The University of Newcastle's School of Psychology Newsline: Pint of Science NEWCASTLE: bringing science out of the lab

Saturday 18 May 2019

Pint of Science NEWCASTLE: bringing science out of the lab

Pint of Science - NEWCASTLE

Pint of Science Australia is a 3-day event in May each year, and a part of an international festival of the same name. It aims to bring science out of the lab and into your local! In 2019 the festival will run over the 20th, 21st and 22nd of May.

This year we have our very own Romany McGuffog and Patrick Skippen from the School of Psychology presenting next Wednesday night 22nd May, 6.30pm at the Happy Wombat. The theme for the night is "Make up your Mind". Dr Elena Prieto from the Faculty of Education & Arts is also presenting.

For more information and to book your tickets visit: https://pintofscience.com.au/events/newcastle

Working class or sleeping beauty?

Ms Romany McGuffog

People from lower social classes tend to have poorer mental and physical health. Through online surveys using higher education students, my research tests sleep as a possible explanation.

Gender and STEM education: one step forward?

Dr Elena Prieto

In this presentation I will talk about several initiatives aiming to increase female participation in STEM. I will talk about effectiveness but I will also reflect -with help from the audience- on possible dangers of a push for STEM.

Impulse and inhibition: what’s the link?

Mr Patrick Skippen

Topic/description: What leads to impulsive actions: Losing control at the wheel or not paying attention to the road rules? I will discuss what leads to people doing rash, often dangerous behaviours and how well-disciplined, inhibited mindset won’t necessarily stop you from being impulsive. I’ll use my own research into young people’s behaviour and brain activity to describe how we at the tipping point of discovery to understanding the links between how inhibited an individual is, whether this leads to them being more or less impulsive in the real world, and what the brain can tell us about why these two things aren’t as connected as they should be. I’ll finish by offering insight into how the amount of attention that is being payed to the world around us can assist in controlling our impulses.

About the School

The School of Psychology is part of the Faculty of Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. The University is ranked in the top 1% of universities in the world and in the top 13 of universities in Australia (QS World University Rankings, 2017-18; Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2017-18).

The School is located at the Callaghan campus near Newcastle, about two hours drive north of Sydney, and the Ourimbah campus, about one hour north of Sydney. The School includes over 30 academic staff, over 800 undergraduate students, over 170 Masters students, and over 50 PhD students.

We have a strong record of research performance in four key research groupings: clinical and health psychology, social and organisational psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. The 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia assessment rated the School’s research as “well above world standard” in the areas of psychology and cognitive science, placing the School in the top third of psychology departments in Australia.

For more information about the School, please visit our webpages or contact us at psyc-admin@newcastle.edu.au

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