As we all are aware, we are part of a very large department with a huge undergraduate education and research component. This year, over 700 students will graduate as Psychology majors. Of those 700+ majors, only 20 will graduate with the designation “Honors Research Scholar in Psychology”. These 20 represent our most dedicated, intellectually engaged, and hard-working students.
Completing an Honors Thesis is always a test of tenacity, and the last two years have posed unique challenges. COVID restrictions limited access to subjects and laboratories, approvals were delayed, and resources were limited. These added burdens make this year’s class of students even more impressive. We had as many students propose an honors project as we would have in a more typical year, and of the 21 who proposed a project, 20 completed it (again, at least equaling our typical success rate!). This year’s students deserve special recognition for their determination and perseverance!
As is the case most years, all of our honors students did excellent work, both in the planning, execution, and presentation of their projects. Everyone (and every project) was outstanding! We should be proud as a department to have such a talented group of students, and the students (and their families and friends!) should be proud of the excellent work that they have done.As determined by the Honors Committee, the following students will graduate with the distinction of "Honors Research Scholar in Psychology":
Aldazia Green (advised by Lori Hoggard)
Alexa Becker (Arnold Glass)
Amalia Jimenez (Anne Gregory/Maurice Elias)
Ashima Tiwari (Shana Cole)
Christopher Cardinale (Alexander Kusnecov)
Clara Angioletti (Jenny Wang)
Dana Steinberg (Samantha Farris)
Gabriela Rivera (Shana Cole)
Jake Rattigan (Richard Contrada)
Jessica Philip (Diana Sanchez)
Julia Bond (Lou Matzel)
Kathleen Kildosher (Teresa Leyro)
Long [Anna] Mui (Elisa Shernoff/ Edward Selby)
Molly Brennan (Estelle Mayhew)
Neeharika Patibanda (Mimi Phan/ Benjamin Samuels)
Nicholas Zambrotta (Rob Foels)
Philip Han (Rob Foels)
Robert Reisler (Mimi Phan/Benjamin Samuels)
Trinity Tse (Edward Selby/Brian Chu)
Yuthikaa Raj (Samantha Farris)
Please offer all of these students your congratulations. We know that many of them will be pursuing graduate training in psychology or related disciplines, and we wish them all great success. We know that they will represent us with distinction!
In addition to determining the designation of honors, each year the Honors Committee assigns several special awards. This is always a difficult task, as all of this year’s students are deserving of awards. Nevertheless, the committee determined that the following students would be this year’s recipients:
1. Jake Rattigan: Alice and Walter Phillips Award for Outstanding Thesis Proposal (determined last fall)2. Aldazia Green: Alice and Walter Phillips Award for Outstanding Thesis3. Jake Rattigan: The Charles Flaherty Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
4. Alexa Becker: Marilyn Shaw Award for Research Promise
5. Trinity Tse: John Abela Award for Excellence in Research in Clinical Psychology
6. Neeharika Patibanda: Tracey Shors Award for Excellence in Behavioral NeuroscienceThe honors committee also forwarded the names (based on the recommendation of thesis advisors and the Committee’s evaluation) of the following students for consideration for Henry Rutgers Scholars Awards. The final decision on these awards is now with the Dean's Office, but they are certainly all highly deserving.
Aldazia Green
Alexa Becker
Ashima Tiwari
Christopher Cardinale
Clara Angioletti
Gabriela Rivera
Jake Rattigan
Jessica Philip
Kathleen Kildosher
Long (Anna) Mui
Molly Brennan
Neeharika Patibanda
Congratulations again to ALL of our honors students. Please thank them for their efforts on behalf of our research programs and their invaluable contributions to the quality and recognition of our department.Of course, we would like to thank our faculty who sponsor undergraduate research, as well as the members of our Honors Committee. Lastly, special thanks to Colleen Lord. This was her first year administering this program, and she did a spectacular job. I don’t know how any of this would work without her!