2015 Strumpf Scholar Award Recipients Announced

The Strumpf Scholar Award, provided by the Linda Brodsky Strumpf Liberal Arts Centennial Graduate Endowment, recognizes outstanding achievement and promise in areas of research supported by the Child Study Center.  Students who receive the Strumpf Scholar Award show innovation and promise in their own research, often have multiple lines of research, and have begun the process of sharing this work with the child psychology research community via presentations and often publications.  Selected graduate students are provided with two years of summer support, as well as additional funds for research-related costs.

We are pleased to announce the 2015 Strumpf Scholars: Alexander Weigard, a Clinical Psychology graduate student, and Elizabeth Shewark, a Developmental Psychology graduate student.

Alexander’s research focuses on processes that affect cognitive control at different points in the lifespan. He received his B.A. in Psychology from Temple University, summa cum laude with a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience and continued his studies at Penn State, where he received his M.S. in Psychology. As a graduate student in Clinical Psychology, he has appeared as first author on two peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at numerous conferences. He has received a number of awards and honors, including Honorable Mention for a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2013 and the Wisniewski Family Enhancement Fund in 2014. His mentors are Dr. Cynthia Huang-Pollock and Dr. Steve Wilson. The Strumpf Scholar Award will provide Alex with the means to further his collaborations and research in clinical science and in the basic study of cognitive control across the lifespan.

Elizabeth received her B.S. in Psychology, cum laude from the University of Mary Washington and received her M.A. in Psychology from George Mason University in 2012. Since 2012, Liz has given numerous presentations throughout the United States and she was a teaching assistant for several classes. She received many awards, including the 2012–2013 Strumpf Liberal Arts Centennial Graduate Scholarship and Psi Chi’s Teaching Assistant of the Year Award for 2014. Her current research interests focus on how family and teacher relationships influence children’s social and emotional development, primarily during early and middle childhood. As a Developmental Psychology Ph.D. student, Liz’s mentors are Dr. Jenae Neiderhiser, Dr. Alysia Blandon, and Dr. Kristin Buss. The Strumpf Scholar Award will give Liz time to publish and to develop a NRSA grant proposal. She also plans to receive additional methodological and statistical training, as well as training in a new substantive area of behavioral genetics.

Please join us in congratulating Alexander and Elizabeth!