Institute of Applied Prevention Research Graduate Fellow Recipients
2011-2012 Recipient
My name is Allison Grant, and I am a new student within Colorado State University’s Applied Social Psychology program. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Psychology in 2006 and worked as a lab manager at UW-Madison’s Addiction Research Lab for the following three years. In 2009, I began my graduate studies at UW-Madison’s department of Educational Psychology and received my MS in 2011 just before coming to CSU. My research, thus far, has focused on adolescent development, drug use and social outcomes. My thesis specifically focused on college freshmen’s motives for alcohol use and associated social outcomes, including social network size and perception of social support from new friends. At CSU, I hope to contribute to the prevention literature by studying factors related to adolescents’ school engagement and academic achievement including risk and protective factors, peer relationships and parental involvement. I am thrilled to be a part of the Instituted of Applied Prevention Research and to be working towards my PhD at CSU! Beyond my studies, I love to spend time with my husband and our two year-old daughter as well as traveling, hiking, water skiing, downhill skiing, and eating out.
I’ve presented at the annual meetings of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the Research Society on Alcoholism.
2010-2011 Recipients
My name is Sara Dieterich and I am in my first semester in the Applied Social Psychology PhD program. I received my BA in psychology from Miami University in 2004 and my MA in clinical counseling from the Citadel in 2008. I became interested in prevention research during my time at the Citadel and I am excited to be pursuing my PhD at Colorado State University. My research interests include: health promotion, child and adolescent development, and substance use. I am currently collaborating on the development of a skin-cancer prevention program to be implemented in the community, and I am excited to be involved with the Institute of Applied Prevention Research. Outside of my research interests, I enjoy hiking, camping, running, and learning how to cook!
My name is Lauren Menger, and I am a new student in the Applied Social Psychology PhD program at Colorado State University. I completed my BA at DePaul University in 2006 with a double major in psychology and religious studies, and up until now I have been working for a leadership consulting firm in Chicago. I am generally interested in attitude and behavior change as it relates to enhanced self-efficacy, motivation, leadership skills, and overall well-being. More specifically, my current interests lie in the development, implementation, evaluation, dissemination, and sustainability of prevention and intervention programs in both community and occupational settings. This year I will be involved in a social network analysis project related to suicide prevention and a melanoma prevention project, as well a project geared toward developing a customized training program to improve safety leadership skills among construction workers. I’m honored and excited to be a part of the Institute of Applied Prevention Research, and I look forward to making my own contribution to the field of prevention research. During my free time, I enjoy cooking, hiking, traveling, skiing and enjoying this beautiful, sunny state of Colorado with friends!
2009-2010 Recipient
My name is Emily Nowacki. I completed my BA in psychology at Rutgers University in January 2009. I am currently in my first semester in the Industrial and Organizational Psychology PhD program at Colorado State University. Additionally, I am pursuing Occupational Health Psychology training. I’m pleased to be an Institute of Applied Prevention Research fellowship recipient. My more specific research interests include: work-family balance facilitation, leadership development and supervisor support, intervention/prevention/policy implementation and evaluation, and cross-cultural Occupational Health Psychology. I hope to take a multidisciplinary approach to my own research by collaborating with my colleagues from ergonomics, applied social psychology, public health, and other disciplines. Outside of research I enjoy gardening, hiking, baking, and skiing and I’m thrilled to be living in Fort Collins, CO!
2008-2009 Recipient
My name is Annette Shtivelband and I just completed my first semester in Applied Social Psychology with a specialization in Occupational Health Psychology at Colorado State University. I received my B.A. from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in both Psychology and Russian. I’m excited to be a part of the interdisciplinary Institute of Applied Prevention Research which focuses on the prevention of illnesses, injuries, and social problems. Currently, I am working on a project to improve two suicide prevention programs by developing strategies to help trainees sustain confidence in their ability to help at- risk youth. Research suggests that when people do not believe that they can do something they are less likely to do it. I am also working on another project focusing on health care utilization and injury prevention for migrant farm workers in Colorado. In the future, I hope to use the knowledge and skills I gain during my education toward positive societal change that enhances the well-being of all individuals. When I'm not focusing on my studies, I enjoy dancing, spending time with friends, and traveling. I'm glad I decided to pursue my PhD at CSU!
