05/16/2025
We wanted to provide a “year in review” for the Department of Psychological Science. Our department has gone through some major changes during the past year. First, we have a new department chair. Dr. Justin Yates took over as chair in July after Dr. Cecile Marczinski served in this role for 5 years. Dr. Marczinski served as chair during an extremely difficult time (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic, budget cuts). The department is very grateful for her leadership during her tenure as chair, and we are excited to have her return to the faculty. We are also grateful for Dr. Robin Bartlett, who continues to serve as assistant chair and for Christina Knight, who remains as our academic coordinator. We are also thankful for our wonderful staff advisors, Dr. Steven Donnally and Dana Lehrter. Collectively, they have made the transition between department chairs a smooth process.
Our department also had to say goodbye to a few individuals this past year. Dr. Ty Brumback and Dr. Eli White left NKU for positions at different universities. Luckily, they are still in the Northern Kentucky area. Dr. Kathy O’Connor also retired from teaching. Dr. O’Connor is an NKU alum and previously served as our assistant chair. After retiring as full-time faculty, she continued to teach part-time for the department until this past December.
Although losing great faculty is difficult, our department has multiple things to celebrate from this past year. Dr. Allyson Graf was able to teach two classes in France last summer, which enabled multiple students to travel abroad for the first time. Dr. Kathleen Fuegen was able to teach her Psychology of Environments course, which will become a permanent class beginning this upcoming year. Dr. Brittany Smith has worked on converting our Biopsychology Lab course into a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). This allows students to perform a research study and present the results of their study to a wide audience.
Undergraduate and graduate students were able to receive additional experiential learning opportunities. Multiple students conducted research with numerous faculty during the year, with some of these students completing an Honors in Psychology (HIP) project. Students completing the HIP project design and conduct their own study. Students presented their research at various conferences, including the Midwestern Psychological Association, the Southeastern Psychological Association, the Society for Neuroscience, and NKU’s Celebration of Research and Creativity. We want to thank Dr. Perilou Goddard for overseeing the HIP program, and we want to thank Dr. B. Smith for serving as co-chair of NKU’s Celebration event.
Some of our students completed internships during the year, earning course credit to gain work experience directly related to their long-term career interests. At the Internship Showcase, students had the opportunity to discuss their internship experience. We want to thank Dr. Fuegen for supervising the internships for our department.
Our MSIO students completed three capstone projects in which they provided consultation to different sponsors. Kelli Handorf, Hannah Heisler, and Lauren Matakovich performed a needs assessment for NKU’s University Connect and Persist Care Closet. Jenna Brady, Makenzie Finneran, Megan Groeschen, and Michael McGimsey worked with St. Elizabeth Healthcare on a leader competencies assessment. Hannah Bishop. Kendall Hyams, Christopher Neeld, and Eugene Vowels revised a “student check-in” survey used by NKU’s First-Year Experience & Programs. The MSIO students presented the results of their work to their sponsors at the beginning of May (check out the NKU MSIO page for more info). Dr. Phil Moberg deserves special recognition for his work as director of the MSIO program. We also thank Dr. Bryant-Lees and Dr. Jeff Smith for their contributions to the MSIO program.
Individuals from our department received multiple awards during the year. Dr. Graf received NKU’s Excellence in Research/Creative Activity Mentoring Award, and Dr. Kinsey Bryant-Lees received NKU’s Inclusive Excellence Leadership Award. Dr. B. Smith received the Dr. George Goedel Faculty Mentoring Award. Dr. Kalif Vaughn received a Faculty Project Grant, which provides financial support for him to conduct a research study this upcoming year. Dr. Fuegen and Dr. Doug Krull received sabbatical leaves that they will take this upcoming academic year. Dr. Mark Bardgett received a continuation of his regent’s professorship, which recognizes the long-lasting impact he has had in the area of scholarship. Dr. Donnally received NKU’s Rising Star Award, which is given to an individual that has been advising students for fewer than 3 years. Dr. Yates was named Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and received an APA Early Career Investigator Poster Award.
In addition to receiving awards, several faculty were featured in outlets outside of NKU. Dr. B. Smith was featured in the news (https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/finding-solutions/nku-researchers-join-opioid-fight-looking-at-drug-impacts-during-pregnancy), and she and Dr. Yates were featured in NPR’s Academic Minute (https://www.aacu.org/podcasts/academicminute/2024-01-brittany-smith-northern-kentucky-university-saving-moms-and-babies-from-the-opioid-crisis and https://www.aacu.org/podcasts/academicminute/2024-01-justin-yates-northern-kentucky-university-adhd-and-substance-abuse). The work of Dr. Fuegen and Dr. Kim Breitenbecher was highlighted in a TikTok video!
We had multiple students receive recognition and awards as well. During the fall and the spring semesters, we inducted multiple students into Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology. During the spring Psi Chi induction ceremony, we recognized our senior award winners. Isabella Carr, who served as our vice president for our chapter of Psi Chi/Psychology Club, received both the Research Excellence Award and the Outstanding Senior Award. Mattie Thomas received the Academic Excellence Award, and Stephanie Crawford received the Service Excellence Award. We want to acknowledge and thank the following students for serving as officers for our chapter of Psi Chi/Psychology Club: Peyton Hall (President), Isabella (Vice President), Ana Rey Caldera (Treasurer), Matthew Dowd (Secretary), Susan Sterling (Member-at-Large), and Andrea Saavedra Ferreira (Member-at-Large). We also want to thank Dr. Krull for serving as the faculty advisor for our Psi Chi.
