2018 CPA Convention Highlights
Dear Student Members,
This year’s CPA convention was very special, as it was held concurrently with the International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP) 2018 in beautiful Montréal! This international congress occurs every 4 years in different cities across the world and has not occurred in Canada since 1974. This gave Canadian psychology students a very unique opportunity to experience and present at a large international conference without leaving the country.
ICAP 2018 started off with the First-Time Attendee Orientation Breakfast, which was a great opportunity for students to network with each other, with members of the student executive and with CPA board members. The breakfast also featured a welcome address from our 2017-2018 Chair, Jean-Philippe Gagné, and a presentation by our Graduate Affairs Coordinator, Michelle Guzman-Ratko about her top 10 tips for surviving a 5-day long international congress.
Throughout the convention, CPA students presented many posters and GIMME-5 presentations. It was truly inspiring to hear about the impressive range of research topics currently being investigated by students across Canada! During the Section for Students poster session, two members of our executive committee evaluated poster presentations. The Best English Poster was awarded to Lauren Goegan from the University of Alberta for her poster about how undergraduate students conceptualize academic success. Congratulations Lauren! I would also like to congratulate the 20 winners of our annual Student Travel Awards who received their $250 cheques at the Section for Student’s Annual Business Meeting.
The Section for Students executive committee offered several different workshops and presentations on topics relevant to students in psychology. Because ICAP 2018 was longer than a typical convention, we were able to offer more student-focused presentations than ever before at a CPA convention! For instance, we held two full workshops – one about grad school applications and another about how to peer review featuring Dr. John Hunsley from the University of Ottawa. Our team also facilitated discussion forums about funding applications, self-care in graduate school, networking, and the replication crisis in psychology. In keeping with our section’s mandate to offer bilingual programming, we also offered a presentation about graduate school applications in French. Finally, we welcomed our keynote speaker Dr. Richard Koestner from McGill University - his talk on student goal-setting and motivation filled the room! I would like to personally thank all students that attended and participated in our presentations throughout ICAP. The slides for these talks are available on our website here.
For the second year in a row, we hosted a student booth in the main convention area. This was a space where students could ask questions and hear more about student activities, awards and other initiatives. Students were also encouraged to spend time at the booth to network and enjoy some treats throughout the convention. Finally, we wrapped up this busy week with our Student Social at L’Assommoir bar in the historic Old Port neighbourhood in Montréal. This event was co-hosted by the International Association of Applied Psychology Student Division, and was a great opportunity for students to make international connections while enjoying some free food and a drink!
Thank you again to all students who attended ICAP and participated in our Annual Business Meeting. As always, any feedback about our Section’s activities is more than welcome, either in person at the convention or throughout the year by email. We will continue to strive to incorporate your comments and suggestions into our planning for next year’s convention in Halifax!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing student executive members for their outstanding contributions to the CPA Section for Students over the last few years: Kyrsten Grimes (Past Chair), Amanda O’Brien (Finance Officer), Michelle Guzman-Ratko (Graduate Affairs Officer) and Michael Ku (Undergraduate Affairs Officer). Thank you to Alisia Palermo who will be staying on the executive committee for a second term as Communications Officer. I also want to congratulate Jean-Philippe Gagné for a very successful term as Chair in 2017-2018 – his strong leadership made all of this possible! Finally, I would like to welcome four new executive members to our team: Alexandra Richard, Baénie La Fleur, Jérémie Richard and Kaitlin Wilson. Check out our website for their bios and contact information.
Please keep an eye out for our email updates on student opportunities and initiatives. Hope to see you May 31-June 2 in Halifax!
Best wishes,
Chelsea Moran
Chair, Section for Students in Psychology
Canadian Psychological Association
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Spring 2018!
The Spring 2018 Student Newsletter is now available. Click here to download (version français ici).
The ICAP 2018 Organizing Committee is looking for volunteers for ICAP in Montreal, QC from June 24-30, 2018.
Please click here for more information and to apply.
The Fall 2017 issue of Mind Pad is now available:
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Fall 2017!
The Fall 2017 Student Newsletter is now available. Click here to download (version français ici).
Visit the Student Resources page to find Presentations from the 2017 CPA Convention
2017 CPA Convention Highlights
Dear Student Members,
It was a pleasure meeting all of you at the 78th Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association in Toronto!
At convention, the executive committee of the Section for Students in Psychology offered a very diverse programming of workshops and roundtable discussions to fit the needs of students at all stages of their training. Specifically, we presented an informative roundtable discussion on applying to graduate school and enlightening workshops on leadership, self-care, and publishing in psychology. The slides from all of our talks can be found on our Section’s website. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Jessica Dere from the University of Toronto Scarborough, delivered a well-attended presentation on cultural issues in mental health. Furthermore, our Section sponsored a full poster session dedicated to research that is both innovative and relevant to students. It is my pleasure to announce that Lauren Geogan from the University of Alberta is the 2017 Winner of the Section for Students Best Poster Award! She presented her work on the use of assistive technology in post-secondary studies. Her complete poster will be available in the Fall 2017 issue of our Section’s newsletter.
This year, we were happy to launch the first student booth at convention. This allowed student members to gather together, ask questions to our dedicated volunteers about our Section’s opportunities and, importantly, grab a variety of treats! Given the success of the booth, we hope this initiative will eventually grow into something bigger for future conventions, such as a student lounge. On Friday evening, student members networked for several hours at Lone Star Texas Grill for our annual social event, which was well-attended as always. The executive committee of our Section was also present at the First-Time Attendee Orientation Breakfast at the Fairmont Royal York to welcome each and one of you and showcase the student orientation guide.
We wish to thank everyone who provided constructive feedback at our Section’s Annual Business Meeting. We will do our best to take into account every single comment we received. We also wish to congratulate the 20 winners of the Student Travel Awards who submitted outstanding applications and presented excellent work at convention!
Please keep looking our Section’s website throughout the year for updates on several opportunities and for new initiatives. I look forward to seeing all of you again at the 2018 International Congress of Applied Psychology in Montreal!
Best wishes,
Jean-Philippe Gagné
Chair, Section for Students in Psychology
Canadian Psychological Association
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Spring 2017!
The Spring 2017 Student Newsletter is now available. Click here to download (version français ici).
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Fall 2016!
The Fall 2016 Student Newsletter is now available. Click here to download.
CPA Student Section Grants
Student Research Grant due: November 14, 2016
This award is intended to support students in undergraduate or graduate programs in any domain or discipline within psychology who are actively engaged in research. Given the costs that are associated with conducting research, and the limited funding that is available to students, the Section for Students wishes to recognize and support student research efforts by awarding two research grants, valued at $500 each, to help alleviate a small portion of the financial burden.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this grant, students must meet the following criteria:
- The applicant must be a current member of the Section for Students of the Canadian Psychological Association
- The applicant must be the primary investigator and/or first author of the research project
- The research project for which support is being sought must be relevant to at least one domain or discipline within psychology
- The research project for which support is being sought must not yet be completed (i.e., does not apply retroactively to completed research projects), and the research and/or data collection must begin within 12 months of the adjudication of this award.
Instructions for submission and application materials are available at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zyo8qbbvdxr1so0/AABou5A9eR1GclCnwLKU_ltta?dl=0
Campus Initiative Grant due: December 15, 2016
The purpose of the Campus Initiative Grant is to support events or programs that serve to enhance the educational experience in psychology of students on campus. Common examples include holding training seminars, talks or colloquia with an invited speaker, networking events, and psychology-related workshops, lectures, or panel discussions. In addition to single-events, longer-term projects or programs that serve to enhance students’ experience may also be eligible as initiatives. For example, groups may apply for funds to support the start of a department-wide mentorship program for students.
Requirements
To be eligible to apply for this grant:
- Applicants must be a current member of the Section for Students of the Canadian Psychological Association; for student-group applications, the individual applying for the award on behalf of the group must be a member of the Section for Students.
- Initiatives must be related to the purposes and requirements as detailed in Sections (1) and (2); that is, related to the educational objectives of the Section and relevant for its members.
- Proposed activities or initiatives must be held at the institution’s campus.
- Initiatives must have received departmental approval prior to being submitted. A letter from the Chair of the relevant department in support of this initiative or event must be submitted.
Instructions for submission are available at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7e47dfjx852jbeo/Campus%20Initiative%20Grant%20Application%202016.pdf?dl=0
The Summer 2016 issue of Mind Pad is now available:
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Spring 2016!
Click here to read the Student Section Newsletter for Spring 2015: Spring 2015 CPA Student Newsletter
The Fall Newsletter is upcoming! If you are interested in submitting a piece for our next issue, please contact the section's Communication Officer, Alisia Palermo, at palermam@mcmaster.ca.
The Spring 2016 issue of Mind Pad is now available:
A Student’s Guide to the Canadian Psychological Association’s Annual Convention for Victoria 2016 is now available for download!
2016 Canadian Psychological Association's Lobby Day
Four doctoral students from across Canada were invited to take part in the 2016 Canadian Psychological Association's Lobby Day, along side the CPA Board of Directors. Pictured left to right: Lucy Karimi Amadala (University of Calgary, Counselling Psychology), Sarah Gray (University of Toronto, Clinical Psychology), Katherine Elliot (University of Ottawa, Clinical Psychology), and Zarina Giannone (University of British Columbia). Missing from the photo: Matt Murdoch (Carleton University, Social Psychology).
Operation Med School (Vancouver) Conference
Operation Med School (Vancouver) is hosting a conference on Saturday, April 30 from 9:00am to 5:00pm at the University of British Columbia’s West Mall Swing Space Building. Lunch will be provided and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Canada.
This is a great opportunity for high school students interested in Med School to learn more about the field of medicine.
Please visit their website: http://operationmedschool.com/vancouver/
Or Like them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/operationmedschoolvan
CPA Student Executive Postions with the Section for Students in Psychology
Please consider running for a CPA Student Executive postion with the Section for Students in Psychology. We have extended the deadline to FEB. 15, 2016 to allow more time for you to submit your application! We are seeking applications from students who are engaged in the psychology community and who are willing to take on a valuable and rewarding leadership role.
A number of positions have become available for the 2016-2017 academic year including:
- Chair-Elect,
- Administration and Finance Officer,
- Graduate Student Affairs Officer,
- Undergraduate Student Affairs Officer, and
- Communications Officer.
Detailed descriptions about the positions and election process can be found at the end of this email or on our website: http://www.cpa.ca/students/
To apply for these positions, please send the following materials to Alisia Palermo, our Communications Officer, at: palermam@mcmaster.ca.
- A statement of intent that indicates the position for which you are applying, why you would like to hold the position, and what qualities you would bring to the position (max. 250-300 words);
- A short biography that includes information on your academic activities, your academic goals, and your personal interests (max. 250-300 words);
- Your curriculum vitae (max. four pages).
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE!
Good news! Our section now has a facebook and twitter page.
"Like" our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CPA-Section-for-Students-Section-des-%C3%A9tudiants-de-la-SCP-125316637825691
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cpa_students
CPA Student Section Newsletter - Summer 2015!
Click here to read the Summer 2015 CPA Student Newsletter
If you are interested in submitting a piece for our next issue, please contact the section's Communication Officer, Alisia Palermo, at palermam@mcmaster.ca.
CPA Counselling Psychology Section survey about doctoral programs in Counselling Psychology.
click here for more information, or click here to complete the survey.
Convention Workshops
Workshops provided by the Student Section at the 2016 CPA Convention are now available! Check them out on the 'Student Resources' webpage:
- The 4 W’s of Networking - Michelle Guzman-Ratko
- Applying to Graduate School - Krysten Grimes
- How to Write Tri-Council Scholarship Applications: Staying Calm and Getting Ahead of the Competition - Georden Jones, B.A., Somayya Saleemi, & Kyrsten Grimes, B.A.
- Presentation Skills & Data Blitz Competition - Zarina Giannone, Jennifer Bartlett, Michelle Guzman-Ratko, & Todd Chan
We are excited to see you at the 2017 CPA Convention in Toronto!
Student Executive 2016-2017:
Student Executive information is now available on the 'Student Executive 2016-2017' webpage.
Now Available: The CPA Student Section Newsletter
Welcome back, everyone! The CPA Student Section Executive proudly present the CPA Student Section Newsletter. This newsletter aims to improve the communication within our section and allows you to get to know your executive team as well as stay up to date on current events within the section.