Syracuse University’s Department of Psychology is once again in the midst of a successful run of its Psychology Research Initiative for Diversity Enhancement (PRIDE) program.

Now in its eighth year, the program brings together Syracuse University undergraduates from underrepresented minority groups and invites them to develop an original independent summer research project over the course of seven weeks. At the conclusion of the program, participants present their work to fellow students and psychology faculty during the annual PRIDE symposium. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, June 26 from 10:00 a.m. to noon in room 530C of Huntington Hall. The symposium is free and open to the public.

The highly competitive program pairs motivated students with some of the university’s most distinguished science faculty. In addition to the 15 to 20 hours of mentorship each week, students are also offered a chance to participate in several sessions of professional development, designed to help each of them build the skills needed to apply and succeed in graduate school. Amy Criss, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, says that the program has generated great results in encouraging students to pursue advanced degrees in psychology and neuroscience.

"Several of the PRIDE students have presented posters at national conferences and co-authored journal articles submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals." says Criss " In fact, about 60% of our PRIDE participants have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in psychology and related fields after graduation”.

Students participating in this year’s program are:

Donovaun Bialose ’17 (Psychology)

Breanna Dickson ’17 (Psychology)

Ana Ledesma ‘16 (Psychology)

Kehinde Majekodunmi ’16 (Psychology)

and Taylor Robinson ’17 (Psychology & Sociology)

For more information about the PRIDE program and to apply for future cycles, visit http://psychology.syr.edu/undergraduate/PRIDE2.html.

Additional questions should be directed to Linda Galbato, director of student development at lcgalbat@syr.edu.