2015-2016 Officers
President
Jackie Maass jkmaass @ memphis [dot] eduJaclyn Maass is a doctoral student in the Psychology Department at the University of Memphis. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Tampa and a Master of Science in general psychology from the University of Memphis. Jaclyn currently works as a research assistant under Dr. Philip I. Pavlik, Jr. in the Institute for Intelligent Systems. Her research interests include specific elements of retrieval practice to promote effortful retrieval and allow for optimal learning and transfer, and the feasibility of such elements in classroom implementation.
Vice President & Research Coordinator
Kenneth Barideaux
kjbrdaux @ memphis [dot] edu
Kenneth Barideaux Jr. is a doctoral student in the Experimental Psychology program at the University of Memphis and currently serves as a research assistant in the Optimal Learning Lab. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Louisiana State University and Master of Science in General Psychology from the University of Memphis. His research interests involve understanding how elaborative processing strategies (e.g., concept mapping) impact memory processes and knowledge acquisition. He is also interested in how various study strategies (e.g., retrieval practice) impact student learning.
Treasurer
Becky McCabe rmmccabe @ memphis [dot] edu Becky McCabe is a third year graduate student in the department of psychology. She is in the Experimental Psychology PhD program where she focusses on cognitive psychology. Her research interests include individual differences in learning and memory when learning from multiple texts.
Secretary
Rachel Ankney rlankney @ memphis [dot] edu Rachel Ankney is a doctoral student in Cognitive Psychology working in the Knowledge Acquisition Lab with Dr. Jason Braasch. She is currently working on her Master's thesis investigating the relationship between individual differences and undergraduate statistics success. She is also involved in research focusing on conceptual change and the use of refutation texts.
Social Coordinator
Jeff Viaud
jmviaud @ memphis [dot] edu
Jeff spent two years studying psychology and athletic training at Ohio State and obtained his bachelors in psychology from Monmouth University in New Jersey.
Jeff is working on his PhD in experimental psychology and participates in many interdisciplinary research projects involving analysis of eyetracking data and behavioral responses.
Jeff is interested in how language mediates real-world knowledge. He is currently working on projects related to refuting misinformation by using negated and affirmative language, and how negation mediates visual salience in during scene viewing.
Recruitment Officer
Keith Shubeck keithshubeck @ gmail [dot] com Keith Shubeck is currently pursuing his PhD in cognitive psychology at the Institute for Intelligent Systems in the University of Memphis. Keith works with his major professor, Dr. Xiangen Hu, in the Advanced Distributed Learning's Center for Intelligent Tutoring Systems Research & Development. Keith is also a collaborator in the Language and Behavior Lab led by Dr. Stephanie Huette, and the Language Across Cultures lab led by Dr. Leah Windsor. Keith received a Certificate of Cognitive Science in 2013, and will receive his M.S. in psychology in December 2015. His current research interests include: the development and implementation of intelligent tutoring systems, learning in virtual worlds, emotions and learning, and meme diffusion.
Webmaster & Computer Science Ambassador
Borhan Samei bsamei @ memphis [dot] edu Homepage Borhan is a Computer Science PhD candidate at the Universty of Memphis, he is a research assistant at the Institute for Intelligent Systems. Borhan's main research areas are Natural Language Processing, Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining, and Machine Learning.
Communication Sciences and Disorders Ambassador
Megan Parsons mbbttles @ memphis [dot] edu Megan Parsons is a PhD student in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Memphis. She is currently working under the mentorship of Dr. Eugene Buder and researchs deficits in social and communication interactions between individuals. More specifically, Megan is interested in how traumatic brain injury affects cognition and communication processes.
Philosophy Ambassador
Stefano Vincini
sgvncini @ memphis [dot] edu
Stefano Vincini is a Philosophy PhD candidate at the University of Memphis. His main areas of research are Phenomenology, Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences, and Philosophy of Mind. His dissertation project focuses on the roots of infant social cognition. He also works on attention and volition.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Ambassador
Iftekhar Anam
aanam @ memphis [dot] edu
Iftekhar Anam is a PhD student in the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Memphis. His research interests include Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Human-Computer Interaction. Currently he is developing Assistive Technology solutions on Android devices that help the visually impaired individuals perceive non-verbal communication cues.
Biomedical Engineering Ambassador
Steve Strain
sfstrain @ yahoo [dot] com
Steve is clinically-trained as a physician and currently pursues PhD studies in Biomedical Engineering. His primary area of research is the design and implementation of cognitive agent software for the automated diagnosis of medical conditions from electronic medical record data. An additional interest lies in brain rhythms research as it pertains to cognitive function.
For a description of each position, please see the Charter page.
For a list of all the old officers, please see the Past IISSO Officers page.