New York SPSSI Activities for Spring and Summer 2009
by Harold Takooshian, Fordham University For Spring 2009, the SPSSI New York group (SPSSI-NY) arranged six free gatherings, hosted by local schools—CUNY, Fordham—some in concert with other local activist groups.
1. February 10, Rivka B. Meir ofCUNY led a Saint Valentine’s workshop at Fordham on “Love and healthy relationships.”
2. February 12, over 100 attended a forum on “Guardian Angels: The first 30 years.” The panelists included keynote speaker Curtis Sliwa (founder of the Guardian Angels), Christina Bartel, Rev. William G. Kalaidjian (Chaplain, NYPD, ret.), Arnaldo Salinas, Aleta St. James, Mary A. Sliwa, Harold Takooshian, Andrew A. Karmen.
3. March 12, 70 people joined a Forum on “Remembering Kitty Genovese: 45 years later,” with panelists Chistina Bartel, Kathleen Koltko-Rivera, Marcia M. Gallo (University of Nevada-Las Vegas), Joseph DeMay, Esq (www.kewgardenshistory.com), Arnaldo Salinas (Guardian Angels), Charles E Skoller, Esq (author, Twisted Confessions), Harold Takooshian (Fordham), Andrew A. Karmen (John Jay College), William Genovese (Kitty’s brother).
4. March 26, 50 people joined a workshop on “The evolution of consciousness,” with Richard Hunter, SJ (Rochester Institute of Technology), Edmund Gergerian, MD (psychiatrist), John J. Cecero, SJ (Fordham).
5. April 4, SPSSI-NY offered five panels on applied psychology at the 37th Hunter Psychology Conference: (1) Psychological issues in human organ donation: What is next? (Lynda J. Carpenter, NY Organ Donor Network); (2) Urban psychology (Henry Solomon, Marymount Manhattan); (3) Opportunities in 21st Century psychology created by Web 2.0, social media and other tools (Richard H. Wexler & Suzanne Roff-Wexler, NYSPA); (4) History of psychology in New York City (Elaine P. Congress, Fordham);(5) Increasing academic and career success in psychology (Kathleen Koltko-Rivera, Fordham).
6. April 30, David C. Glass (Stony Brook) lectured on “Social psychology applied to health,” and received an award recognizing his 50 years of pioneering research since his PhD from NYU in 1959.
Looking ahead to fall 2009, the two largest SPSSI-NY events: (1) Sept 4, a trip to the President’s Room of Yale University with Peter Salovey, to mark the 80th anniversary of the historic 1929 International Congress of Psychology. (2) November 6, the 21st Greater New York Conference on Behavioral Research at Saint Francis College in Brooklyn, NY; the call for papers is due in October to jlancaster@stfranciscollege.edu Other early plans include the fifth NYC gathering on international psychology in September, a symposium on “Does science make God obsolete?,” a student workshop on “Graduate admissions in psychology” in October, the third Psychology Day at the UN in November, and the Ninth pre-Holiday Healing Circle in December.
The SPSSI-NY Planning Committee for spring 2009: Christina Bartel (Fordham), Uwe Gielen (St. Francis), Samvel Jeshmaridian (BMCC), Kathleen Koltko-Rivera (Fordham), Rivka B. Meir (CUNY), Mark Mattson (Fordham), Henry Solomon (Marymount Manhattan), Jason R. Young (Hunter). Direct any questions or comments to SPSSI-NY Chairperson Harold Takooshian, takoosh@aol.com .
On April 4, folks at the 37th Hunter Psychology Conference gave a “thumbs-up” as the SPSSI cake is presented by (l to r) Drs. Suzanne Roff-Wexler, Richard Wexler, and Henry Solomon. |