Dear colleagues,
As a scientist, I’m used to making predictions that turn out to be wrong, which is good because I could have in no way predicted all the world events that occurred in the 6 months since my last Presidential Column. The recklessness and speed with which American science has been targeted and defunded is nothing short of disastrous for current and future scientists and generations of people. Yet, the sun still rises, there is somehow always grading left to do, and we continue in our chosen careers for as long as we can. As such, Division 6 continues, and we continue forward.
Some important updates to be aware of:
- Early bird registration is open for this year’s APA Convention in Denver.
- We have a wonderful lineup of speakers as organized by our program chair Heather Manitzas Hill, PhD.
- The Denver Zoo has generously provided Division 6 members a free entry during the convention. It’s a wonderful zoo and I look forward to visiting it while in Denver!
- We’re working on becoming more active on social media, and you can expect to see more posts and content over the coming year.
- We received enough votes to approve the creation of the Charles Henry Turner Award, which will function to acknowledge the time, effort, passion, and dedication of those who make significant contributions towards mentoring students from diverse backgrounds.
I anticipate this year’s convention being a great event and opportunity to meet, learn, collaborate, and chat about the science being done in behavioral neuroscience and comparative psychology! Manitzas Hill deserves much thanks for staying on to manage the division’s program yet again, as well as all the other members of the EC who make the convention a success and the division run smoothly. We lost a great one in the passing of Dr. David Washburn, and those who knew him longer and are more eloquent than I have said it better but simply, his presence is missed.
In finishing this column and in a couple of months, this time as president, I want to continue with the theme I’ve tried to emphasize during my time, which is to encourage continued empathy and compassion for one another, particularly our students and early career scientists. As a current visiting assistant professor, I can say that it’s a terrifying time to be trying to create a career, and the loss of funding will hit the most vulnerable of us, including potential and current students and early careers, hardest of all. In whatever way is available to each of us, I hope we continue to provide compassion and empathy to them, as well as making room to share it with our peers and colleagues. I know that the division is in great hands with Eric Thrailkill, PhD taking over as president, and I want to thank the division for welcoming me over this year. Here’s to better days in science and academia that we may have to fight to see again but will certainly come.
Lauren M. Robinson, PhD
2024–25 President