ESU’s Psychology Department Hosts 52nd Biannual Research Forum

The psychology department at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania hosted the 52nd Biannual Research Forum on December 3, 2024 in Beers Lecture Hall. The Research Forum was started over twenty years ago by Sussie Eshun, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and Richard Wesp, Ph.D., retired distinguished professor of psychology, as a venue to showcase the outstanding student research being done in the psychology department. It has steadily grown over the years and now includes numerous research and internship posters, research presentations, student award presentations, and honor society inductions.

The encouragement and recognition of student research are central aspects of the forum. To this end, Dr. Eshun began this semester’s Forum with an informational presentation teaching students the value of engaging in research, as well as the process for getting started. As part of this presentation, Deena Dailey, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Reneé Boburka, Ph.D., professor of psychology, shared personal examples of the accomplishments of their own previous research students.

During the Research Forum, the celebration of student excellence also includes the presentation of various awards and honors, including the Drago Family Scholarship Award, the John Kramer Science Award, and student inductions into Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology. The Drago Family Scholarship Award, given by the family of Anthony Drago, Ed.D., distinguished professor of psychology, is a monetary scholarship awarded each fall to a psychology major who exemplifies academic excellence. The fall 2024 recipient of this award was Isaiah Sampson, a senior psychology major from Staten Island, N.Y.

As the day’s celebration of student excellence continued, those psychology undergraduates who have met rigorous academic achievement standards were formally inducted into Psi Chi. Psi Chi holds the distinction of being the largest student psychological organization in the world, having over 750,000 members. Psi Chi’s mission is to promote excellence in scholarship and to advance the science of psychology. The ESU chapter was founded in 1980 and since that time, hundreds of students have become members of this prestigious organization. The ESU Chapter of Psi Chi, along with its counterpart, The Psychology Association, a general membership student organization for anyone interested in the study of psychology, sponsors educational, charitable, and civic programs, which are of value to the professional discipline, as well as to the local community. Irina Khusid, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Dailey, are the faculty advisors for these organizations. During the fall 2024 Research Forum, fourteen undergraduate students were inducted into Psi Chi: Jasmin Carter, a senior psychology major from Easton, Pa.; Erin Corbett, a senior psychology major from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Caitlin Cowdin, a junior psychology major from Berlin, N.J.; Caleb Diaz, a senior psychology major from Rockaway Twp., N.J.; Courtney Donnerstag, a junior psychology major from Long Valley, N.J.; Sophia Graffeo, a senior psychology major from Cherry Hill, N.J.; Kayse Haffner, a junior psychology major from Stroudsburg, Pa.; Terrell Holder, a senior psychology major from East Stroudsburg, Pa.; Logan Kester, a junior psychology major from Lehighton, Pa.; Karli Kranyecz, a senior psychology major from Nazareth, Pa.; Rhyan Lillman, a junior psychology major from Effort, Pa.; Karen Quinonez-Herrera, a junior psychology major from Guatemala City, Guatemala; Emily Simon, a junior psychology major from Hackettstown, N.J.; and Cheyenne White, a senior psychology major from Bangor, Pa.

After the formal presentations, awards, and inductions were completed, students and faculty convened in Stroud Hall to view additional research studies presented in poster format by numerous students enrolled in various research-oriented psychology courses. Informational posters presented by students who recently completed internships were also presented. Any students who prepared research posters were eligible to submit their projects for consideration of the John Kramer Science Award. This award, given in memory of former student, John Kramer, who graduated from the ESU psychology program in 2002, recognizes the most outstanding student research submission of the Forum. The awardees of the fall 2024 John Kramer Science Award for their study titled, “Generational Differences and Respect,” were: Seth Bossert, a sophomore psychology major from Bangor, Pa.; Juan Hughes, a sophomore psychology major from Wantage, N.J.; Zakiullah Malikzada, a sophomore psychology major from Bethlehem, Pa.; Genevieve Schwemmer, a junior psychology major from Ambler, Pa.; and Penelope Tejada, a sophomore psychology major from Paterson, N.J.

For more information, contact Dr. Anthony Drago, Chair of the Psychology Department, at tdrago@esu.edu.

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