Lycoming College News

Students attend the Eastern Colleges Science Convention

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming College psychology students and faculty members attended the 65^th Eastern Colleges Science Convention at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut on April 2.

Students included Kelly Arendacs, Katie Baldwin, Jenna Barnhart, Jalina Brown, Donna DiRocco, Kristen Forgotch, Lisa Gallagher, Melody Johnson, Linsey Martin, Bethany Mastronardi and Jennifer Melhorn. They were accompanied by Howard Berthold, professor of psychology; Rebecca Gilbertson, assistant professor of psychology; Sue Kelley, associate professor of psychology.

The convention gives undergraduate students the opportunity to present their empirical research in a professional format. While there, students were able to give platform and poster presentations on research they conducted at Lycoming.

Lycoming College is a national liberal arts and sciences school dedicated to the undergraduate education of 1,400 students. It is recognized as a Tier 1 institution by U.S. News and World Report. Founded in 1812 in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one of the 50 oldest colleges in the nation.

Lycoming to host lecture on post-traumatic stress disorder

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming College will host a lecture on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders in soldiers by Dr. Joshua Wilk on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Heim Building G-11. The free public lecture is part of the College’s Spring Symposium on the state of health care in America.

Wilk is deputy branch chief in the Division of Military Psychiatry in the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the Army’s leading center for mental health research of active duty and National Guard soldiers. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed scientific papers and book chapters on deployment mental health research. Recently, he has published on the rates of mental health and functional problems in active duty and National Guard soldiers, the effects of combat experience on alcohol misuse, the effects of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury, and the treatment of PTSD in soldiers. Wilk also is a practicing clinician in private practice in Columbia, Md.

Visiting scholar of Arabic and Islamic studies to speak Jan. 27

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming College will host Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a visiting scholar of Arabic and Islamic studies from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, for two public lectures on Thursday, Jan. 27. His visit is sponsored by the College, Ohev Sholom Synagogue and the Williamsport Federation of Jewish Charities.

Kedar’s first lecture, “Clash of Values: Gender and Family Issues - Sources of tension between Islam and the West,” will be held from 4-5:15 p.m. in the Academic Center, room C303. From 7:30-8:45 p.m., he’ll present “What is the struggle over Jerusalem all about?” in Heim Building, G-11.

Kedar is an assistant professor and lecturer on Arabic and Islamic studies at Bar-Ilan, where he earned a bachelor’s and doctorate in Arabic and political science. He has served as a lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces - Military Intelligence. Kedar has published and lectured widely on Islam, Islamic movements, Arabic mass media and popular culture and gender issues in Islam. He has appeared on many TV news programs, including the Arabic station Al-Jazeera.

Kedar is also scheduled to speak at the Ohev Sholom Synagogue and the Door Fellowship in Williamsport.

View his full schedule of class visits and public lectures.

Psychology professor and students research the learning habits of preschool children

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

Pictured are, seated: Dr. Sue Kelley and project coordinators Kelly Arendacs and Jennifer Melhorn. Standing from left to right: Stephanie Menagh, Amy Sharlow, Donna DiRocco, Alexander Towle, Bethany Mastronardi, Allison Hurley, Sara Miller, Amy Cline, Shelby Armold and Ashley Demchak.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Dr. Sue Kelley, an associate professor of psychology at Lycoming College, and several of her students are researching the effects of live versus animated video instruction on the development of letter and letter sound knowledge in preschool children.

During the research project that began Oct. 17, 3-year-old children will watch either an animated video that outlines letter names and sounds or interact with a live instructor who will teach them the same letter names and sounds once a week for four weeks. Kelley says any differences in children’s knowledge of letters and letter sounds before and after the video/live instruction presentations will be assessed.

Psychology majors Kelly Arendacs and Jennifer Melhorn are completing independent study projects and will be coordinating the research under Kelley’s supervision. The other students will be involved in data collection. Some will be assessing children’s knowledge of letters and letter sounds, some will be facilitating the videotape presentations, and others will be serving as the live instructors for the children.

“In most graduate programs in psychology, students are expected to participate in and conduct research projects,” said Kelley. “Although Lycoming’s psychology department incorporates independent research in several of its courses, there is something different about participating in a larger research project. Because we are solely an undergraduate institution, our research assistants are often given more responsibility, such as tasks that may be delegated to a graduate student at a larger institution, and thus are developing even stronger research skills as a function of their participation in research at Lycoming College.”

According to Kelley, research by George Comstock and Haejung Paik in 1991 found that children spend more time watching television than engaging in any other activity other than sleeping. This suggests that understanding the effects of television is of major importance. If children spend such a considerable amount of time watching television, then identifying shows that can enhance development is crucial. Although previous research suggests that animated media may be effective in capturing preschool children’s attention and that educational programming targeted at preschool children (e.g., Sesame Street) can enhance cognitive development, Kelley says no studies have examined whether animated instruction is more effective than live instruction.

“Given the increasing prevalence of educational videos intended for preschool children, it seems an appropriate time to evaluate the effectiveness of this media,” said Kelley. “My research will attempt to fill the gap in the literature by examining whether animated media or live instruction is more effective in enhancing preschool children’s knowledge of letters and letter sounds.”

Kelley received a Professional Development Grant from the College, which is being used to fund this project.