Psychology_2001.qxd 5/9/03 2:13 PM Page 1 PSYCHOLOGY LAFAYETTE COLLEGE SUMMER 2001 ■ Vol.6 CHILDS WINS JAMES P. CRAWFORD AWARD Opening Set for 2002 uring the May lumni Memorial D18 trustee-fac- Gymnasium is ulty dinner, Alan W. currently being Childs, associate transformed into professor, received the Aa state-of-the-art home for James P. Crawford Lafayette’s programs in psy- Award for his out- chology and neuroscience. standing ability in The new facility will pro- classroom instruction. vide 45,000 square feet of Childs is known for his ability space on five levels including to lead classroom discussions, par- teaching laboratories, faculty ticularly in his First-Year Seminar research laboratories, shared “Human Aggression and Social faculty- student research lab- Pathology,” and his Values and oratories, and faculty offices. Science/Technology Seminar “Patient- Completion is expected to be Practitioner Interaction: The Role of sometime in 2002. Medical Technology,” noted Provost Members of the depart- June Schlueter in her remarks. ment were involved in “It was an honor to have been reviewing the plans and given an award named after some- meeting with the architects one whose career at the college I as the space was designed. have greatly admired,” says Childs. They provided advice based In a department of excellent teach- on experience in the current An architectural rendering of psychology’s new home. ers, it is a little embarrassing to be location and on exploring singled out in this way, and I think psychology facilities at other colleges. Some features include an animal of it as a compliment to the depart- research area on the lower level, common meeting spaces off the entryway ment as much as to me. If I am per- of the first level, faculty offices, a lecture hall for 180, and neuroscience ceived as doing a good job in the teaching laboratories near the animal facilities. classroom, it is in large part because The building will be named for Walter Oechsle ’57 and Christa Oechsle of the support and encouragement in recognition of their commitment of $10 million. A Lafayette trustee, of my colleagues.” Oechsle is recognized as one of the premier international investment managers. Childs, who joined the Lafayette He is founding principal of Oechsle International Advisors, Boston. For five faculty in 1980, teaches such courses years he wrote “Overseas Commentary,” a column on international invest- as introduction to psychological ing, for Forbes. science, theory and history, social psychology, and health psychology. Most recently he has been working NEUROSCIENCE GRANTS RECEIVED on an instrument that examines the nature of the relationship between wo grants totalling more than purchase state-of-the-art equipment physicians and patients. Kelly Gabos T$200,000 will benefit the neuro- for the new physiological psychology ’01 and Susan Closs ’02 have assisted science laboratories in the new head- and neurophysiology teaching labo- him as EXCEL Scholars. quarters of the psychology depart- ratories in Oechsle Hall. Chair of the Health Professions ment and neuroscience program. The The grants were obtained through Advisory Committee and Academic College received $150,000 from the the efforts of Wendy Hill, professor, Policy Committee, Childs is the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation and and Diane Elliott, Lafayette’s director health professions adviser and faculty $85,000 from the Alden Trust. of corporate and foundation relations. mentor to the men’s basketball team. The proceeds will be used to Psychology_2001.qxd 5/9/03 2:13 PM Page 2 FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD PSYCHOLOGY articles that summer but the most important thing I did was find that Department of Psychology baby book. I had Suzi, her whole Robert W. Allan, Associate Professor class, the class before her, and the (610) 330-5291 class after her, with me in my mind Susan A. Basow, Charles A. Dana and in my heart. Professor of Psychology One of the founders of family (610) 330-5294 therapy wisely observed that even Jamila Bookwala, Assistant Professor when there is only one patient in a (610) 330-5285 session, the patient’s whole family is there. The department is going Gabrielle Britton, Assistant Professor through many changes. New profes- (610) 330-5248 sors are replacing ones you knew. Alan W. Childs, Associate Professor The rat lab you lived for is gone; (610) 330-5292 if you picture Prof. Gallup in the Wendy L. Hill, Professor, Neuroscience Pardee attic with rats, I must tell Chair Ann McGillicuddy-De Lisi you that it occurs no more. If you (610) 330-5293 see yourself in Pardee 50 or in that Ann V. McGillicuddy-De Lisi, Marshall beloved basement room, Pardee 3, R. Metzgar Professor of Psychology, ast summer I looked around my you should know that they are being Department Head Loffice and panicked. How on transformed for office space. (610) 330-5290 earth would I be able to move all the The “old” psychology that you Matthew S. McGlone, Associate materials I had accumulated over 16 knew lives on in us. The faculty and Professor years to the new psychology building students of fall 2001 are the direct (610) 330-5296 in 2002? I decided to use part of each descendants of each of you and Jeannine Pinto, Assistant Professor summer to organize my books and your professors. There is continuity (610) 330-5287 files, and throw away what I didn’t between the department begun by need. On the second day I found the Prof. Rogers, the expansion accom- John S. Shaw III, Assistant Professor baby book of Suzi Farrell ’92. Years plished by Profs. Brown, Cohen, and (610) 330-5289 ago in a child and adolescent devel- Gallup, and the department of today. Andrew J. Vinchur, Associate Professor, opment course I had asked students Each new generation of students and Assistant Department Head to get the books in which their par- professors has chosen to join this (610) 330-5288 ents recorded birth weights, first family, finding values, ideas, meth- Lori Catanzaro Vitko, Administrative words, first steps, etc. so we could ods, relationships, etc., that are Assistant compare their retrospective reports shared by all of us. (610) 330-5286 with the earlier record. I read about Every student has had an impact— [email protected] Suzi’s early accomplishments and got the quiet one we worried about; the 117 Pardee Hall to thinking about who else was in one who produced outstanding Easton, PA 18042-1781 class that year. I had to check my research; the ones who could have (610) 330-5286 memory by digging out old class ros- produced outstanding work but Fax (610) 330-5349 ters and then thought about each stu- chose to direct their energy else- dent, as I read their names. I thought where; the one who grew so much www.lafayette.edu about a lot of you that day. I did not in four years…you are at once our (click on “academics,” then throw one thing away or organize “departments and majors,” history and our future. You will be then “psychology”) one single file! a presence in every classroom, every Mary Ann Swiatek, adjunct The alumni office told me Suzi lab, in the student gathering places assistant professor, webmaster. had gotten married so she had a new being built precisely because you did name and they couldn’t guarantee not have them; in faculty offices and Psychology is published annually that the address was 100 percent laboratories. by the Department of Psychology for valid. I thought, ‘Her mother would We love hearing from you. Stop by psychology alumni and students with be furious if that book is lost.’ Aha! and say hello when you are around. the assistance of the Office of Public Her mother! I wrote to Mrs. Farrell, Send photos for our department Information. “If you still live here, could you ask album, and keep those letters coming. Suzi to give me call? I have her baby Editor: John Shaw book.” Suzi called and we talked. It was more fun than sorting through rosters and old papers. I wrote a few Ann McGillicuddy-De Lisi 2 PSYCHOLOGY Psychology_2001.qxd 5/9/03 2:13 PM Page 3 WELCOME NEW FACULTY fter receiving a B.A. from the Britton’s research interests are neurobiology of learning AUniversity of Bombay in 1985, and memory. Her current projects include an examination Jamila Bookwala came to the United of the role of amygdala neurons in rat eyeblink condi- States. She received an M.A. in tioning. Her publications include papers on the neural psychology from City University bases of learning. of New York in 1989, and a Ph.D. Britton will teach courses in physiological psychology, in social psychology from University quantitative methods, and introductory psychology. Some of Pittsburgh in 1995. An assistant of the reasons she chose Lafayette include “the enthusiastic professor, she comes to Lafayette Jamila Bookwala faculty, rich curriculum, the opportunity to work with from Pennsylvania State University- interested undergraduates, and collaborating with other Abington, where she had been assistant professor since 1998. faculty at Lafayette.” Bookwala’s research focuses on numerous topics in the For the past five years Jeannine domain of aging, including family care-giving, the role of Pinto has been a postdoctoral gender in the aging experience, end-of-life issues among research associate at the Center for older adults, and the quality of intimate relationships in Molecular and Behavioral late adulthood. She has published journal articles and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, book chapters on these issues, and has received several and has been a visiting assistant awards and fellowships. She will teach courses in adult professor at Rutgers University and development and aging, research methods, advanced Swarthmore College.