GRADUATE STUDENT 2023 / CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Siobhan Fitzpatrick is a Phd student in UNB’s Clinical Psychology program supervised by Dr. Janine Olthuis. Driven by her personal experiences as a student-athlete at UBC and UNB, she is researching student-athlete mental health by employing self-report questionnaires and interventions designed to promote well-being. She shares how her state of mind while doing research “ebbs and flows”, how grad school is like a full-time job, and the importance of a good fit between students and supervisors.

Supervisor: Dr. Janine Olthuis

GRADUATE STUDENT 2023 / EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Jennifer McWilliams is a PhD student in the Experimental Psychology program at UNB. She is working on a thesis investigating the use of exercise as a treatment for mental health issues, a study inspired by her personal experiences and discussions with her supervisor, Dr. Janine Olthuis. She shares how her state of mind when doing research can cycle from high focus and passion to low motivation and discouragement; how grad school entails more intense courses, more freedom to pursue meaningful work, and how it is a massive privilege; and encourages undergrads intent on pursuing grad school to devote extensive time to gaining research experience - even if it means taking a year off after undergrad to work in research labs.

Supervisor: Dr. Janine Olthuis

INTERDISCIPLINARY/ BIOLOGY

Kelly Miles is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Biology at UNB. Her areas of expertise are in forensic taphonomy - the study of how living things change after death - and the science of human decomposition. She describes her career path, her research on gauging post-mortem intervals, and how understanding the human brain is crucial for studying death. She emphasizes that human biology, anatomy, neurobiology, and forensic biology are considerably interrelated, and encourages psychology students to take human anatomy and physiology courses spanning all organ systems to gain superior understandings of psychology and neuroscience.

STUDENT PROFILE

Melanie Green is a fourth year student at UNB completing Honours in psychology, a pursuit motivated by her experiences as a neurodivergent individual. She describes how the misdiagnoses and stigma she faced in the healthcare system - and her eventual diagnosis of autism - sensitized her to the challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals in society, and she dreams of establishing a multidisciplinary clinic that wholesomely addresses the needs of neurodivergent people. She shares how fulfilling she finds her Honours research project on the experiences of Autistics in the workplace, her favourite psychology reads spanning ADHD, neurobiology, and neurodivergence, and responds to how she would introduce psychology to those uninterested in the field - her take rivaling that of artificial intelligence chatbox ChatGPT, whose answer she copied in for fun.

INTERDISCIPLINARY / EDUCATION

Dr. Andrea Garner is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at UNB. With a background in applied behaviour analysis, behavioural and cognitive psychology, and strength-based education, her research interests involve improving the experiences of neurodivergent and equity-deserving people in education and facilitating their personal growth. She emphasizes that her current work in coaching, mentoring, trauma-responsive practices, and self-determination theory combines positive psychology and education. Drawing from the Master’s of Exceptional Learners program, she lists some psychology-related education courses on understanding neurodivergent learners.

STUDENT PROFILE

Abbey Hunter is a 4th year student completing an Honours in Psychology (BA). She describes an education journey that is non-linear, sharing that she spent time at Acadia University, travelled, worked, and then settled on studying psychology at UNB. She emphasizes that she has come to appreciate flexibility and exploration; though keen on pursuing a Master’s, she may enter the workforce again before committing to higher level study. She discusses the joy she feels when working with children, how fascinated she was to learn about gender and society, why she believes no one can be indifferent to psychology, and the textbook on close relationships that she is unable to part with.

INTERDISCIPLINARY / EDUCATION

Dr. Melissa Garrett is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education. Her current research focus is on identifying strength-based approaches to support language acquisition and personal development of French as an Additional Language students within the Francophone sector of New Brunswick’s schools. She discusses how her interest in French as an Additional Language developed through her time with UNB, how this passion continues to incentivize her work today, and also details the importance of inclusive practices within education and her research on gauging the narratives around inclusive education in Canada. She considers psychology to be crucial for understanding the needs, development, and characteristics of exceptional learners, and touches on how positive psychology, motivation theories, and psychology-based learning models inform educators.

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT 2022

Molly Miller is a 4th year student working towards a Bachelor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Leadership as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She discusses how, through an opportunity to work with Dr. Emilie Lacroix, she participated in research surrounding comorbid eating disorders and substance use disorders. Touching on her research with Dr. Lacroix, Molly speaks to the value of the hands-on experience acquired through the Basic Research course and how her project contributed to facilitating stronger academic research on disordered eating.

Supervisor: Dr. Emilie Lacroix

STUDENT PROFILE

Madeline Wiseman is a 5th year student completing her Honours in Psychology with a specialization in neuroscience (BSc). She describes her ambition to pursue a PhD in experimental psychology with a focus on language development and speech perception, and enter academia for a career in research and teaching. She discusses “The Brain that Changes Itself” and her other favourite psychology-related reads, her side passion for biology, and her belief that the field of psychology can fascinate anyone given its broad scope.

FACULTY PROFILE

Dr. Carmen Poulin is a professor in Psychology, and Gender & Women Studies. She details how her interest in psychology was initially rooted in physiological psychology and a drive to explain psychological events with physiology, then shifted to qualitative methods as she became curious about understanding systemic inequalities and their impacts. She discusses how curiosity builds the resilience for pursuing a research question, how she was also drawn to a career as a surgeon, how “The Handmaids Tale” and other psychology-inspired works impressed her, and how her mentor influenced her choice to become a psychologist.

STUDENT PROFILE

Nicole Acupinpin is a 3rd year student completing a BSc in Psychology with a specialization in neuroscience. Aspiring to pursue a career in medicine, she is interested in applying research findings to human problems, and believes that psychology is crucial for gaining a greater societal awareness of mental health issues. She describes her interest in neuroscience and her favourite psychology-related read - a memoir called “The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind”.

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT 2022

Jayden Roberts is a 3rd year Science student in Psychology with a minor in biology. She enrolled in the basic research course to gain the required research experience prior to completing Honours next year, and contributed to a project clarifying the relationship between anxiety and working memory. Roberts detailedly explains the research project, and shares that she was involved in data collection, writing literature reviews, and reading relevant literature - all tasks that she found enriching.

Supervisor: Dr. Biljana Stevanovski and Jennifer Gallan (graduate student)

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT 2022

Holly McLaughlin is a 4th year Psychology student who studied adolescents’ help-seeking intentions from a general practitioner for her Basic Research project. She describes results from her study and shares that she was involved in conducting literature reviews, data analysis, and writing components of a potential manuscript. Having enrolled in the Basic Research course to gain research experience, she says that the experience taught her valuable skills and exceeded her expectations.

Supervisor: Dr. Heather Sears

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT 2022

Naomi Levins is a third-year Arts student in Psychology. She worked on a basic research project examining job satisfaction in autistic adults where she assisted in completing a manuscript for publication. She emphasizes that minimal research on this topic currently exists, and that the project results can provide insight into how job satisfaction in autistic adults might be improved. Interested in child psychology, Levins was drawn to this project to learn more about autism, and shares that she has realized how crucial research can be for helping those who are suffering.

Supervisor: Dr. Barbara D’Entremont

BASIC RESEARCH PROJECT 2022

Emma Hynes is a 3rd year student doing a BSc in psychology. Aspiring to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology, she completed the basic research course to prepare for future research pursuits. She embarked on a project investigating how psychologists view and use performance validity tests, which serve to assess whether cognitive tests appropriately detect cognitive deficits. She was involved in participant recruitment and transcribing interview content, and affirms that, though the tasks were basic, they gave her a good sense of what research entailed.

Supervisor: Dr. Diane LaChapelle and Jenna Wright (graduate student)

EXTERNAL RESEARCHER / UPEI

Alexis Wood is a 4th year Biology and Psychology student at the University of Prince Edward Island studying the effects of pesticides in mammals. She explains the long history of insecticide use in our society, and how research into its effects on mammals is minimal. Her research methods span exposing in utero rats to thiamethoxam pesticide, assessing their behaviour with physical and cognitive tests, and quantifying protein synthesis in the cortex and hippocampus. She emphasizes the thrill of investigating this little-studied topic, and how her interest in pesticides is contextualized by her upbringing on a farm in rural PEI.

Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Tasker

HONOURS THESIS 2022

Emma Toole is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University, and completed her Honours in Psychology (BSc) at UNB last year. She describes her thesis on how stress is experienced differently in student athletes and non-student-athletes, a project inspired by a prior study about stress in university students. She shares her personal interests in sports psychology, the joy of contributing to practical mental health research, and encourages students to seek out research experiences.

Supervisors: Dr. Janine Olthuis and Dr. Brooke Linden.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2022/ ASSISTANT RESEARCHER

Mackenzie Lacey is a 4th year Science student in Psychology who is currently working as a research assistant in Dr. Voyer’s Visual Perception lab, contributing to a project on sex differences in visuospatial processing. Her work involves directing experiments - organizing meetings with research participants, setting up the lab for experiments, and ensuring that participants complete the experiments adequately. She shares the joy of meeting student participants across different disciplines and how the work experience has shaped her confidence.

Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Voyer

FACULTY PROFILE

Dr. Barbara D’Entremont came to UNB in 2000 to teach courses in developmental and clinical psychology. Interested in psychology since high school, she settled on developmental psychology late into her degree when she realized how much she enjoyed working with children. She explains her community-oriented approach to studying autism, the importance of passion for persevering in research, and her interest in supporting neurodivergent artists.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2022/ ASSISTANT RESEARCHER

Hanna MacFarlane is a 3rd year Science student in Psychology conducting experiments in cognitive psychology. She shares the elements of her workday, how the position allowed her to hone in on her research interests, and how obtaining research positions are facilitated by forging strong relationships with professors.

Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Voyer