PRESS RELEASE

ST. SCHOLASTICA’S AGING INSTITUTE
TO CONVENE FOR FOURTH YEAR
WITH MAJOR SUPPORT FROM
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

JULY 3, 2001 –  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT BOB ASHENMACHER (218) 723-6075

DULUTH, MN – The College of St. Scholastica’s Psychology of Aging Institute will convene for its fourth annual meeting with major support from the National Institute on Aging.  A grant from the NIA will provide financial support for all applicants selected to participate in the program.

Thirty professors in psychology will gather at The College of St. Scholastica July 15-25 for the fourth annual Psychology of Aging Institute, hosted by Dr. Chandra Mehrotra, professor of psychology and dean of special projects at St. Scholastica.

The Institute offers advanced training in aging research to psychology faculty from around the nation.  Participants develop knowledge and skills in research methodology and integrating research with teaching.  Nationally recognized experts in research on the psychology of aging provide top-level training.  In addition, participants have an opportunity for extended contact with NIA representatives who will provide information on seeking grant support.

The program itself consists of an initial two-week institute, ongoing consultation during the year, and two follow-up sessions, the first in February and the second during the next year’s summer Institute.

“I have seen the first successes of the graduates of the program as they have won research funding in our highly competitive programs,” said Robin Barr, chief of the NIA’s funding division, the Office of Extramural Affairs.  “The continuing interest in the Institute from its graduates, their extensive networking with each other, and the level of interest from others eager to participate all testify to its success.  Much of the credit goes to Dr. Mehrotra whose organizational skills have allowed him to assemble an outstanding and supportive faculty.”

Six psychologists will serve as this summer’s program faculty.  Their topics will include research design and analysis; issues and approaches for gerontechnology research; assessing older adults; issues in research on ethnicity and aging; and research in social psychological aging.  A leading researcher in learning and memory, Dr. Timothy Salthouse, will talk about interventions that could help reduce memory loss for older adults.

Recent program evaluations have shown very positive results in how many participants have submitted research proposals; how those proposals were received; and how many were funded.  Dr. Mehrotra has been invited to present a paper on the impact of the Institute’s programs at the annual meeting of the Gerontology Society of America.  He will also give a presentation, “Integrating Scholarship and Teaching in the Psychology of Aging” at the American Psychological Association national conference.

“Our goal is to expand the pool of researchers from across the country, especially in colleges that haven’t previously conducted research in this field.  The second goal is for those teachers to engage their students, to get them excited about doing research,” says Dr. Mehrotra, who designed the Institute’s training program.

Program participants are challenged to emphasize methodological issues in their own courses and to provide research experience to their students.  Dr. K. Warner Schaie, a professor at Pennsylvania State University and a member of the Institute’s faculty notes, “The summer Institute fills an important gap in upgrading instruction in this field.  These workshops have also stimulated aging research in four-year colleges, thus offering increased relevant laboratory experiences for undergraduates.”

St. Scholastica has offered a series of summer institutes on aging since 1989, first with support from the National Science Foundation and now with support from the NIA.  “The College of St. Scholastica is a natural location to do something with this topic,” Dr. Mehrotra explains, “given the on-campus Westwood Senior Citizen Apartments, the Benedictine Health Center (a continuous care facility), the Emeritus College program for lifelong learners, and of course, the Benedictine tradition of hospitality.  Participants feel we are serious and sincere about what we are doing here.”

Dr. Mehrotra is available for interviews at (218) 723-6161.