Congratulations to Carrington Merritt, a Senior Psychology major, who is the first recipient of our J. Steven Reznick Diversity and Psychological Research Grant.
The Reznick Diversity and Psychological Research Grant supports student from underrepresented backgrounds or those who are interested in conducting research with, or applicable to, populations traditionally underrepresented in research. The student receiving this award may use funds to offset the need for other part-time work, to cover the costs of carrying out research, and/or to attend a professional conference.
The J. Steven Reznick Diversity and Psychological Research Grant honors Dr. Reznick, a close friend and colleague in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from UNC Chapel Hill, M.A. from Wake Forest University, and Ph.D. from University of Colorado. He was a proud alumnus of UNC Chapel Hill and served on our faculty from 1998 until his death in 2016. Dr. Reznick made many contributions to enriching diversity in student experiences at Carolina and we thank him for his lifelong commitment to education, research, and Carolina. The Reznick Research Fund honors Dr. Reznick and encourages undergraduate students who conduct exemplary research on topics of concern to diverse populations as well as undergraduates from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in psychological research.
Carrington Merritt will receive a $4,000 Reznick Diversity and Psychological Research Grant in Spring 2018. A Senior Psychology major, she works in Dr. Keely Muscatell’s laboratory. Her research interests are in how social conditions influence physiological and neural functioning, in turn influencing psychological well-being. In particular, Carrington is interested in investigating neurocognitive processes (using both fMRI and physiological assessments) of Black individuals as they process ambiguous social feedback from racial outgroup members, given that such ambiguous inter-racial interactions are thought to have adverse physical and mental health effects on racial/ethnic minorities. Congratulations to Carrington on receiving this prestigious grant!