Olivia M. Podolak

O L I V I A M P O D O L A K [email protected] 647.999.7259

E D U C A T I O N

Ph.D. in Psychology, (2013 – Present)

M.A. in Psychology, University of Toronto (2012 – 2013) - Thesis: The Influence of Tonality on Sight-Reading Accuracy

Honours B.Sc. in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University (2008 – 2012) - Music Cognition Specialization - Dean’s Honour List (Year III & IV)

Grade 10 Certificate in Classical Piano Performance, Royal Conservatory of Music (1996 - 2004) - Achieved highest honours with distinction for scoring in the 97th percentile

P U B L I C A T I O N S

Vuvan, D. T., Podolak, O. M., & Schmuckler, M. A. (2014). Memory for musical tones: The impact of tonality and the creation of false memories. Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience, 5, 582.

P O S T E R P R E S E N T A T I O N S

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (July 2014). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Poster presented at BKN25 – Milestones in Music Cognition. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec Canada.

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (February 2014). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Poster presented at The Psychology MA Poster Day. University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Podolak, O. M., & Schutz, M. (April 2012). Tone or Dot? The influence of the amplitude envelope on audio-visual temporal order judgments. Poster presented at the McMaster PNB Undergraduate Thesis Conference. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Podolak, O. M., & Schutz, M. (February 2012). Tone or Dot? The influence of the amplitude envelope on audio-visual temporal order judgments. Poster presented at the 41st Annual Lake Ontario Visionary Establishment Conference. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

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O R A L P R E S E N T A T I O N S

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (August 2014). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Talk presented at the 13th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition. Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (July 2014). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Talk presented at the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS) MindMeld. University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (November 2013). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Talk presented at the 12th annual Auditory Perception, Cognition and Action Meeting. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Podolak, O. M. & Schmuckler, M. A. (November 2013). The influence of tonality on sight-reading accuracy. Talk presented at the Psychology Graduate Colloquium Series. University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Podolak, O. M., Vuvan, D., & Schmuckler, M. A. (August 2013). The influence of various tonal contexts on memory for single notes. Talk presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Music Perception and Cognition. , Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Podolak, O. M., & Schutz, M. (April 2012). Tone or Dot? The influence of the amplitude envelope on audio-visual temporal order judgments. Talk presented at the 42nd Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference. , Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

P A S T R E S E A R C H E X P E R I E N C E

Research Assistant, Shore-Milliken Lab (McMaster University) (2011 – 2012) - Assisted in designing and running experiments and contributed to the analysis and interpretation of results.

Undergraduate Thesis Student, MAPLE Lab (McMaster University) (2011 – 2012) - Assisted in testing customized software, wrote consent and debriefing forms, collected data.

Student Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) Therapist, Children’s College (2010 – 2011) - Completed over 170 hours of training and working with children with autism spectrum disorders. - Learned and applied the principles of IBI to teach students with autism essential life skills. - Helped in creating and implementing new intervention strategies tailored to students’ needs.

R E L E V A N T W O R K E X P E R I E N C E

Teaching Assistant, University of Toronto Scarborough (2012 – Present) - Courses assisted in: Statistics I & II, Scientific Communication in Psychology, Research Methods, Music Cognition

Co-chair, Science Rendezvous (University of Toronto) (2013 – Present) - Create and lead the executive committee organizing the festival at the St. George campus site. - Acquire funding from the Provost, Dean of Research, and the faculties of Arts and Science, Medicine, and Engineering. 2 Olivia M. Podolak

- Facilitate collaborations between various departments within the university, as well as collaborations with other institutes and universities involved in Science Rendezvous across Toronto.

Executive Volunteer Coordinator, Science Rendezvous (University of Toronto) (2009 – 2013) - Recruited volunteers by devising promotional strategies and campaigns. - Organized training sessions and created handbooks for all newly recruited volunteers - Served as a liaison between volunteers and the heads of various departments to ensure all deadlines had been met and all concerns had been addressed. - Supervised and tracked all volunteer activity on the day of the event, and made brisk decisions in case of a conflict to keep the event running smoothly.

Personal Assistant, Mental Health Commission of Canada (2011 - 2012) - Assisted in the writing and editing of the Standards of Practice for Mental Health Peer Support in Canada handbook for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. - Maintained confidential files and records, and assisted in bookkeeping

Piano Instructor, Walters Music School & Lilly’s School of Music (2008 – 2012) - Privately taught classical piano performance, history, theory and artistry to students of all levels of expertise and all age groups - Prepared students for auditions, recitals, examinations and different levels of competition

A W A R D S & H O N O U R S

Society for Education and Music Psychology Research Travel Award, $500 (2014) University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Piano Competition, First Prize (2013) University of Toronto Fellowship, $10500 (2013) University of Toronto Fellowship, $10500 (2012) McMaster University Entrance Award, $1500 (2008)

M E M B E R S H I P S & A S S O C I A T I O N S

Psychology Graduate Students’ Association, University of Toronto (2012 – Present) President (2013-2014), MA Students’ Representative (2012-2013)

Society for Music Perception and Cognition (2012 – Present) Student Member

Psychology Graduate Colloquium Series, University of Toronto Scarborough (2013 – Present) Event Coordinator

Inkblot – The Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, University of Toronto (2013 – Present) Graduate Advisor

McMaster Institute of the Music & the Mind Journal Club, McMaster University (2010 – Present) General Member

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