Academic Excellence in Research

HPU’s Psychology Department stands apart from others with ample opportunities for undergraduate research.

Ever dreamed of adding to a field of research, coauthoring a book chapter, or interning at NCIS? Our students in the Psychology Department accomplished this and more during the 22-23 academic year.

The highly interdisciplinary and multi-faceted programs offered to Psychology majors prepare them for a myriad of career paths. Our students leave HPU as competitive candidates for graduate school or the work force.

Dr. Laura Nagy, assistant professor of psychology, knows that magic happens outside of the classrooms.

“It’s when students step into the lab that they gain valuable skills which will carry beyond their undergraduate years and well into their career.”

Dr. Nagy specializes in researching borderline personality disorder and related phenomena such as self-criticism, rumination, and non-suicidal self-injury. She teaches students how research is funded, developed, carried out, and presented.

Working alongside Dr. Nagy, Ashley Cruz, ‘22, applied for and received grant funding through Psi Chi to conduct research on the correlation of one’s anger and their pain tolerance. Cruz presented the findings at the State of NC Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) in December and continues to work with Dr. Nagy to write up the results for publication.

Meanwhile, Ethan Muckerheide, a sophomore majoring in psychology who also works with Dr. Nagy, was awarded the Barthalmus Research Award from SNCURCS. The award will fund a project examining whether different types of rumination impact a person’s willingness to endure pain longer.

The award is a continuation of Muckerheide’s teamwork with Dr. Nagy. Last summer, he and Kelly Polk, a sophomore majoring in psychology, also worked with Dr. Nagy as part of the Summer Research Institute (SuRI). Together, they coauthored a book chapter titled “Self-Criticism in Anger, Aggression, and Violence” in the Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence, which won Best Oral Presentation at this year’s High-PURCS conference.

In April, Dr. Nagy, along with Dr. Sarah Nielsen, associate professor of psychology, led seniors Alexis Cobb, Alyssa Dowdy, April Gessouroun, and Jyll Herman to the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) Conference in New Orleans to present research.

While at the conference, Gessouroun, a psychology and criminal justice major, won a regional research award for her poster on whether poor academic attitudes determine a relationship between psychopathy and GPA.

For Jyll Herman, a psychology and English major with a minor in Creative Writing, presenting her findings in an academic setting was most rewarding. She enjoyed the process of collecting data and analyzing the results with Dr. Jana Spain, professor or psychology, more than she initially anticipated.

After graduation, Herman will work as a Registered Behavioral Technician with autistic children before pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.

Senior Natalee Huber, a psychology major with minors in criminal justice and Chinese, spent most of 2022 interning at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Charleston, SC.

She’s always been interested in Forensic Psychology and knew HPU’s Psychology Department would be the perfect place to develop the skills needed for her career goals. Her adviser, Dr. Deborah Danzis, associate professor of psychology, helped her practice for the interview process.

As an intern for NCIS, Huber gained a broad understanding of the federal government and was assigned to cases where she collected evidence, wrote case reports, and analyzed crime scenes. She credits the ability to juggle academic and career demands to the amazing support of her professors. After graduation, she plans to attend Marymount University’s Master of Arts in Forensic and Legal Psychology to pursue a career in forensic legal psychology.