Capstone Borine Awards Spring 2024
Two students carrying minors in Family Social Science, Marissa Puser and Gemma Gardner, are among those who were recognized for outstanding senior research projects with Sharon Borine Top Capstone Awards from the College of Liberal Arts. Each year, graduating senior psychology students complete a project allowing them to explore an area of interest and the Capstone Borine Award acknowledges outstanding senior projects. The award selection involved section leaders and faculty members nominating candidates, who were then evaluated and ranked by an ad-hoc panel of faculty members.
Marissa Puser received a $250 first-place Capstone Award for her paper “The Bidirectional Associations Between Parent-Child Relationships and Eating Behaviors.” Puser’s interest in parent-child relationships and the development of eating disorders in adolescence guided her topic selection for her Capstone Project. Advised by Dr. Sylia Wilson, Puser’s study aims to evaluate the potentially bidirectional associations between maladaptive eating behaviors in adolescents and parent-child relationship quality. Puser would like to thank Dr. Wilson for her consistent support and encouragement throughout the duration of the project.
Puser is a May 2024 graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Psychology Program with a Family Social Science minor in Family Therapy. Throughout her time at the University of Minnesota, she has also worked as a Mental Health Technician at Fraser. She credits the wonderfully intelligent, creative, and kind children and staff at Fraser for her success as a clinician. Following graduation, Puser will be pursuing her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology with a Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. In the future, she hopes to continue working with children and adolescents as an LPCC.
Gemma Gardner received the third-place Capstone Award and $75 for her paper “Chronically Coping: A Review of the Psychosocial Impacts of Chronic Illness on Children.” Gardner’s pursuit of this project was fueled by her passion for health psychology. Her deep interest in the bidirectional relationship between physical and mental health - coupled with her experiences as a volunteer at MHealth Masonic Children Hospital and as a research assistant in a social health psychology lab - fostered a sense of curiosity about the psychosocial well-being of children with chronic illnesses. As her literature review demonstrates, there are immense psychosocial impacts of chronic illness on children - which often go under-discussed. With this, Gardner is extremely passionate about advocating for the needs of chronically ill children to ensure that their psychological, social, and familial well-being are protected. While she did not have a specific faculty mentor for this project, her interest in this subject matter was informed by Dr. Caprice Niccoli's Health Psychology course. Dr. Caprice Niccoli was also the lead professor for her capstone course.
Gardner grew up in Northbrook, Illinois before attending the University of Minnesota, where she double-majored in Psychology and Strategic Communication (Public Relations and Advertising) with a minor in Family Social Science. With a strong passion for health psychology, she deeply enjoyed gaining experience as a Research Assistant in the Mann Lab, crisis counseling as a Direct Service Advocate at UMN's Aurora Center, and supporting pediatric patients as a volunteer at MHealth Masonic Children's Hospital. Outside of her psychology-related endeavors, Gardner served as the President of Vocal U A Cappella, a Vice-President of Minnesota Hillel, and a Team Leader within the College of Liberal Arts' Office of Student Experience. In combining the skills from both of her majors, Gardner aspires to amplify the voices of individuals impacted by health-related issues through nonprofit marketing.
(This story has been edited. It was used with permission and written by Madison Stromberg, CLA communications assistant).