Understanding the human brain: Psychology Club

The very first Psychology Club at Mt. Hood has been established, and its charter approved, this school year.

MHCC psychology instructor Jennifer Herrig came up with the idea to start a club on behalf of students who intend to major in the field, she said.

She polled her students last autumn to measure their interest, and the new club was born.

The club held its debut meeting at the end of Fall Term and is eager to recruit additional members. It meets the first Tuesday of the month at 2:30 p.m., and the third Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m.

Meetings are held in the Social Science conference room in AC 2556.

“Our main goal is to help students who are psych majors, or possible psych majors, to see what opportunities are available in the field and to provide information about transferring to higher level programs,” Herrig said.

She said thousands of scholarship dollars for studies at Portland State University are available. There’s also a chance to win $500 in student presentation contests.

Several students have already responded to the club’s appeal.

“I wanted to learn more about the career paths, because the common question in my family is, ‘What are you going to do with it?’ ” said Alexa Lopez, club president, of her field of study.

“I wanted to get more involved in the field,” said the club’s treasurer, Yuhana Lewis.

The club is working to schedule educational events, and guest speakers are planned every six weeks, to address a variety of topics.

A behavioral profiling presentation by Jason Jones, officer with the Portland Police Bureau and an MHCC adjunct professor, is tentatively set for noon on April 9 (location is yet to be determined).

The club will be focusing on community projects, as well.

Club members are planning to participate in the Western Psychological Association Convention, which runs April 24-27 at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront hotel, Herrig said.

In addition, club members are eligible for a 20 percent discount at the Brain Lecture Series, presented by the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU).

Those lectures are held at the Newmark Theatre in downtown Portland.

More information on the Brain Lecture Series can be found at: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/health/services/brain/in-community/brain-awareness/lectures-events/2014-lecture-series.cfm.