ICD undergrad developmental psychology student Milena Yishak recently returned from a national conference for the Children’s Defense Fund’s (CDF) Black Student Leadership Network (BSLN). We asked her to share about her experience with the national program, which was relaunched in 2022 by CDF through a pilot program to cultivate student leaders, focusing particularly on those attending HBCUs and in key areas where CDF plans to expand its work including Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Houston, TX; Minneapolis, MN; and New Orleans, LA.
Tell us a little about yourself and what student groups you are involved in.
My name is Milena Yishak, I’m a third-year Developmental Psychology major and Psychology minor. I am the Co-President/Founder of the Eritrean Student Association and PR/Marketing Chair of the Association of Black Psychology Students here on campus. My student group involvement has combined my interest in child development and social justice and community organizing. Through BSLN, I’ve been able to help inform policy surrounding student and youth well-being at the national level.
How did you get involved with CDF’s Black Student Leadership Network?
I first heard about this opportunity through the director of the Office of Multicultural Student Engagement back in December of 2022. I attended the first conference [in 2022] at Alex Haley Farm in Clinton, TN with students coming from HBCUs and Minnesota schools as well!
Milena Yishak with other students at the Black Student Leadership Network 2022 conference, Photo: Children’s Defense Fund
What have been the highlights of being part of this group?
The highlight of being apart of BSLN have been the relationships I have fostered with other student advocates from all over the country.
Why do you think it’s important to be part of a national group of students advocating for children?
I think this group is important because we bring our respective issues surrounding black students and youth, and help CDF develop policy agenda to combat them. It ensures that diverse perspectives are heard, and overall offers a space for us to connect and lean into each other. It is also beautiful to see all of us bonding over our common lived experiences.
How do you think participating with BSLN will support your future endeavors?
I think my participation in BSLN will support my future endeavors through the expansive network I have built consisting of other students, CDF national staff, and professional community organizers I have met through BSLN. My future interests are promoting equity in education and hopefully becoming a school psychologist!
To learn more about the Black Student Leadership Network, click here.
Hailing from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Kennedy VanderLoop is a senior studying physical activity and health promotion (PAHP) within the School of Kinesiology. Her dream job? A pediatric occupational therapist. VanderLoop’s college education and experiences are preparing her to achieve this goal.
VanderLoop started out as a dance major when she came to the University of Minnesota, but was looking to add another program to her schedule. Eventually, VanderLoop added the PAHP program as a second major as it paired well with her interests of exercise, bodily function, and health advocacy. Later on, VanderLoop added a public health minor which also connected to the PAHP major. The PAHP program’s flexibility is one of VanderLoop’s favorite aspects of the program.
“This major is great for anyone who wants a wide platform of educational opportunities to explore concepts of physiology, public health, psychology, and kinesiology. I have had the opportunity to choose elective courses that coincide with my second major of dance and my minor of public health.”
VanderLoop most enjoyed the health promotion course within the PAHP major. In this class, she was challenged to analyze case studies and think about how it relates to the perplexities in promoting health programs and policies in the community. VanderLoop also took an exercise physiology course. Here, she liked the interactive lab sessions, especially the hydrostatic weighing component.
VanderLoop has also taken on experiences outside of the classroom to support her future career. She works at the University’s RecWell center, gets observation hours at Twin Cities hospitals in rehabilitation settings, and does research with the School of Kinesiology’s Disability and WELLness laboratory (DWELL). Within her research experience, VanderLoop has learned the interventions occupational therapists use with post-stroke patients. Her work includes conducting reviews on an telehealth-based intervention.
Beyond the School of Kinesiology, VanderLoop is thankful to be a part of the greater University of Minnesota community. She enjoys all of the opportunities the University offers in addition to the ability to create a small, tight knit groups with a strong sense of belonging.
Currently, VanderLoop is in the process of applying and interviewing for occupational therapist programs. As she ventures on into her post-undergraduate phase of life, VanderLoop’s advice to current students is to embrace challenges, get out of their comfort zone, and participate in research.
“Experiencing the major through working in a research team who have similar interests as you will expand your knowledge and outlook immensely.”
Maddie Fung, a 3rd year doctoral student in ICD, has been awarded a seed grant from the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). Fung’s project “Understanding Pathways Between Chronic Stress, Puberty, and Functional Brain Development” received a two-year $20,000 grant.
Victoria Johnson and her poster, Perceptions of Scientists: The Influence of Trust and Expertise on Source Credibility, at the 2023 APA conference.
Victoria Johnson, a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology’s psychological foundations of education program, has been awarded the APA Division 15‘s Student Poster Award for her poster on Perceptions of Scientists: The Influence of Trust and Expertise on Source Credibility.
Johnson, whose advisor is Panayiota Kendeou, submitted a poster about the influence of trustworthiness and expertise on source credibility judgments about health and climate scientists at the 2023 APA conference and was one of two Student Poster Award winners.
Braydon Crum, kinesiology undergraduate student and researcher in the Skeletal Muscle Plasticity and Regeneration Laboratory (SMPRL) overseen by Sarah M. Greising, PhD, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology, received a UMN Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Award. The project titled “Effects of Volumetric Muscle Loss and Denervation Injury on Fat Deposition within Muscle Fibers” allows Braydon to focus his research efforts this fall on understanding a novel pathophysiological response to skeletal muscle injury.
Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, PhD, professor in the School of Kinesiology, won the University of Minnesota’s Unit Service Award. This system-wide award recognizes excellence in service at the unit level. During Wiese-Bjornstal’s 35 years in the School of Kinesiology, she has done an extraordinary amount of both informal and formal service including serving as the Director of Graduate Studies multiple times and the Associate Director for the previous 6 years. Most recently, she coordinated the creation of the School of Kinesiology’s bylaws and new faculty mentoring guidelines for the School.
Jay Sander, Jordan Weets, Wyatt Johnson, and Jude Awada recently presented their senior capstone project at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. These sport management undergraduates are currently working with the Minnesota Twins to diversify and expand their fanbase. The undergrads conducted extensive literature reviews and developed innovative strategies that the Twins can easily implement. These strategies included a survey that identifies the facilitators and constraints for younger generations, creating a more family friendly atmosphere, and increasing strategic marketing.
(Left to Right) Jay Sander, Jordan Weets, Jude Awada, Wyatt Johnson
The Tri-Psychology Programs – Educational Psychology, Psychology, and the Institute of Child Development (ICD) – at the University of Minnesota are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Tri-Psych Graduate Student Diversity Fund grants. The goal of these awards is to build community and facilitate cross-departmental collaborations among Tri-Psych graduate students of color and/or student groups otherwise underrepresented in postsecondary education.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
Vanessa Wun and Andrea Wiglesworth (Psychology), Sarah Pan and Jasmine Banegas (ICD), Mahasweta Bose and Thuy Nguyen (Educational Psychology)
This project addresses a critical need for first-year PhD student mentorship by pairing first-year students from historically underrepresented backgrounds in psychology with experienced students within their program also from underrepresented backgrounds. This work builds on the unfunded graduate mentor program currently in ICD, as well as the Next-Gen Psych Scholars Program (NPSP). Importantly, it continues our efforts initiated through this funding platform in 2022, through which we founded the Diversity in Psychology Support (DIPS) mentorship program. DIPS aims to continue to increase a sense of belongingness and self-efficacy while also reducing imposter syndrome for incoming cohorts by pairing individuals with a more senior student who can provide support, answer questions, and encourage the mentee in their degree progress during the first year. Ideally, these mentorship relationships would last beyond the first year, and provide longer-term support for students throughout the program duration. These goals support our ultimate objective of retention of underrepresented students in graduate school.
Mirinda Morency and Norwood Glaspie (ICD), Jessica Arend (Psychology)
Paint Nite has emerged across the country as a creative way to bond with friends. Everyone in the class works towards creating their own version of the same painting while learning how to mix colors, apply paint on canvas, and create compositions. Last spring, ICD first years hosted a successful paint nite social, and attendees still talk today about their positive experience. Marginalized, underrepresented students are more likely to feel like they don’t belong at universities. Social belonging is key to success, so hosting events like Paint Nite can help address this issue. This also promotes Tri-Psych diversity initiatives in that it fosters a welcoming, affirming, and inclusive space to talk, spend time together, and participate in creating something unique. Doctoral programs in R1 universities are demanding, and so creative social events can also combat feelings of disconnection and burnout. The aims of this event are two-fold: (a) promote creativity, inclusivity and community, and (b) serve to sustain mental wellness and release stress.
Shujianing Li (Psychology), Thuy Nguyen (School Psychology), Romulus Castelo (ICD)
The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative sociopolitical, financial, and psychological consequences. As the general population experiences increased vulnerability to burnout, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students face additional distress from growing anti-AAPI racism. Moreover, conversations on mental health and racism are not normalized within the AAPI community, creating barriers for those needing psychological services and resources. To tackle these challenges, we will create a burnout prevention toolkit for AAPI undergraduate and graduate students. With the proposed toolkit, AAPI students will: 1) self-identify burnout, 2) discover grounding techniques and resources for immediate support, and 3) explore culturally informed practices that promote long-term psychological health. We will consult academic (e.g., peer-reviewed articles) and non-academic (e.g., advice from community advocates for other advocates) sources to inform the toolkit’s burnout prevention content. The final product is a wallet-size card deck, usable in electronic and physical forms. The toolkit will provide accessible and broadly applicable psychoeducation and actionable suggestions. While the toolkit could be beneficial for AAPI students in other departments, we will prioritize disseminating it to undergraduate and graduate students in the ICD, the Educational Psychology Department, and the Psychology Department.
Jessica Arend, Caroline Ostrand, Marvin Yan, Adrienne Manbeck, and Kate Carosella (Psychology); Mirinda Morency (ICD); Shayna Williams and Elizabeth Shaver (Educational Psychology)
We will deliver a three-part series on disability and inclusive access: 1) A guest speaker address on supporting students with disabilities and promoting accessibility in academia; 2) An affinity group discussion for self-identified graduate students with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and neurodiversity. This meeting will provide space for students with shared experiences to reflect on the address together; and 3) A discussion open to all students, faculty, and staff, promoting education and informed action. Informed by the address, we will discuss ways to promote accessibility and equity for disabled-, chronically ill-, and neurodiverse-identifying students. All meetings will be in hybrid format, allowing for accessible remote or in-person participation. From these events, two student “editors” will compile a comprehensive list of resources on disability and accessibility for students and instructors/mentors. We will establish this series as a yearly tradition, and we will recruit a focus group of 10-15 students who self-identify as having disabilities, chronic illness, or neurodiversity to provide feedback about events and future areas of advocacy.
On April 5, 2023, aspiring teachers from the DirecTrack to Teaching and Elementary Education Foundations programs in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction sat down with Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Commissioner Willie Jett to talk about what supports they need as they head into the teaching profession. Jehanne Beaton, PhD, DirecTrack to Teaching coordinator, supported students in this effort.
Neela Nandyal, PhD Student in OLPD’s Comparative and International Development Education program, was recently named to a 3-year term on the Board of Directors of the Comparative & International Education Society (CIES).
Established in 1956 and with more than 4,000 individual members representing over 1,000 universities, research institutes, government departments, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral agencies across the globe, CIES is the largest and oldest comparative and international education society in the world. From cross-disciplinary perspectives, CIES members explore educational issues related to schools, students, teachers, and administrators — from early childhood and primary school to secondary and higher education, as well as non-formal education and lifelong learning. Some compare achievement inequalities across socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, and language. Others examine the relationship between education and cultural processes, democratization, globalization, economic development, and political conflict.
The Board of Directors is the legislative and policy-making body of the Society, with the power to review and direct the general affairs of the Association. Read more
The study investigated the potential effect of Qigong on brain function of adults with chronic lower back pain (cLBP). Results showed some promising reductions in cLBP, with individual variability, and some participants showed brain function improvements after 12 weeks of Qigong practice.
Huang is advised by Juergen Konzak, PhD, professor of biomechanics and neuromotor control, director of the HSCL, and co-author.
Dr. Jiapeng Xu, a member of the Human Sensorimotor Control Lab (HSC) in the School of Kinesiology, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on February 9, 2023. Xu’s dissertation is entitled Vibro-tactile stimulation as a non-invasive treatment method for cervical dystonia. People with cervical dystonia suffer from involuntary spasms in their neck muscles that lead to abnormal head twisting and postures that the affected person cannot control. The clinical trial behind Xu’s work investigated if the superficial stimulation of the skin of the cervical region can alleviate these symptoms and restore normal head posture. The main result of the study is that about 40% of patients meaningfully improved their head posture and 56% reported a reduction in pain. Dr. Xu has accepted a position at Analog Devices, a leading U.S. semiconductor company, and will relocate to Boston.
Bridget Sturch, a third-year PhD student in the School of Kinesiology and team member of the Sports Medicine Psychology Lab (SMPL), directed by Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, PhD, professor and associate director in the School, was recently selected to attend and present at the “International PhD Course: Designing, Conducting, and Evaluating Interventions in Sport and Exercise Psychology” hosted by the Universität Leipzig, in Leipzig, Germany. This PhD course brings together young professionals in sport and exercise psychology to promote international collaboration, offer a platform for students to share their research on a global stage, and provide educational and research-to-practice sessions led by world-renowned scholars. Sturch presented her dissertation work that is focused on developing and implementing a mental skills education and training program to address psychophysiological injury risk factors in athletes.
