Goldman
Summary of Activities for the Sol Goldman Colloquiums
Each year the faculty in the department are invited to submit a list of names of nationally and internationally known speakers for consideration as the Goldman speaker. This speaker series has strong support from the Psychology Department and all were co-funded by the Psychology Club (undergraduates) and the Psychology graduate Student Association. We have had the privilege of hosting several speakers in the past few years. All speakers gave a keynote address followed by a reception. Each keynote was advertised in several places including student list-servs, faculty list-servs, the online OSU headline news, and fliers posted around campus. Fliers were delivered to the Departments of Sociology, Human Development and Family Science, School of Applied Health and Human Development, and all Sigma Xi members in Oklahoma. In addition, fliers were sent to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, as well as to Emeriti psychology faculty, the Deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, Education, and Human Environmental Science, and to the President of Oklahoma State University. Press releases were prepared for both the university newspaper and the Stillwater NewsPress. Each keynote address had well over 100 people from across campus in attendance. In addition, all speakers met individually with faculty and graduate students from the psychology.
Our most recent speaker, in 2010, was Dr. Robert Provine of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Robert Provine is a neuroscientist engaged in studies of the development, evolution and neural mechanisms of behavior. His approaches are comparative and interdisciplinary. During a research career spanning 30 years, he has investigated over 30 species using techniques ranging from electrophysiology and tissue culture to behavioral field studies. A common theme running through this work is a concern with the motor systems that produce movement. The recent studies of laughter, yawning, tickling, and behavioral contagion are not a break with the past, but an extension to humans of a long-term, programmatic analysis of behavior development and evolution.
He came to the study of laughter and human ethology from a background in neuroembryology, having studied and published with Nobel Prize (Rita Levi-Montalcini) and National Medal of Science (Viktor Hamburger) winners. A scholar who has lectured in North America and Europe in settings ranging from medical school departments of neurology to NASA, NIST and grade schools, he has received research grants from the National Institutes of Health. His work has been featured in dozens of articles worldwide, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph (London), National Geographic, Psychology Today, New Scientist, Discover, and The Washington Post. His numerous television appearances include "Good Morning America," "ABC World News Tonight" "Eye to Eye" (CBS), "20/20" (ABC) and specials on The Learning Channel ("Understanding Laughter" -- with Bill Cosby), The Discover Channel ("Laughter"-- with Conan O'Brien), and BBC Horizon ("Beyond the Joke"). His radio appearances include "All Things Considered" (NPR), "Morning Edition" (NPR), "Talk of the Nation" (NPR) and "Talk of the Nation--Science Friday" (NPR). Dr. Provine is an OSU alum who was recently featured in the Foundation magazine.
In his talk, given Oct 21st, Dr. Provine discussed why and how we laugh. His talk was attended by nearly 100 people; he also met individually with faculty and graduate students in psychology and the broader campus. His talk was additionally co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences as part of the Dean’s Social Science Seminar Series and the Institute for Creativity and Innovation. A link to his talk is available here.
In 2004, was Dr. John Horn of the University of Southern California. Dr. Horn is a Professor of Psychology and head of the Adult Development and Aging program at the USC. He received his Ph.D. degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois in 1965. Before moving to the University of Southern California in 1986, he was a professor of psychology for over 20 years at the University of Denver. Dr. Horn has authored nearly 200 articles and book chapters and is best known for his work on human intelligence. Along with Raymond Cattell, Horn introduced the distinction between fluid and crystallized intelligence, which has been a cornerstone of theories of intelligence for the past 40 years. In addition to numerous career achievements, Dr. Horn has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. In his talk, given September 21, Dr. Horn discussed how the foundations of human intelligence give rise to expertise in real-world settings. His talk was attended by over 100 people; he also met individually with faculty and graduate students in psychology. His talk was additionally co-sponsored by Sigma Xi.
In 2002, our speaker was Dr. Patricia Resick of the University of Missouri- St. Louis. Dr. Resick is the Curator’s professor of Psychology and is the Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery. Dr. Resick completed her undergraduate studies at Kent State University and completed her Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Georgia. Dr. Resick served on the faculties at the University of South Dakota, the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Resick founded the Center for Trauma and Recovery in 1992 at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, which serves as a research and training center and community-based treatment clinic. Dr. Resick’s research focuses on the effects of traumatic events, especially for women, as well as developing and testing therapeutic interventions for PTSD. She is internationally recognized for her research to develop evidence-based treatments for PTSD that are currently used in the VA and Department of Defense healthcare system as well as in rape crisis centers and clinics across the world. She spoke on the effectiveness of treatment programs for people who have experienced traumatic events. Her talk was October 24th and was additionally co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program.
In 2001, our speaker was Dr. Joseph Campos of the University of California at Berkley. Dr. Campos is professor of Psychology and is the former director of the Institute of Human Development. Dr. Campos completed his undergraduate studies at Manhattan College and completed his Doctorate in Psychology from Cornell University. Dr. Campos served on the faculties at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Denver. Dr. Campos has over 250 articles in professional journals or book chapters. He has also received several million dollars in external funding, is a fellow of three professional societies and a member of the governing board of the Society for Research in Child Development. Dr. Campos’ research focuses on the effects of social, emotional, and cognitive development in infants. He spoke on the effects of self-produced movement in infancy. His talk was January 18th.
In 2000, we hosted Dr. Annette LaGreca from the University of Miami. Dr. LaGreca is a Professor of Psychology and Pediatrics, as well as, Director of Clinical Training and Director of the Pediatric Health Program. Dr. LaGreca has received wide recognition for her work with the young victims of Hurricane Andrew and other natural disasters. Her research interests include children's and adolescents' peer relations, friendships, and romantic relationships, as they pertain to psychological and physical health; children's reactions to trauma, including natural disasters (hurricanes) and community violence; social anxiety in children and adolescents; family and peer issues in the management of type 1 diabetes in youth; preventive interventions. She has over 200 publications and numerous presentations and invited addresses, as well as numerous grants. Her talk centered on her work with children who had experienced natural disasters and was on April 27th.