the presentation, the panel of judges determined Gene Brewer, of the University of Georgia, to be the winner of the competition.  Dr. Nida announced and presented the award (which included a check for $200) at the reception on Friday evening.

2009 CEPO Student Research Award

CEPO Undergraduate Student Research Awards were chaired by Dr. Amy Lyndon.  Eight research paper submissions were received.  The Minority Issues Award went to Ioana Latu and Heather Kleider from Georgia State University and the Gender Issues Award went to Stacey Byrd, Zachary Martin, Adam Underwood, and Jessica Anderson from Augusta State University.

2008 Outstanding Professional Paper Award

Poornima Madhavan, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia.
“Training Modules that incorporate diversity improve quality of airline baggage screening.”

Dr. Madhavan received a check from SEPA for $500.  A letter was sent to her Department Chair and Dean. 

2008 SEPA Graduate Student Research Awards

Shalon Howard of Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia.
“Picrotoxin attenuates taste aversions based on ethanol and nicotine.”

Ms. Howard received a check for $200.

2008 CEPO Student Research Award

The 1st place winner in Minority Issues was Dawn M. Howerton, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Same-sex sexual harassment:  Perceiver’s gender & victim/perpetrator sexual orientation.”

Ms. Howerton received a check for $250.00.

The 1st place winner in Women’s Issues was Andrea Meltzer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
“Men’s body size preferences related to women’s body image.”

Ms. Meltzer received a check for $250.00.

2nd Place Overall Winner was Deborah Bowick, Augusta State university, Augusta, Georgia.
“How knowledge affects pregnancy while using birth control pills.”

Ms. Bowick received a check for $100.00.

2008 Mentor Award

Charles L. Brewer, PhD
Department of Psychology, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina.

A monetary award of $300 and a plaque was given to Dr. Brewer.

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2007 Outstanding Professional Paper Award

Tara Lineweaver, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Neither mid-conversation feedback nor age impacts speech complexity to elders.” 

Jackie White, PhD
Professor of Psychology at UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Decade of change? Binge drinking and sexual victimization.” 

Each received a $250 check and a letter was sent to their department chair and dean. 

2007 SEPA Graduate Student Research Award

Heather Serling and Amanda Boland of Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia.
“Do questionnaire titles and instructions create context effects.” 

They were each given a monetary award.

2007 CEPO Student Research Award

The winner in Minority Issues was Robert Maddox of Augusta State University, Augusta, Georgia.
“Right-wing authoritarianism, religion, and attitudes towards homosexuals and bisexuals.”

The winner in Women’s Issues was Joseph R. Bauer of Queen’s University of Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Effects of a brief STD intervention with university women.”

Each received a $250 check. 

2007 Mentor Award

Stephen Nowicki, PhD
Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
His nominator described him as compassionate, patient, supportive, intelligent, persistent, demanding, challenging, and trustworthy, calling him an experienced and trusted counselor.

 A monetary award of $300 and a plaque was given to Dr. Nowicki.