Psychology

March 2025

Shelby Blair, Assistant Professor

“I came here from one of the largest universities in the country where I didn’t even know all of the faculty in my own department, let alone faculty in other departments. I’ve been surprised not only at how easy it’s been to get to know other faculty, but also at how friendly everyone is.”

BA in Psychology and Neuroscience, Miami University (OH). Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience, Texas A&M University

Research interests: Pavlovian fear learning and how it relates to anxiety disorders; intersection of sex differences and neural circuitry of fear learning.

Activities: hiking, crafting, reading, game night, watching football, hockey, and going to concerts.

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Zongqi (Zoe) Li, Assistant Professor

“Students have a lot of interests and are very involved in learning (here). I love the collaborative environment.”

BA in Psychology and BS in Mathematics from University of Rochester. MA in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University; Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, University of Houston

Research interests: The impact of social factors on mental health and overall well-being
Activities: jogging, reading, playing with her cats, traveling

Hometown: Shanghai, China

Since 1997, Jeff Hollerman ’83 has taught, mentored and advised hundreds of students in Psychology and Neuroscience. He will be retiring at the end of the spring 2025 semester. He reflects on his experiences at Allegheny.

“When I think about what I most enjoyed while being a professor here, there were countless, seemingly small, moments in the classroom, the lab, my office, or while walking across campus or attending events (particularly sports).”

One such moment was being asked questions during office hours often prefaced by an apology, such as ‘I am sorry to bother you, but I have a question about ….’ My first response was almost always some version of ‘There is no need to apologize. I love to answer questions; that is why I have this job!’

“Seeing other sides of students performing sports, music, etc., and seeing them pushing themselves to do their best with senior projects, added to my enjoyable time at Allegheny.”

In keeping with the college’s interdisciplinary approach, Hollerman showcases teaching Neuroscience and Dance and Movement. Students with no dance background or “sciency” knowledge were able to expand their understanding and experience of dance to include some of the neural processes involved. And students with a (Neuro) science background, were able to develop an appreciation for their capacity to engage in expressive movement (dance), as well as its potential utility in health and wellness. Both groups understood academic concepts in textbooks were applicable and inherent to something seemingly unrelated as dance.

“My retirement plans include engaging in unusual combination of non-neuroscientific interests in the music of the Grateful Dead and military history; taking my dog for all the walks that I promised him only to be displaced by other responsibilities – and (for my students) attempting to “Fusterize” as much as possible.”

Nancy Yovetich ’87 is a Principal Research Scientist at Rho, Inc., an organization that helps companies develop program strategies for clinical research. She is also in her 12th year as a member of Allegheny’s Board of Trustees.

Yovetich graduated from Allegheny in 1987 with a BA in psychology, concentrating on social psychology, but with a strong interest in statistics and research. After working for a year in psychophysiological research at the University of Pittsburgh, Yovetich pursued her doctorate in Applied Social Psychology with a concentration in data analysis, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. As she completed her graduate work, she began to work in data analysis and management for Rho, Inc., the same company she has now spent over 25 years as a Principal Research Scientist, specializing in psychiatric, neurologic and analgesic therapies.

Reflecting on her time in the psychology department, Yovetich fondly remembers working on her Senior Comprehensive Project. “Alec Dale was my favorite professor, he was so funny and interesting in class. I loved doing my comp!” Under the mentorship of Alec Dale and Mary Hudak, her research on using humor to cope with stress was later published.

Yovetich describes her career as, “very interesting and rewarding. It’s not what I expected. I did expect to be a faculty member in social psychology.” Her career has always centered on research, venturing into data management, statistical analysis, project management, and project oversight.

Grant Award, Community Impact Hub

In 2024, Chair Lauren Paulson wrote and secured a $15 million grant from an anonymous donor to support the Allegheny College Community Impact Hub. The Hub facilitates a strategic and collaborative network of teams that include community partners, faculty, staff, and students. It is organized around five Impact Teams: Arts and Culture, Community and Economic Development, Education and Social Development, Environment and Sustainability, and Health and Well-Being.

Elected, American Psychology Association

Ryan Pickering, Associate Professor, was elected to a three-year term on APA’s Council of Representatives (COR) in 2024. His role on the Council involves serving on the Council for the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI;APA Division 9). SPSSI publishes journals and books and advocates for health, science, education, human rights, and global concerns.

Ecopsychology

Juvia Heuchert, Professor Emerita, introduced an iNaturalist project which supports Allegheny’s continued commitment to wellness and wildlife sustainability. Students and employees interacted with the college grounds, uploaded their images to the app, and contributed to the identification of 680 unique species, so far. They also enjoyed the well-established psychological benefits of interaction with nature, such as increased eudaimonia, improved cognitive function and reduced stress. From this campus-wide endeavor, Heuchert also contributed data to scientific research projects and published a photograph in Pollinators of the American West (Falcon,2024).

Awarded Research Poster

The American Psychology-Law Society awarded these graduating students with the Presentation Award Winner in 2024: Hannah Hinterleiter, Sarah Thorman, Carolyn McAndrews, Emma Chow, Will Lowthert, and Emily Eshleman. Under faculty Chris Normile they presented, Beauty, Bribes, and Bias: The Impact of Jailhouse Informant Testimony on Jury Decision Making.

Research Grant Awarded

Psi-Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, awarded funds to students in the JUSTICE LAB ((Just Undergraduate Students Thoroughly Investigative Crime Ethically) to conduct research. This lab consists of students studying psychology and law related issues.

Alum Shares

This March, alums Andrea Pence ’19 and Megan McGrath ’16 shared their career journeys after Allegheny with the Neuro Journal Club. Coincidentally, both Neuroscience majors met for the first time when they worked at a Harvard University/Massachusetts Hospital laboratory as researchers.

Brain Awareness Week

Studying the brain is super cool! The Neuro Club headed by Julia Williams ‘25 continues to visit local schools for the annual Brain Awareness Week. This includes memory-time games and fun facts. Creativity flourished by collaborating with the Clay Club and hand making clay brains and neurons. And the shocking pink and neon green squishy brain toys given out are always a hit.

Social Media and Suicide Awareness

Madison Kermis ’25 worked with the Crawford County’s Suicide Awareness Task Force as an intern during summer 2024 and developed their social media platforms. Under faculty mentor Juvia Heuchert, she created various pinpointed public service messages to raise awareness and support the task force. This internship was under the Community Impact Hub’s Summer Community Based Research Program.

Ongoing Student Research

Two sleep studies are ongoing under Kristen Warren, Assistant Professor. Dance Learning and Recall through an EEG study (Lily Kons) is seeing how dancers can learn choreography by examining brain activity while viewing and mentally rehearsing a novel step sequence, and how that activity relates to later recall for that sequence. The other study (Hanan Hamed) involves whether auditory cues during a nap can improve memory performance for a motor sequence learning task, as opposed to overnight sleep.

Wellness at Carnegie Hall

Allegheny provides constant endeavors for student and employee wellbeing which the psychology department echoes.

Environmental Psychology: This past year, Carnegie added large scale original artwork in the building taking account of psychology, mental focus and wellness. Works are from the college collection as well as by Professor Emerita Juvia Heuchert.

Pet Therapy: Golden retriever Sophie (Shelby Blair) visits every Friday to help students and faculty unwind while she perfects her ball catching skills.

Students attended annual conferences and presented research posters with their faculty mentors at: WPUPC-Mercyhurst University, Research Society for Alcoholism, Association for Behavior Analysis, Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, Inclusive Excellence in STEM-DePauw University, American Psychological Association, and American Psychology-Law Society.

• As his last mentorship of 30+ years, recently retired Rodney Clark, Professor Emeritus, and his students presented at the Society for Quantitative Behavior in May 2024. Clark was awarded the 2021 Julian Ross Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• The Psychology Lunch-n-Learn is back with faculty speakers. These discussions maintain student interest and motivation in their major and propels future research. Recent topics ranged from psychology of confessions and convictions, memory and brain activity, fear learning, animal hormonal role related to alcohol drinking, and social justice and wellbeing.
• Lauren French, Program Coordinator for Neuroscience, (Associate Professor, Biology) restarted the Neuro Journal Club meetings in 2024. Alumna Megan McGrath ’16 presented her paper that provides background for ongoing work in French’s lab with anesthetic drugs and how they affect ion channels. “Toxicologic and Inhibitory Receptor Actions of the Etomidate Analog ABP-700 and Its Metabolite CPM-Acid” by Valk et al., 2019.
• Physiology and Applied Social Sciences (PASS) Lab. For three years, lab students mentored by Ryan Pickering, Associate Professor, developed and utilized a social class disclosure scale. This was used to complete a project and present at SPSSI in 2023: “Social Class Disclosure May Be Good for Your Health”, by Megan Aaron ’23, Alexus Fisk ’23, Steffi Puthenpurayil ’24, and Anna Kwasnica ’23.
• The college Faculty Lecture Series in fall 2024 featured Assistant Professor Chris Normile’s “Injustice in Action: systemic failures, wrongful convictions, and the struggle for reintegration”.
• URCSA 2024 (Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities): Mentorship for students continues in the summer. Faculty guide the student’s summer research projects and presentation. This presentation is to the campus community at large providing valuable public engagement and Community Based Research experience.

URCSA 2024

American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Washington, D.C. 2023

51st Annual Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Psychology Conference (WPUPC), Mercyhurst University, Spring 2024

Faculty Presentations

Recent publications by faculty have been in journals such as: Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement; Emerging Adulthood; Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience; Psychology, Crime & Law; Journal of First-Generation Student Success; and books including Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science and Teaching Social Psychology.

Select Publications:
* denotes with students

• Bertholomey, M.L., Forbes, C., McElroy, B.C., & Torregrossa, M.M. Sex specific effects of ketamine, but not other glutamate receptor modulators, on ethanol self-administration and reinstatement of ethanol seeking in rats. (under revision) Psychopharmacology, (Jan 2025).
• Chowdhury, M., Mullen E., Kaufman, C.* Your Soulmate is still Out there. Dating App Use and FOMO in Young Adults. (submitted) Emerging Adulthood. (2024)
• Li, Z., & Freelon, R. Counselors, not cops: a narrative inquiry of youth organizing for police-free schools, (in press) International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. (2025)
• Battens, T., & Normile, C. J., Concerns and Recommendations Regarding the Training of School Administrators in Interrogating Students. Psychology, Crime & Law. (2023)
• Paulson, L. R., & Davis, C.* Amplifying Community Partner Voices in Rural Community Service-Learning Partnerships. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 28 (1), 58-26. (2024)
• Pickering, R.M. (2025) Persisting and pivoting in the face of failure: Learning from what did not work. In K.A.Case & L.R. Warner (Eds.) Finding Hope in the Messy Truth: Faculty Activism for Social Justice. Taylor and Frances.