A Message from SITAR Past-President - Sandro Sodano
Greetings fellow SITAR members! It was another busy and exciting year for SITAR with many of the key roles on the EC’s subcommittees seeing a change in personnel. As you know, we recently had our 17th Annual Meeting, which took place in New Haven, Connecticut.
I wish to thank our on-site host, Emily Ansell, and her students for the wonderful hospitality shown to us. The venue and choices for lodging and meals, along with recommendations for local restaurants, all contributed to a great conference experience. I also thank this year’s Program Chair, Christopher Hopwood, for thoughtfully piecing together a great program. SITAR had the honor of hosting two stellar keynote speakers, Geraldine Downey and David Kenny, whose formal presentations–as well as informal interactions–further contributed to a great conference experience. What’s more, SITAR’s own David Zuroff chaired a panel in tribute to the late Professor Sidney Blatt. Prof. Zuroff and colleagues illuminated Prof. Blatt’s influential works while also sharing an insider’s perspective on this exceptional person.
I have always been impressed with the high quality of work exhibited at SITAR conferences by our graduate students. This year was no exception. The winner of the Jerry Wiggins Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research is Kelly McDonald (University of Waterloo). Kelly is the sixth annual winner of this prestigious award and the first ever to win it based on a poster presentation. Congratulations Kelly! I am also pleased to report that because of the generous contributions of a group of donors from our professional membership, SITAR was again able to match their funds and provide travel awards to a large group of student attendees. I thank our donors for their continued generosity. We could not run this program without you. Further, as someone involved in the Wiggins and Travel Award Programs since their inception, it is gratifying to see that both are continuing to flourish.
During the Business Meeting, Drs. Mark Lukowitsky and Johannes Zimmermann both were nominated and agreed to run for the office of Vice President. You can expect to receive their candidate statements and have the opportunity to vote for one of these candidates later on during the summer.
I also wanted to take a moment to thank Drs. Zimmermann and Lukowitsky for working together with me on the Website Task Group, formed earlier this year in order to examine the ways in which SITAR can better utilize its website. Recommendations for improvement include the addition of webpages for highlighting content such as key interpersonal works, contemporary assessment methods, and statistical tools; in addition to linking to SITAR members own webpages. I believe that by implementing these few formal changes to the website, which will also showcase the collective works of our membership, we can go a long way toward promoting SITAR’s presence on the web and advancing the goals of the organization. Please be on the lookout for future updates and requests for sending in your information.
As I wrap up my last newsletter column in a presidential role, I feel a great sense of pride in all that we have accomplished during the past few years and I look forward to seeing what the new achievements will be as we move forward. I am grateful for having the opportunity to contribute to an organization that has given me so much over the years. Best wishes for an enjoyable summer.
I wish to thank our on-site host, Emily Ansell, and her students for the wonderful hospitality shown to us. The venue and choices for lodging and meals, along with recommendations for local restaurants, all contributed to a great conference experience. I also thank this year’s Program Chair, Christopher Hopwood, for thoughtfully piecing together a great program. SITAR had the honor of hosting two stellar keynote speakers, Geraldine Downey and David Kenny, whose formal presentations–as well as informal interactions–further contributed to a great conference experience. What’s more, SITAR’s own David Zuroff chaired a panel in tribute to the late Professor Sidney Blatt. Prof. Zuroff and colleagues illuminated Prof. Blatt’s influential works while also sharing an insider’s perspective on this exceptional person.
I have always been impressed with the high quality of work exhibited at SITAR conferences by our graduate students. This year was no exception. The winner of the Jerry Wiggins Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research is Kelly McDonald (University of Waterloo). Kelly is the sixth annual winner of this prestigious award and the first ever to win it based on a poster presentation. Congratulations Kelly! I am also pleased to report that because of the generous contributions of a group of donors from our professional membership, SITAR was again able to match their funds and provide travel awards to a large group of student attendees. I thank our donors for their continued generosity. We could not run this program without you. Further, as someone involved in the Wiggins and Travel Award Programs since their inception, it is gratifying to see that both are continuing to flourish.
During the Business Meeting, Drs. Mark Lukowitsky and Johannes Zimmermann both were nominated and agreed to run for the office of Vice President. You can expect to receive their candidate statements and have the opportunity to vote for one of these candidates later on during the summer.
I also wanted to take a moment to thank Drs. Zimmermann and Lukowitsky for working together with me on the Website Task Group, formed earlier this year in order to examine the ways in which SITAR can better utilize its website. Recommendations for improvement include the addition of webpages for highlighting content such as key interpersonal works, contemporary assessment methods, and statistical tools; in addition to linking to SITAR members own webpages. I believe that by implementing these few formal changes to the website, which will also showcase the collective works of our membership, we can go a long way toward promoting SITAR’s presence on the web and advancing the goals of the organization. Please be on the lookout for future updates and requests for sending in your information.
As I wrap up my last newsletter column in a presidential role, I feel a great sense of pride in all that we have accomplished during the past few years and I look forward to seeing what the new achievements will be as we move forward. I am grateful for having the opportunity to contribute to an organization that has given me so much over the years. Best wishes for an enjoyable summer.