The members of the Psychology Department are proud of our students’ hard work and academic achievements. Outstanding students are recognized via a variety of student awards. Award winners for the previous five academic years are listed below.
Psychology Student Awards
MSVU Psychology Awards
This award is given to a student in recognition of superior performance in PSYC 3312: Advanced Research Methods in Psychology
Past winners are:
2023-2024: Kennedy Hackett
2022-2023: Sarah Haggett and Meghan Lohnes
2021-2022: Lindsay Heyland
2020-2021: Lauren Giles
2019-2020: Randi Cummings and Brianna Drover
This award is given to a second year student who has continued in the Psychology program and who showed superior performance in PSYC 1110: Introduction to Psychology as a Science and PSYC 1120: Introduction to Psychology as a Social Science
Past winners are:
2023-2024: Patrick Belgrave, Rileigh Crowe, Emma Forbes, Hannah Fraser, Charles Hartlen
2022-2023: Isabel Bilodeau, Natalie Lawy, Leeann Olmstead
2021-2022: Rory Chongva, Fulvia Ferraro, Heather Forgey, Lindsay Heyland, Yaejin Kim, Maddie Reeves
2020-2021: Robert Brown, Emma England, Emma Pickup, Kathryn Reeves, Laura Yetman
2019-2020: Noémie Bergeron-Germain, Aiden Deveau, Lauren Giles, Esther Puiras
Established by Pauline’s son Stephen, along with family, friends and colleagues. This scholarship is in memory of Dr. Pauline Jones, a former Vice-President, Academic and member of the Psychology Department, who was an advocate of research. Awarded annually, based on the recommendation from the psychology department, to a full-time student in the final year of an honours program in psychology.
Past winners are:
2023-2024: Natalie Lawy
2022-2023: Darean McCormick
2021-2022: Madyn Bourque
2020-2021: Noémie Bergeron-Germain
2019-2020: Chez Rideout
This award is given to the Honours student with the best performance in PSYC 4499 who may go on to graduate school.
Past winners are:
2023-2024: Sarah Haggett
2022-2023: Lindsay Heyland
2021-2022: Emma Becker
2020-2021: Noémie Bergeron-Germain
2019-2020: Chaya Seale
This award is given to a Psychology major who has shown leadership and support in areas related to the field of psychology (e.g. PSYC Society, conferences, departmental committees, psychology-related community service). Criteria for the award do not include year of study in the program nor GPA.
Past winners are:
2023-2024: Ana Gomes Nobre
2022-2023: Lauren Giles and Lindsay Heyland
2021-2022: Jasmine Tang
2020-2021: No recipient
2019-2020: Bailey Thompson
Other MSVU Awards
Madam Jeanne Sauvé lent her name to the Mount’s initiative for women in science to address the national concern regarding the representation of women in the fields of science and technology. The Jeanne Sauvé Endowment for Women in Science was established through the University’s Learning and Leading capital campaign and supports the Jeanne Sauvé Research Assistantship for Women in Science. This summer assistantship is offered to a female student who is doing research in a science discipline; she will work with faculty who would normally follow under NSERC guidelines. The recipient is chosen by a committee of the Chairs of the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Psychology.
Past Psychology winners are:
2020-2021: Lauren Giles
2019-2020: Sarah MacNeil
This membership to Kappa Gamma Pi, the National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society, is based on scholarship, leadership, and service. Membership is awarded at convocation.
Past Psychology winners are:
2018-2019: Lisa Christmas and Jennifer Leckey
2017-2018: Krista Hull
2016-2017: Marco Redden
To be chosen Valedictorian, the student must have maintained a strong academic record, been actively involved in a number of extracurricular activities, either on-campus or in the community, and been nominated as a fitting spokesperson for the graduating class by their peers and/or faculty and staff.
Past Psychology Valedictorians are:
Spring 2022: Jasmine Tang
Fall 2021: Joshua Deal (read more here)
External Awards
The awards listed below are organized by bodies external to the Mount. Award winners are determined in whole or in part by nomination from our department.
This prize is awarded for outstanding undergraduate achievement in Psychology in Nova Scotia. It is named for Dr. Gerald Gordon to honour the contribution he made to APNS and to the development of the Psychology Act, which resulted in the creation of the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology. The terms of reference for the award were designed to reflect his belief in the importance of rewarding excellence at the undergraduate level as one means of encouraging promising students to consider a career in psychology. (https://apns.ca/membership/honours-and-awards)
Past winners are:
2016-2017: T-Jay Anderson
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychological Association approved in May 1999 the implementation of a Programme of Certificates of Academic Excellence to recognize outstanding achievements made by students at all levels of study (Hounours, Master’s, Ph.D.) in each Canadian department of psychology.
This programme has been endorsed by the Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology. The award is in the form of a certificate that each psychology department in Canada would distribute each year to the best undergraduate, masters and doctoral thesis. (https://cpa.ca/aboutcpa/cpaawards/certificateofacademicexcellence)
Past winners are listed below, with the thesis supervisor in parentheses:
2023-2024: Ana Gomes Nobre (Dr. Christine Lackner), Sarah Haggett (Dr. Daniel Seguin), Natalie Lawy (Dr. Conor Barker)
2022-2023: Lauren Giles (Dr. Jennifer Khoury), Lindsay Heyland (Dr. Jennifer Khoury), Darean McCormick (Dr. Michelle Eskritt)
2021-2022: Emma Becker (Dr. Jennifer Khoury), Kjersti McGuire (Dr. Stefon van Noordt), Esther Puiras (Dr. Derek Fisher)
2020-2021: Rachel Dyer (Dr. Jamie Metsala), Sarah MacNeil (Dr. Derek Fisher), and Adam Mariotti (Dr. Derek Fisher)
2019-2020: Marie-Eve Brownell (Dr. Michelle Eskritt), Chez Rideout (Dr. Will Shead), Chaya Seale (Dr. Michelle Eskritt)
2018-2019: Raquel el Chater (Dr. Michelle Eskritt), Laura Pimer (Dr. Derek Fisher), Lauren Ross (Dr. Elizabeth Bowering)
This award, worth $500, can be used towards travel and professional expenses for research conferences. Each year, six Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology member institutions are drawn at random to provide the award to a deserving student.
Past winners are:
2016-2017: Emily Wood
This award, based on nomination by the Psychology department, recognizes outstanding performance as a teaching assistant or marker.
Past winners are:
2022-2023: Kathryn Reeves
2021-2022: Aiden Deveau
2020-2021: Joline Martin
2019-2020: Sara Landry
2018-2019: Brittni Crowell
The Scotia Scholars Award provides financial support to research trainees with exceptional potential who are engaged in health research at participating Nova Scotia institutions. This award will support the growth, acquisition, and retention of highly skilled individuals who are advancing and translating knowledge in disease detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, strengthening health care delivery systems, caring for vulnerable populations, and promoting better opportunities for future health and wellbeing. Funding for this award is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. (https://researchns.ca/ssa/)
Past Psychology winners are:
2019-2020: Sarah MacNeil
2018-2019: Jenna Bissonnette and Chaya Seale