2016 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 2016 Strumpf Scholars: John Loughlin-Presnal, a Child Clinical Psychology graduate student, and Giorgia Picci, a Developmental Psychology graduate student.

John Loughlin-Presnal Child Clinical Psychology

Giorgia Picci Developmental Psychology

ohn’s research focuses on the influence of parenting on the development of children’s academic, social-emotional, and behavioral competencies, as well as the identification of parent-focused intervention targets that maximally promote these abilities. He received his B.S. with honors in Psychology from The University of Washington. As a graduate student in Child Clinical Psychology, he has appeared as first author on a manuscript that was accepted for publication and he presented at numerous conferences. John also received a Training Interdisciplinary Educational Scientists (TIES) fellowship. His mentors are Drs. Karen L. Bierman, Martha Wadsworth, and Paul Morgan. The Strumpf Scholar Award will provide John with the means to further his training and research in child clinical science and in the basic study of parental influence on the academic, social-emotional and behavioral development of children.

Giorgia received her B.A. in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies, summa cum laude, honors, from George Mason University in 2012. As a graduate student, she has received many honors and awards, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her primary research interest focuses on the unique vulnerability of adolescence as a developmental period for individuals with autism. She is also interested in normative adolescent brain development as it relates to pubertal development and peer relationships. She is first author on several published manuscripts and has many others under review and in preparation. She has extensive experience presenting at conferences, teaching, working on research projects, and participating in outreach initiatives. The Strumpf Scholar Award will provide Giorgia with the time she needs to further her research on adolescent development, expand her knowledge of fMRI methodology, and submit manuscripts for review and publication.

Please join us in congratulating John and Giorgia!