I-O Psychology newsletter
Greetings from breezy BG!
The past 2-3 years have been a whirlwind of events for us all. Since we last touched base, we have all witnessed a worldwide pandemic, shifts in work practices, and ever-evolving international affairs. Along with the rest of the world, BGSU’s doctoral program learned to adapt. We shifted our classes and research groups online and back again (with masks); held virtual recruitment weekends; and enjoyed catching up with several of you at last year’s virtual SIOP party and this year’s in-person event.
While the past two years have been difficult, there is still much to celebrate. We welcomed two new cohorts of amazing doctoral students, innovative and collaborative research persisted, and Drs. Clare Barratt and Sam McAbee received tenure! While we are all looking forward to more “normal” times ahead, we want to celebrate our big and small victories with you. Further, we would love to hear about yours. Please email me at cbarrat@bgsu.edu with updates or victories you would like to share with BGSU alumni and friends. Thank you for your support and being part of the BGSU family!
Clare Barratt
Director, I-O Psychology Program
Faculty Notes
Mike Zickar recently stepped down after 12 years as the Psychology Department Chair. Thank you, Mike, for your service to our department!
Congratulations to Bill Balzer who was recently promoted to Professor Emeritus!
Our Students
First-Year Students
Gaurangi Das
My experience thus far at BGSU has been incredible! I was anxious to complete such a tedious degree in an unfamiliar environment; however, the encouraging and collaborative atmosphere of the department has helped me feel supported, both academically and personally. I do believe my skills have grown immensely as well! I find that the faculty teaching techniques and assistantships are preparing me to be a professional in the field by guiding me, but also allowing me the creative freedom I need to find my place in the field. I am looking forward to the rest of my time here at BGSU!
Libby Furrow
I am enjoying my first year as a graduate student at BGSU. I am grateful that BGSU’s faculty are generous with their time and encourage students to pursue their own research ideas. I’ve particularly enjoyed hearing from several voices in the field through our weekly speaker series. It’s exciting to get a glimpse of the careers that our education prepares us for!
Bao Ho
I love the collaborative spirit here at BGSU. As an international student in the program, I feel very supported and welcomed from my colleagues and my advisors. The BG area is friendly and quiet, which is a perfect place to pursue a Ph.D. degree. I also appreciate the "work hard, play hard" motto in the department as well. Also, the program really supports our career choice, whether it's academic or applied. I can't wait to learn more from my advisors as well as my friends.
Simon Michel
My time at Bowling Green has been amazing. I'm very grateful for my cohort, the faculty, and specifically my advisor, Clare Barratt, for helping me acclimate to the program. People in the program are highly focused on research, but there is an emphasis on doing applied work as well. Therefore, no matter what career path you might be focused on, there are resources here to help. The collaborative nature of the program also makes it very easy to get along with students and be productive, as well.
Sabrina Yu
It took a semester to fully transition to Bowling Green and the program itself, but I have enjoyed my time here so far learning and growing as a student and researcher. I am immensely grateful for my advisor, the faculty, the other students, and my wonderful cohort members, and I love the collaborative culture of the program. Also, eggs and cereal are way cheaper here, so that’s been great too.
Second-Year Students
Carter Bonifas
Coming from a similarly positioned Midwestern university (Central Michigan University), my transition to BGSU was relatively seamless, despite the introduction and effects of the pandemic. I think that the challenges brought by the pandemic has strengthened our program’s ability to work flexibly to meet our goals and to cope with ambiguous circumstances. I have enjoyed my research and academic pursuits here, and although I sometimes question my knowledge and progress, collaborating with other students and faculty provides a reminder of how much I have learned in my short time here. My involvement in teaching and the recruitment committee has also provided me with the opportunity to develop useful skills in media production. Nearing the end of my second year, I look forward to gaining more time to work on extracurricular projects and getting a chance to gain applied experience in the future.
Max Box
Well into my second year at the BGSU I-O Program, I fully feel that I am starting to come into my own as both a researcher and practitioner of our science. The collaborative culture at BGSU engenders a feeling that one can work on just about any project with anyone within the program. Furthermore, the faculty are incredibly generous in sharing their wealth of knowledge with newcomers. I am excited to see what the next few years will bring for my graduate education and professional development!
Zach Levey
Now that I have progressed through much of my second year at BGSU, I can think back to my knowledge of the field and research ability coming into the program and reflect on how much I have learned and grown over this brief year and a half. Graduate school is certainly challenging, but it is easy to tackle each day with a positive attitude when I love to learn about the topics I study. It definitely does not hurt to make great friends along the way, so I have been fortunate in that regard as well.
Izzy Ponce-Pore
I never thought small-town Bowling Green would feel like home coming from Colorado mountains, but I can truly say this place feels like home. As a second-year student looking back, I now understand what everyone was talking about when they said the best part of the BGSU program was the people. Everyone is so collaborative and supportive. The opportunity to work together on research and IPRA projects and engage in class discussions has been instrumental in developing as a well-rounded scientist practitioner. I look forward to continuing to grow alongside my cohort!
Grayson Sturgis
My first three semesters in the program have been extraordinary opportunities to grow—both academically and professionally through our rigorous curriculum and student consulting program respectively. The city of Bowling Green lends itself very well to a mindset of academic focus and frequent engagement with one's peers, which has allowed me to build a strong foundation of knowledge germane to the field as well as a rich working relationship with many of my colleagues. The faculty have been—and continue to be—world-class resources and experts in their chosen research areas as well as sympathetic ears who are prepared to offer assistance in any way they are able. I look forward to what the future holds for me in this program.
Not Pictured: Seth Brooks, Second-Year Student
Research
Faculty and students are actively involved in the I-O research community. Students are encouraged to explore all areas of I-O Psychology and work with multiple faculty members throughout the course of their graduate training. Both the students and faculty are actively involved in presenting at conferences as well as publishing in journals and other publications.
The faculty research interests at BGSU are often funded by grants and span a wide variety of topics including employee selection, judgment and decision making, psychometric theory, stress and well-being in the workplace, work motivation, and job attitudes.
IPRA Report
We have had a vibrant and active set of Institute for Psychological Research and Application (IPRA) projects. In the past year, we have worked with big and large companies and organizations including the City of Gahanna, Ohio, United Kronos Group (UKG), US Tsubaki, and Chally Assessment, working on a wide range of projects. We conducted an employee opinion survey in one organization to compare employee satisfaction to Pre-COVID results. We developed entry-level tests for jobs ranging from municipal pool manager to maintenance worker to utility billing clerk; helped an organization evaluate different hiring tools; and we worked with a company to modernize an assessment tool.
We are always looking for new projects, no matter how large or small. Our doctoral students love the experience of working with real-world clients to solve their problems, writing up reports, and presenting findings. The experiences are extremely helpful in supplementing students' classroom experiences with the realities of organizational life. And our students do great work (always supervised by a faculty member). If you have a project that you think might be good for IPRA, please contact Mike Zickar at mzickar@bgsu.edu.
Guest Speakers
Every year, through the Distinguished Lecture Series and weekly brown bag lectures, the department invites organizational researchers and practitioners to talk about their research and practical experience. See a list of the distinguished speakers who visited BGSU in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years.
Updated: 09/04/2024 11:36AM