The Department of Psychology Undergraduate Awards are presented to students who have demonstrated academic excellence both in and outside of the classroom. All application materials are due electronically to Jessica Shea at jmshea@yr.edu by March 23rd at 5 p.m.

Undergraduate Awards:

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award
Successful candidates must have demonstrated academic excellence in the classroom. Emphasis will be placed on overall grade point average, as well as other demonstrations of excellence in the classroom, such as active, thoughtful participation in the classroom, outstanding leadership in group projects, or advanced public-speaking skills during presentations. In order to apply, students must: (1) be a graduating psychology major, with a BA or BS degree, (2) have an overall grade point average of at least 3.75, and (3) demonstrate excellence in the classroom beyond overall grade point average.

Floyd Allport Outstanding Research Achievement Award
This award was established in recognition of Floyd Allport, a pioneer in the field of social psychology who spent nearly three decades as an SU faculty member, where he founded the first ever Ph.D program in social psychology and authored one of the first social psychology textbooks. Successful candidates must have participated as an undergraduate research assistant in a Psychology lab and conducted an independent research project under the supervision of a Psychology faculty member. To apply, students must (1) be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree, (2) be in good academic standing. In addition, ideal candidates will have completed one of the following 1) Authorship or pending authorship on a manuscript to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed Psychology journal OR 2) First author presentation (oral or poster) or pending first author presentation at a local, regional, or national Psychology conference (including SU Department of Psychology Undergraduate Research Poster session).

Outstanding Service Award
Successful candidates have volunteered his/her time and energy to community service related to the field of Psychology, broadly defined. This service may include student leadership and campus involvement, service in the broader community, or other civic engagement. For example, student leadership and campus involvement may include campus programming, leadership positions in student-run organizations, or implementation of new programs across campus. Examples of service in the broader community and civic engagement could include volunteering with at-risk children, volunteering with mental health organizations, organizing STEM events for underrepresented students, etc. In order to apply, students must: (1) be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree, (2) be in good academic standing, (3) demonstrate dedicated time and commitment to service work in an uncompensated role, unless the commitment was above and beyond the normal expectations of paid role.

Eric F. Gardner Outstanding Psychology Student Award
This award was established in memory of Dr. Eric F. Gardner who, along with being department chair for 15 years, was a scholar and teacher in the field of evaluation, measurement, and statistics. In addition, Dr. Gardner was remembered for his service to the university and surrounding community. As such, this student must have excelled in all aspects of undergraduate activity, including academic achievement, research involvement, and service. In order to apply, students must: (1) be a graduating psychology major with a BA or BS degree, (2) be in good academic standing, (3) demonstrate evidence of excellence in the academic achievement (4) provide evidence of active involvement in one or more Psychology research labs ideally including the production of original scholarly work, and (5) have a demonstrated commitment to service in the field of Psychology.

Award recipients will be notified by April 15, 2018.  All award recipients will receive a plaque and a cord to wear during commencement and graduation. Students will receive their award at the department’s undergraduate research poster session on May 2, 2018 (12-3pm). In addition, names will be displayed in the College of Arts & Sciences commencement program.

Applications must include:

• Your name, email, and SUID#
• Major, expected graduation date, and cumulative GPA
• The name of the award(s) for which you are applying
• The name of a Department of Psychology faculty member (http://psychology.syr.edu/people/faculty.html) who is willing to support your nomination
• A copy of your resume or CV
• A copy of your transcript (unofficial copy is fine)
• At least one of the following:
  • If you are applying for the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award
    Please provide a detailed description of your academic achievements (not to exceed 300 words).
  • If you are applying for the Floyd Allport Outstanding Research Achievement Award
    Please provide a detailed description of your accomplishments in research in the psychological sciences. Be sure to include the citation to the article or conference presentation within the Department of Psychology (not to exceed 300 words).
  • If you are applying for the Outstanding Service Award
    Please provide a detailed description of your service related to the field of psychology (not to exceed 300 words).
  • If you are applying for the Eric F. Gardner Outstanding Psychology Student Award
    Please provide a,b, and c.

All application materials are due electronically to Jessica Shea at jmshea@yr.edu by March 23rd at 5 p.m.