M.A. Alumni Making a Difference

Image: Dr. Adriana ManagoDr. Adriana Manago (MA in Experimental Psychology, Class of 2004) has accepted a tenure track position in Cultural Developmental Psychology at Western Washington University in Bellingham!  After leaving SJSU, Adriana received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology and a certificate in Culture, Brain, and Development from UCLA in 2011.  Just before accepting her new faculty position, Adriana completed postdoctoral training in Developmental Psychology, University of Michigan.  We wish Adriana all the best and look forward to hearing more about her research and work in Chiapas Mexico.

image: Karen Gee AtwoodKaren Gee Atwood (MA in Experimental Psychology, Class of 2004) has accepted a tenure track position in the Department of Psychology at Mission College, Santa Clara, CA.  After completing her degree at SJSU, Karen worked for several years as an Instructor of Psychology at Foothill College.  Karen also hold a Master degree in Education from Stanford University.

Karen’s thesis investigating the impact of instructor-provided lecture notes on note taking and generative processing will no doubt inform her work within the classroom.

image: Bryan McClainBryan McClain (MA in Experimental Psychology, Class of 2002) is the President and Co-founder at Metric Lab.  Bryan co-founded Metric Lab in 2005 with the vision of helping clients truly understand their consumers and design products that are user-centered. Bryan’s background stems from rigorous academic and industry experience which includes a BA and MA in experimental psychology from SJSU and over eleven years experience in user-centered research and design. Bryan is a published author with several magazine articles, academic journal articles, and web periodical articles to his name. He has also acquired a U.S. patent and registered trademark for concepts that he has developed.

image: Demetrius MadrigalDemetrius (MA in Experimental Psychology, Class of 2002) truly believes in the power of research, when it is done well. With a background in experimental psychology from SJSU, Demetrius performed research in the University setting as well as NASA Ames Research Center before co-founding Metric Lab with long-time collaborator, Bryan McClain. At Metric Lab, Demetrius enjoys innovating with powerful research methods on exciting projects ranging from consumer electronics with companies like Microsoft or Kodak, to modernization efforts with the U.S. Army.

Dr. Dante PicchioniAfter receiving his master’s degree, Dr. Dante Picchioni (MA in Experimental Psychology, Class of 1999), was accepted into the Ph.D. program in Experimental Psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi.  While receiving a “broad” degree such as experimental psychology isn’t the usual path for someone considering a career in cognitive neuroscience, Dante was able to tailor and focus his classes and research on neuroscience topics. For example, he wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on the epidemiology (causes) of narcolepsy.

When it came time for him to do his post-doctorate study, he took a position where he learned the intricacies of working with and employing the fMRI for conducting neuroscientific research. Dante now works at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.