 Grants
Submitted and Awarded. Several
faculty have submitted grant proposals this fall,
some of which are still under review. Dr. Mark Muraven learned
that his grant, titled "Practicing Self-Control
Lowers the Risk of Smoking Lapse," was
funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
(direct costs = $875,000). This project is investigating
the role of self-control in smoking cessation and
whether interventions that improve self-control
can help reduce the risk of lapsing among smokers
who wish to quit. Likewise, Dr. Cheryl Frye was
awarded a 1.1 million dollar grant by
the NIMH to support a project titled "Progestins’
non-genomic actions for sex behavior."
The goals of this project are to examine mechanisms,
sources, and effects of progestins on
social and affective behavior. This research
uses an ethiologically-relevant
animal model to ascertain effects and mechanisms
of progestins relevant for anxiety, depression,
and schizophrenia. Kudos to each of you!
UAlbany’s
Christine Wagner Awarded $270k by the March of Dimes
to Study Role of Maternal Hormones in Brain
Development. Christine Wagner, an associate professor of psychology
and neuroscience at the University at Albany’s
College of Arts and Sciences has been awarded $270,000 from the March
of Dimes to study
the role of maternal hormones in brain development
with implications for understanding mental retardation. The study,
“The Role of Maternal
Progestins in Cortical and Cognitive Development,”
will explore the effects of progesterone on pre and postnatal brain
development. The
grant was awarded today at the Signature Chefs
Auction of the Saratoga Region, an event to support the March of Dimes.
“By understanding the role that both natural progesterone and contraceptive
progestins play in brain development, we can work to discover how
contraceptives may impact mental development in young children,”
said Wagner. “This research may ultimately provide safer options
for lactating mothers following birth.” “Research holds the promise for prevention of the nation’s No. 1
killer of newborns -- premature birth,” said Kathy Jarvis, Volunteer
Board Chair for the March of Dimes. “Signature Chefs Auction of the
Saratoga Region and other March of Dimes events help fund cutting-edge
research like Dr. Wagner’s, that help solve the mystery of pre-term
birth and improve treatments and outcomes of infants born prematurely.
“We are very encouraged by her work and its potential to contribute
to tomorrow’s cures and improved care for newborns.”
Books
and Texts. Dr. Forsyth recently completed
a book with Dr. Georg Eifert, titled "Acceptance
and commitment therapy for the anxiety disorders:
A practitioner's guide to using mindfulness, acceptance,
and value-based behavior change strategies." and
a second text for persons with problem anger titled
"ACT on Life, not on Anger." New
Harbinger is the publisher.
Student
Honors and Awards. Teaching Assistant Christine
E. Jumpeter received the 2005 Excellence Award
for a Teaching Assistant. She is a doctoral candidate
in industrial and organizational psychology.
Since
January 2003,
Christine has been an instructor in the Department
of Psychology, where she is consistently top rated.
Last spring, she won the award for Outstanding
Teaching by a Graduate Student from Psi Chi, the
undergraduate honor society in psychology, demonstrating
the respect she has earned from undergraduate majors.
We are proud of you Christine!
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