Congress of Psychology Students in Ireland (2003)

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Prize Giving

This was then followed by the prize-giving ceremony at which Dr. Jurek Kiriakowski spoke on behalf of the adjudicators. The adjudication committee consisted of Dr. Jurek Kiriakowski, Dr. David O’Sullivan, Dr. Seán Hammond, Dr. John Horgan, Dr. Ethel Quayle and Mr. Paul Sullivan (all from UCC); the President Elect of the PSI, Mr. Joe MacDonagh; Professor Dermot Barnes-Holmes and Dr. Fiona Lyddy (NUI Maynooth); Mr. Marek McGann and Mr. Martin Humphreys (DBS School of Arts) and Ms. Suzanne Guerin (UCD).

The first prize to be presented was that for best Postgraduate paper, and this was awarded to Niamh McNamara of UCC for her paper ‘User Perceptions of WAP Technology: The “Wrong Approach to Portability”?’ She was presented with a certificate, a cheque for €100 and will be invited to present her paper at the PSI Annual Conference in November 2003.

In order to heighten tension, the undergraduate awards were presented in reverse order. Nine students were named as being highly commended and presented with certificates to that effect. These students were (in alphabetical order):

Third Place was awarded to Pauline Moloney of American College Dublin, for her paper ‘A Cross-Cultural Study of the Phenomenon known as the Mozart effect.” She received a certificate and a cheque for €75.

Second Place was awarded to Siobhán Howard of NUI Galway, for her paper ‘Aromatherapy versus Placebo? Does lavender reduce mental stress?’ She received a certificate and a cheque for €100.

The prize for best Undergraduate Paper was awarded to Sarah Carroll of University College Dublin for her paper ‘Anti-racism ideology: Colour-blind and Multicultural Perspectives’, a presentation which was highly regarded among students and adjudicators alike. Sarah received a certificate, a cheque for €200 and the opportunity to present her paper at the PSI Annual Conference, along with the winner of the Postgraduate Category, Niamh McNamara.

Overall, the Congress has to be considered a great success, especially when one considers that it was organised at relatively short notice. It was a credit to all those involved, particularly those who took the time and effort to present papers, some of which, as noted by Dr. John Horgan, were of a ‘frighteningly’ high quality. Thanks must also go to those who came from colleges from all over the country to support their fellow students, and contributed so well to the social aspect of the congress.

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