PhD candidate Julia Dray receives an international award

Julia Dray, a PhD Candidate in the School of Psychology under the supervision of A/Prof Jenny Bowman received notification that she has been awarded a Donald Cohen Fellowship (DCFP) at the 22nd International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP) World Congress, Calgary, Canada. The DJCFP Awards aim to foster the professional development of emerging leaders in child and adolescent psychiatry throughout the world. The fellowships were highly competitive internationally and as part of the award she will receive intense mentor from leading international experts in child and adolescent mental health during the IACAPAP Congress, as well as conference registration and accommodation for the length of the congress. Well done Julia on an incredible achievement – and enjoy the trip.

For more Information:
http://www.iacapap2016.org/program/djcfp/

PhD Confirmation Seminar: first-impression bias

The School of Psychology’s Sensory, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Research Group is pleased to present the following PhD Confirmation Seminar. All Welcome!

Monday 18th April 12:00-1:00 PM in the Keats Reading Room, Psychology Building Callaghan Campus & Science Office Meeting Room Ourimbah Campus.


What can a first-impression bias in auditory processing tell us about prediction modelling and perceptual inference.

Kaitlin Fitzgerald, PhD Candidate
Supervisors: A/Prof Juanita Todd & Prof Andrew Heathcote.

Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory
School of Psychology
University of Newcastle, Callaghan. NSW 2308 AUSTRALIA


Abstract: Adaptive auditory processing is characterised by the ability to prioritise limited neural resources towards the aspects of the current environment which are most informative for behaviour (Winkler, Karmos & Näätänen, 1996). The neural substrate thought to be responsible for this process is a component of the auditory event-related potential (ERP) known as the mismatch negativity (MMN). MMN is produced in response to any rare and unexpected deviation from an established pattern, and triggers an attention switch towards a stimulus when sufficiently salient (Escera, Yago, Corral, Corbera & Nunez, 2003; Naatanen, Gaillard & Mantysalo, 1978). Whilst many claim MMN amplitude is governed solely by local probability statistics, our lab has revealed that the initial context in which a sound is encountered has a lasting effect on the perception of that sound in future contexts – a “primacy bias” (Todd, Provost & Cooper, 2011; Todd et al., 2013, Todd et al., 2014). Whilst this result is well replicated, much remains unknown about the mechanisms driving the bias and what it can tell us about perceptual inference processes. Research conducted within this thesis will build on existing primacy bias research to further our understanding of these processes. To date, this has involved confirming the presence of primacy bias in spatial deviance. Planned research will now utilise spatial manipulation to conduct a more powerful examination of its relationship to the information value of sounds, whilst a further study will investigate bias patterns in individuals with schizophrenia, a population with known deficits in MMN production (see Michie, 2001 for a review).

JUST PUBLISHED: How does human behaviour change in response to failure and success? Post-error recklessness and the hot hand

Post-error slowing describes systematic increases in response time (RT) following an error in rapid choice tasks (Laming, 1968). The hot hand originated in sports, and describes an increase in the probability of success after previous success. The hot hand is often considered a fallacy as, despite the strong beliefs of spectators and players, the effect is not often empirically observed (Gilovich, Vallone, & Tversky, 1985).  Even though they are both measured by a difference between post-error and post-correct performance, and even though they both tap similar questions - the literature have not overlapped because post-error slowing (rapid choice experiments) and the hot hand (professional sports) have been studied in vastly different environments.

Paul Williams, a PhD student in the School of Psychology, developed over the last few years dedicated computer game-like tasks (and measures) that allow assesing Post-Error slowing and Hot Hand simultaneously.

In this recently published paper Paul and his colleagues at the Newcastle Cognition Lab present data from their computerized game-like task along with a comparison of several measures of sequential dependency. The results were quite surprising...

SPOILER ALERT -  First and foremost, unpaid players exhibited surprising and strong evidence for the elusive hot hand, with an unprecedented effect size. Furthermore, financial reward to successful performance led to a more cautious approach following errors, whereas unrewarded performance led to recklessness. You can read about these results and other findings in the full paper:

Williams, P., Heatchocte, A., Nesbitt, K., & Eidels, A. (2016). Post error recklessness and the hot hand. Judgment and Decision Making, 11(2), 174-184.

JUST PUBLISHED: Cognition and personality in Labradors, sparrows and children

Researchillustration.uk is a blog run by University of St Andrews students and staff. Artists and researchers are working hand in hand to increase the outreach and to make it more accessible to everyone. They were taken by a new paper by Dr. Andrea Griffin and her colleagues, which examines personality and behavior in people and animals. The picture capturing their impression is here:
http://www.researchillustration.uk/picture-it-griffin-2015/.

Here is their impression in words:

Members of the same animal species – both human and non-human – vary in their behavior across time and space. Some Labradors bark more than others, some sparrows sing less than others, and some children run frenziedly around as others sit still with their toys. Meanwhile and less visibly, individuals also vary in how they process information – their “cognitive styles”. But charting the causal arrows linking these two is no easy task. Cognitive abilities – such as speed in learning about associations, rewards and categories – are tricky things to measure, because, in order to capture an individual’s true ability hidden beneath day-to-day fluctuations, they need to be tested repeatedly. Unfortunately, every new measurement may be influenced by previous ones, as an individual becomes familiar with the task. And if researchers, despite these practical challenges, were to find that a trait indeed correlates with a cognitive ability, such as shyness with learning difficulties, they will have to find a way to exclude the possibility that they both are caused by a third factor, like stress. Griffin and her colleagues discuss how personality psychology can best overcome these hurdles to illuminate why no two Labradors, sparrows or children are the same.

[reproduced with permission from http://www.researchillustration.uk/]



original paper:
Griffin, A. S., Guillette, L. M., & Healy, S. D. (2015). Cognition and personality: an analysis of an emerging field. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 30(4), 207-214.

JUST PUBLISHED: University is a stressful experience for some.

Previous research has demonstrated that university students report significantly higher levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. Two new publications from UoN researchers have replicated this finding but go further by examining potential predictors of distress and well-being in students:

Miles Bore, Chris Pittolo, Dianne Kirby, Teresa Dluzewska and Stuart Marlin (2016). Predictors of psychological distress and well-being in a sample of Australian undergraduate students. Higher Education Research and Development, online. doi 10.1080/07294360.2016.1138452

Miles Bore, Brian Kelly and Kichu Nair. (2016). Potential predictors of psychological distress and well-being in medical students: a cross-sectional pilot study. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 7, 125-135 . doi 10.2147/AMEP.S96802

Both studies found significant correlations between situational variables, such as financial concerns, and student well-being and distress. However, higher emotional resilience vs. emotional reactivity (measured as a personality trait) was found to be the most significant predictor of well-being and lower psychological distress. The conclusion drawn from the findings of each study was that the experience of university for many students might be improved through resilience skills training being embedded in the curriculum.

Social and Organisational Psychology Research Group Seminar

Please come and join us for a research presentation by Dr Michelle Kelly

WHEN: Tuesday 1st March, 12-1pm

WHERE: Keats Reading Room, Psychology Building, Callaghan (Video link to Ourimbah Science Offices Meeting Room)

WHAT: Research presentation by Dr Michele Kelly (School of Psychology, the University of Newcastle) entitled “Novel Ways of Examining Social Cognition

ABSTRACT: The way that we interact with others in our social world is crucial to our health and wellbeing. Despite this, research into the mechanisms underlying successful social interaction is only in its infancy, particularly when it comes to assessing an individuals’ social cognition. Social cognition refers to how we pick up on cues in our social world, for example, how we read emotions from another person’s face, tone of voice or  posture, the ability to think about another person’s thoughts (referred to as theory of mind), how we express empathy, and how we make decisions in social situations. Whilst we know that many clinical populations such as those with Schizophrenia, dementia or acquired brain injury have social cognition impairments, there is a paucity of tools to assess these functions. I will discuss some of the experimental and clinical tools available and new ways of looking at the problem.
 
BIO: Michelle Kelly is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at the School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Australia. Michelle’s research focuses on the investigation and development of tools for assessing social cognition in healthy populations, as well as clinical groups including those with a diagnosis of dementia and those who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Michelle is a member of the Priority Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing and the Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health.

***

Special colloquium talk on the effects of aging on quantitative MRI values in the human subcortex; Thur 1:30pm.

The Functional Neuroimaging Lab invites you to a special colloquium talk:

Effects of aging on quantitative MRI values in the human subcortex.
Dr Max C Keuken, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

WHEN: Thursday 25 February, 1:30-2:30pm
WHERE: Keats Reading Room (AVG17)

The aging brain undergoes several anatomical changes that can be measured with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Early studies using lower field strengths have assessed changes in tissue properties mainly qualitatively, using T1- or T2*- weighted images to provide image contrast. With the development of higher field strengths (7 Tesla and above) and more advanced MRI contrasts, quantitative measures can be acquired even of small subcortical structures. In this talk I will present some of the volumetric, spatial, and quantitative MRI parameter changes associated with healthy aging in a range of subcortical nuclei, including the basal ganglia, red nucleus and, the periaqueductal grey.

Dr Max C. Keuken is currently a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam. Max completed his Ph.D in 2015 at the University of Amsterdam, NL, under the supervision of Birte U. Forstmann and Robert Turner. His main research interest is the role of subcortical nuclei in decision-making using ultra-high field structural and functional MRI. Despite being less than 1yr post-PhD, Max has 23 papers published in high-impact peer reviewed journals since 2008, including  7 as 1st author, giving him an H-index of 11 and over 450 citations.

http://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/organisation/staff-members/content/k/e/m.c.keuken/m.c.keuken.html

Max was awarded an ECR Visiting Fellowship by FSCIT to work with A/Prof Karayanidis’ group on model-based cognitive neuroscience analyses of cognitive flexibility and response inhibition in young adults.

The School of Psychology's Health and Clinical Psychology Research Group presents

A Seminar by Dr Angela Nickerson

Mechanisms Underlying Refugee Mental Health: Implications for Psychological Treatment

When: Wednesday 2nd March from 12:00 to 1:00pm

Where: Keats Room - Psychology Building (AVLG17 - Old Aviation Building), Callaghan Campus, University of Newcastle

Abstract: 

Elevated rates of psychological disorders have been documented in refugees. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms by which psychopathology develops following exposure to refugee-related trauma and torture. This presentation will outline a theoretical model that proposes pathways to adaptation following trauma and displacement. Findings from empirical studies testing components of this model will then be presented. These studies will examine the impact of both refugee experiences (trauma exposure and post-migration living difficulties) and internal processes (memory dysfunction, cognitive processes and emotion regulation) on refugee mental health. Implications of these research findings for psychological interventions will be discussed.

About Dr Nickerson:

Angela Nickerson is Senior Lecturer and NHMRC Clinical Early Career Research Fellow at the School of Psychology, UNSW Australia. She is also Director of the Refugee Taruma and Recovery Program. Angela’s research focuses on uncovering mechanisms underlying psychological disorders in refugees and asylum-seekers, with the aim of improving psychological interventions for these groups and informing policy and service provision.

Health and Clinical Psychology Research Group

Please come and join us for a PhD research proposal presentation by Jichun (Jessy) Hao.

When: 24th February, 12:00

Where: Keats Reading Room, Psychology (Aviation) Building (video to Ourimbah Science Offices).

Title: Mindfulness and psychological health in Chinese and Australian university students: The role of attachment and social integration

Abstract:

The transition to university is a unique and challenging experience for most people and with the growth of tertiary education how people cope with this transition has become an increasingly important issue. Student mental health not only impacts on their current and future wellbeing but also on their families, Universities, and the larger society. In this research I intend to study how trait mindfulness, together with attachment styles and social integration, affects Chinese and Australian university students’ psychological well-being. In this presentation I will first set up the background by discussing past theoretical and empirical work. Then I will briefly state my aims and present a hypothesised model as well as the proposed research methodology. I will also present who and how I intend to recruit and what data analysis technique I will use. Lastly I will end with the feasibility and timelines for this research.

Former Staff Member Rejoins the School of Psychology to Research Bipolar Disorder and Mathematical Models in Human Decision Making

Conjoint Associate Professor Rachel Heath rejoined the staff of the School of Psychology in 2015, 40 years after starting as Lecturer in Psychology at this University. Rachel’s current research has involved the discovery of a new mathematical method for predicting bipolar disorder episodes. In collaboration with Professor Greg Murray from the Swinburne University of Technology, Rachel showed how an index derived from physical activity measurements could detect the early signs of a manic episode in a young person diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This paper has been accepted for publication in Fractal Geometry and Nonlinear Analysis in Medicine and Biology. Rachel also published a paper in Nonlinear Dynamics in Psychology and Life Sciences showing how fluctuations in mood ratings obtained from a unipolar depressed person can be represented by nonlinear processes that approach the edge-of-chaos.

Rachel has dedicated both these papers in memory of Susan Heath (1950-2014).


Rachel and her contrabassoon:

Muslim-NonMuslim Partnership Project Wins APS Peace Research Award and Marks a New Equity–Diversity Focus in the School

Fatima Azam (left) and Stefania Paolini (right) have won the 2015 APS Psychologist for Peace Research Award and have been shortlisted for the 2015 Muslim-nonMuslim Understanding Award for their hijab stall initiative. The recognition of the merit of their action research in areas of social inclusion timely marks a new focus of the school on Equity and Diversity.

Australia is currently afflicted by a social climate of hype and negative media around Muslim and non-Muslim relationships (e.g., protests by ‘Reclaim Australia’). Fatima and Stefania’s intercommunity initiative was aimed at instigating positive change in the community and within the university, as well as create a platform for open and respectful dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians towards a more harmonious and genuinely integrated multicultural Australia.

The hijab stall project is an intercommunity engagement and research initiative undertaken at the University of Newcastle, between March and September 2015. Non-Muslim women from students, staff, and the general community were invited to attend a hijab stall where they could learn from Muslim women why they wear different headcoverings. They were also invited to try one on. Fatima with 14 other female Muslim volunteers from a variety of national backgrounds and wearing different Islamic headcoverings , ran seven hijab stalls across three UON campuses and Newcastle CBD precinct over a period of six months. These hijab stalls contributed to important diversity and equity initiatives, like 2015 Harmony Day, and Cultural Awakening Day. They involved also many non-Muslim volunteers thus modelling genuine intercommunity dialogue and partnership. 

The hijab stall project also offered the basis for Fatima’s honours research and a new and larger research project sponsored by an Australian Research Council’s Discovery Project awarded to Dr Paolini which aims at identifying new ways to break down barriers between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians, and more broadly increase social harmony and integration in Australia’s diverse society. Fatima has been invited to receive the award and present her research at the 2016 APS congress in Melbourne, next September.

The announcement of this award marks the beginning of a new focus on Equity and Diversity issues by UON School of Psychology. A new Equity and Diversity working party, chaired by Stefania and including 25+ members of staff and postgraduate students in the school, was established this week. It will drive the Indigenization of psychology curricula and aspires to take the school and its broader areas of influence towards more inclusive psychology teaching, research, and professional practice.

Newcastle faculty and studnets present their research in Hobart

If the School of Psychology in UoN had been awfully quite over the past week, it was for a good reason: faculty members and RHD students from the school presented their research in the annual meeting of the Australian Society of Mathematical Psychology. This year's meeting was held in Hobart, Tasmania, hosted by no other than the illustrious Prof. Andrew Heathcote, who holds appointments in both the University of Tasmania and the University of Newcastle. The conference was a great success, including presentations by Simon Dennis and several research students (Nathan Evans, Paul Garret, Zach Howard, and Gabriel Tillman).

New Research Project Aims to Reduce Risk-Taking Among Australian Coal Miners

A multidisciplinary research group has recently been awarded a major research grant to investigate the psychological causes of risk-taking among Australian coal miners. The research project will survey around 1,000 coal miners in both underground and open-cut coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland. The research has two main aims: (1) to identify the key factors that cause dangerous risk-taking in Australian coal mines, and (2) to design and test a practical intervention to reduce this risk-taking.

The three-year research project is funded by a grant of over $300,000 from the Australian Coal Association’s Research Program, and it follows close consultation with key stakeholders in the industry.

The multidiscliplinary research team is based at the University of Newcastle, and includes Dr Mark Rubin from the School of Psychology, Dr Anna Giacomini from the School of Engineering, and Prof Brian Kelly from the School of Medicine and Public Health. The researchers work together within the Centre for Resources Health and Safety, which is part of the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources.

Dr Rubin explained that “the originality and novelty of the proposed research project is that it will be the first to undertake a focussed investigation of the psychological causes of dangerous risk-taking behaviour in the Australian coal mining industry.

For further information about the project, please contact Dr Rubin at Mark.Rubin@newcastle.edu.au

The UoN School of Psychology hosts the 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society of Psychophysiology!

The 25th Annual Conference of the Australasian Society of Psychophysiology is being held at the new Sydney CBD campus of the University of Newcastle (2-4th December) and features a stellar line up of national and international speakers. The School of Psychology is well represented with Juanita Todd delivering a keynote address and a host of the School’s staff and students presenting their latest research including Justin Timora, Kaitlin Fitzgerald, Michelle Kelly, Shannon Bosshard, Megan Wright, Kaine Griffith, Emma Woods, Jesse Bourke, Alex Provost, Jade Frost, Sajeev Kunaharan, Michael Cook, Karlye Damaso and Bill Budd.

Although abstract submission is now closed - School of Psychology staff or students who wish to attend the conference may still purchase day passes to attend the conference. Please visit the ASP2015 conference website (asp2015.weebly.com) or contact Bill Budd for more information (Bill.Budd@newcastle.edu.au).

Commercialisation grant awarded to pursue Myopia treatment

A therapeutic solution aimed at slowing and possibly reversing the progression of Myopia (short-sightedness) is on the path from patent to product with the support of a $20,000 grant from Newcastle Innovation.

Dr Sally McFadden from the School of Psychology has been awarded the 2015 Newcastle Innovation Commercialisation in Research Grant at the recent HMRI Awards.

A research discovery identifying novel retinal signals and pathways in the eye causing ocular expansion and Myopia led to the repurposing of a drug as a new therapeutic target to control myopic eye growth. Myopia affects more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, with its prevalence on the rise most dramatically in Asia. Currently, there are no proven lasting ways to treat the condition either in terms of stabilising or preventing its progression.
The target drug has a well-established safety and efficacy profile and animal model studies have already shown it can be re-formulated into an opthalamtic drug delivery system that is: easily administered, targeted and cost-effective. Details of test results can be accessed here.

The commercialisation grant will enable Dr McFadden to undertake direct comparative data of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity with other potential anti-myopia drugs. This will enable Newcastle Innovation to engage in more detailed conversations with potential R&D partners with a view to seeking a license to commercially develop the new therapeutic solution to treat myopia.
A patent covering the methods of treatment of compositions of the potential novel formulations has been filed.

JUST PUBLISHED: Drugs and Driving: from Brain to Bedside to Roadside

Stewart Oxley, a Prof Doc graduate in Clinical/Health Psychology, has just published his research on cognitive impairments following discharge from hospital for a sedative overdose showing that it can take a long time for cognition to recover (click here for access to the paper).

Stewart’s work followed up findings by PhD graduate, Tharaka Dassanayake, who found that such patients, even though considered clinically recovered, were still impaired cognitively at discharge in functions important for driving (see the publications both here and here). In a subsequent data-linkage study, Tharaka found that overdosed patients are 3-4 times more prone to a traffic accident during the first 2-3 days and 1.5 times during the first four weeks (see here). What was most surprising was that there was still an increased risk of a traffic accident up to 4-weeks following discharge.

It was this puzzle that Stewart’s project followed-up by studying the pattern of cognitive recovery in patients who overdosed with sedatives compared to a group who overdosed with non-sedative drugs. Although both groups improved over the following month, the sedative group's recovery was slower for cognitive functions underlying driving. Other variables (e.g., mood, medication and/or medication changes) could not explain slower cognitive recovery.

Patients could have impaired driving for at least 3 days, and possibly up to one week following sedative overdose. Simple cognitive tests (such as Trail-Making B) could be used to assess their fitness to drive.

This research was co-supervised by Pat Michie and Mater collaborators - Greg Carter, Alison Jones, and Ian Whyte. Gavin Cooper’s technical support was invaluable.  Tharaka has now returned to the Department of Physiology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.  Stewart is completing his clinical registration and working as a psychologist in a private practice and for an employment service.  We wish them both every success in their future careers.

H&CPRG Seminar - A/Prof Jenny Bowman

Health and Clinical Psychology Research Group 

Please come and join us for a seminar by Associate Professor Jenny Bowman

When: 23^rd November, 12:00

Where: Keats Reading Room, Psychology Building, Callaghan (Video link to Ourimbah Science Meeting Rooms)

Title: 'Physical Health in Mental Illness: a journey of discovery'

Abstract: In Australia, people with a mental illness die 12 to 15 years earlier than those without a mental illness. Excess deaths among people with a mental illness are largely attributable to physical chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. A higher prevalence of 'preventable' behavioural risk factors are heavily implicated (including smoking, inadequate nutrition, harmful alcohol consumption and inadequate physical activity). In this presentation, I will talk about some of our group's collaborative research which has addressed these risks among people with a mental illness, and in particular has involved working with mental health services to identify effective means of providing preventive care for clients.  

Breaking news - SCAN staff and students’ are our stars this week!

Breaking news - SCAN staff and students’ are our stars this week!

This week, SCAN staff and students have received numerous awards.

Firstly, Dr. Juanita Todd was awarded Supervisor of the Year Award at the NUPSA dinner on Sunday (15^th Nov) night!

Secondly at the same dinner, Patrick Cooper and Alex Conley, were both awarded Faculty Outstanding Postgraduate (Research) Student Awards!  Both Patrick and Alex are supervised by Frini Karayanidis.

Thirdly, at the Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Conference of the Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Brain and Mental Health held at HMRI on Tuesday (17^th Nov), 4 students from Psychology received awards.  In fact, psychology students scooped the pool!

Jade Frost (Sup Juanita Todd) from SCAN was awarded the Best Oral Presentation by the PRC.

Erin Fuller (Sup Deb Hodgson) from SCAN was awarded the Best Poster by the PRC

Jaime Rennie (Sup Frini Karayanidis) from SCAN was awarded the School of Psychology best poster prize

And in addition, Jane Goodwin (Sup Linda Campbell) from the Health and Clinical group was award the School of Psychology best presentation prize.

Publication and successes of graduates from the Social Cognition Laboratory

 A review article of growing psychophysiological evidence on intergroup anxiety entitled “learning anxiety in interactions with the outgroup: Towards a learning model of anxiety and stress in intergroup contact” was recently published in the journal Group Processes and Intergroup Relations [click here for the abstract and full paper] by Nicholas Harris, Stefania Paolini, and Andrea Griffin.

The article focuses on a re-conceptualisation of intergroup anxiety as a learning process, bridging a number of seemingly disparate areas of empirical research in a new anxiety learning model. The model proposes ways in which learning principles can be tested within established paradigms, distinguishes between episodic and chronic anxiety responses to the outgroup, and recommends investigations on the complexities of their dynamic interplay over time.





Through a review of established and emerging psychophysiological and behavioral research of anxiety in ingroup-outgroup interactions, the paper identifies evidence consistent with this dynamic outlook of intergroup contact effects on anxiety. In this context, the paper also advances novel and untested predictions for future investigations onto the temporal integration of contact effects during an individual’s lifespan. 

These concepts form the foundation for Nicholas’ PhD thesis research, which was submitted just on September 30 and for which Nicholas has recently received a postgraduate excellence award from the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists.

Nicholas has been supervised by Stefania Paolini and Andrea Griffin in the School of Psychology, and was based in the Social Cognition Laboratory at the Ourimbah campus. He has just been offered a permanent lectureship from the Australian College of Applied Psychologists in Sydney and therefore will continue his professional journey in Sydney from January onwards.

Well done Nicholas and good luck with the next steps!

Is the UoN Functional Neuroimaging Lab moving to Auckland? No, but...

...Five staff members (Juanita Todd, Frances Martin, Aaron Wong, Ross Fulham and Frini Karayanidis), four RHD students (Rosemaree Miller, Jaime Rennie, Alex Conley and Patrick Cooper) and two Honours students (Courtney Phillips and Patrick Skippen) of the Functional Neuroimaging Lab (http://www.newcastle.edu.au/about-uon/governance-and-leadership/faculties-and-schools/faculty-of-science-and-information-technology/school-of-psychology/research/functional-neuroimaging-laboratory) will be presenting their research at the 5th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference in Auckland (https://absoluteevents.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/acns-2015/acns2015).

Special congratulations to Juanita Todd who will be presenting in a symposium titled
'The free energy principle in action' alongside Karl Friston, as well as to Patrick Cooper (RHD) and Patrick Skippen (Hons) who have been selected for oral sessions.

Special congratulations to Patrick Cooper who was awarded an ACNS travel award.

Also, unrelated to the Auckland conference, special congratulations to Frini Karayanidis, who has been elected to the ARC College of Experts