Prof and recent grads to present research

Two 2008 graduates from Northwestern College will team with Dr. Laird Edman, professor of psychology, to present their research at the American Psychological Association’s annual conference in Boston Aug. 14-17. Both presentations resulted from the students’ senior thesis research.

Jillian Groeneveld, a psychology major from Parkersburg, Iowa, and Edman will give a poster presentation entitled “Predictors of Volunteerism Among College Students.” Groeneveld is now working for PIONEERS in Orlando, Fla., as a recruiter for short- and long-term missionaries.

Shateen Lichter, a psychology major from Adrian, Minn., and Edman will give a poster presentation entitled “Contributing Factors Toward College Students’ Perceptions of Domestic Abuse.” Lichter will be pursuing a master’s degree in social work at the University of Minnesota-Rochester this fall.

Edman, the 2008 recipient of the Northwestern Teaching Excellence Award, joined Northwestern’s faculty in 2003 after teaching at the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, Waldorf College and Luther College. He earned a doctorate in educational psychology that focused on cognition and learning from the University of Minnesota, as well as master’s degrees in counseling psychology and English literature from the University of Notre Dame. Edman did his undergraduate studies at Luther College.