Congratulations to the winners of the 19th annual Thompson Awards for American Writing. Winners have been selected in the categories of Fiction, Creative Non-fiction, Memoir and Poetry.

Please see the list of winners and read their writings at the Center of the American West website.

(Information about next year's contest will be posted there in the fall.)

Interested in your moods and thoughts? Participate in a paid study on emotion and mood here on campus in the CU Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. 

Earn up to $200 to participate in studies involving answering questions about your feelings and thoughts, watching brief films, playing computer games and keeping a log of your emotions and activities. The study includes two separate visits and pays $10 per hour in cash each (first visit is 2–3 hours; second is 4 hours). There is an option for paid follow-up phone interviews in addition.

Please fill out a very brief survey to apply. If you have questions, please contact us at gruberpeplab@gmail.com or visit our website.

The Cognitive Development Center in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is looking for children ages birth to 12 years old who are interested in playing games that will help teach us about self-control, language, and cognitive strategies. 

A visit, scheduled at your convenience, lasts about 60 minutes. Babysitting is available for siblings. Parents are compensated for travel, and kids receive a fun prize.

To sign up, please do one of the following:

• Visit our website.
• Email cogdevctr@colorado.edu with your child’s name, gender, date of birth, and parent contact information (address, phone number, email address).
• Call us at 303-492-6389.

For more information, feel free to check out our Facebook page and website. 

Do you fear public speaking or feel highly anxious in social situations? Aged 18–25? Need money this summer? 

You may be eligible to participate in a paid study at CU Boulder. You will be paid $32 for completing a brief, two-part study. Participation includes completing questionnaires, social tasks and a brief intervention for social and public speaking anxiety. 

Contact intervention-study@colorado.edu for more information or sign up directly for experiment 1022 through Paid Sona.

Do you fear public speaking or feel highly anxious in social situations? Aged 18-25? Need money this summer? 

You may be eligible to participate in a paid study at CU Boulder. You will be paid $32 for completing a brief, two-part study. Participation includes completing questionnaires, social tasks and a brief intervention for social and public speaking anxiety. 

Contact intervention-study@colorado.edu for more information or sign up directly for experiment 1022 through Paid Sona.

Interested in your moods and thoughts? Participate in a paid study on emotion and mood here on campus in the CU Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. 

Earn up to $200 to participate in studies involving answering questions about your feelings and thoughts, watching brief films, playing computer games and keeping a log of your emotions and activities. The study includes two separate visits and pays $10 per hour in cash each (first visit is 2-3 hours; second is 4 hours). There is an option for paid follow-up phone interviews in addition.

Please fill out the very brief survey to apply.

If you have questions please contact us at gruberpeplab@gmail.com or visit our website
 

If you suffer from chronic back pain, you may be eligible to participate in a paid research study on the benefits of a novel mind-body treatment for chronic pain.

The research study consists of two MRI scan sessions 4-6 weeks apart on the CU Boulder campus, before and after treatment. MRI is safe and non-invasive technology for measuring brain function, and participants will be given a photo of their brain to take home.

You will be compensated $200 for participation.

Eligibility criteria:

• Ages 21-70
• Back pain for the last 3 months or more
• No metal in the body (for MRI safety)
• Not pregnant

For more information about the study and to help us determine your eligibility, please the CANLab website. You may also email canlab@colorado.edu or call 303-492-4299 for further information.

Are you a young adult ages 18–25? Interested in your moods and thoughts? Participate in a paid study on emotion and mood here on campus in the CU Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Earn up to $200 to participate in studies involving answering questions about your feelings and thoughts, watching brief films, playing computer games and keeping a log of your emotions and activities. The study includes two separate visits and pays $10 per hour in cash (first visit is 2–3 hours; second is 4 hours). There is an option for paid follow-up phone interviews in addition.

If interested, please complete the screening survey. If you have questions, please email gruberpeplab@colorado.edu or visit www.gruberpeplab.com.

The Emotive Computing Lab at CU Boulder is seeking participants for a study of collaboration. 

You are eligible to participate in this research study if you:

• Are a CU Boulder student at least 18 years of age
• Speak English
• Do not have significant and uncorrected vision impairments
• Have not previously played Physics Playground or a similar game (e.g., Crayon Physics Deluxe, Magic Pen) for more than an hour

The study contains two parts: 

1. An at home portion where you fill out some surveys and practice the game (lasting one hour) for a $15 Amazon gift card
2. A visit to the lab, which will be scheduled at a mutually convenient time (lasting two hours) for a $35 Amazon gift card

If you are interested in participating, please contact Angela Stewart at angela.stewart@colorado.edu for more information.

Please join the Biological Sciences Initiative for their annual BSI Scholars Poster Symposium from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the Recreation Center, room C250. Refreshments will be served. This year will feature undergraduates presenting work from Chemistry and Biochemistry, EBIO, Geological Sciences, IPHY, MCDB, and Psychology and Neuroscience.

Strategic Relations and Communications is seeking first-year students to participate in a 90-minute focus group on either April 25 or 26. We want to hear your opinions about different CU Boulder offerings and services. Participation is confidential, and all responses will be anonymous.
 
As a token of appreciation, we are offering each participant an Amazon gift card worth $25.
 
Please use the link below to find a date and time that works for you and reserve your spot. Participation will be on a first-come, first-served basis—so sign up today!

Understanding Mechanisms of Exercise Behavior Change

This research is being done to help researchers understand the psychological factors related to health behaviors, including how rewarding people for completing health behaviors can change their thoughts and attitudes about those behaviors. The findings from this research will help us learn how to develop better interventions to increase health behaviors. This study will examine physical activity.

Participating in this study involves two study sessions at the CU Boulder Center for Innovation and Creativity (1777 Exposition Drive in Boulder). The sessions will be three weeks apart. The first session requires one hour and fifteen minutes. During the session, you will complete surveys that will ask you about how you think, feel and behave. 

For the 21 days after that session, you will complete a brief (three-minute) assessment every day via the internet at times and locations that are convenient to you. These assessments will ask you about how you felt that day and whether you engaged in any physical activity. We will also ask you to wear a heart-rate monitoring watch when you exercise during the 21 days and include information from the watch in the daily surveys. 

On the 21st day, we will ask you to come back to the lab for another assessment that requires one hour. Finally, two and four weeks after that, we will ask you to do two more online surveys, at times and locations convenient to you, which will each require 25 minutes.

If you participate in this study, you will earn up to $52.50 for your time and effort during the assessments. Additionally, you may have the opportunity to earn additional payments for your reported behavior during the course of the study.

Learn more

If you are interested, please complete a brief online screening measure. If you are eligible to participate in this study, a member of the research team will contact you to schedule a research session. If you have questions before completing the screening or would like to learn more about the study, please contact the researcher, Casey Gardiner, via email at caga9763@colorado.edu.

The Neurophysiology of Movement Lab on CU Boulder's Main Campus is conducting a study to compare neuromuscular function in healthy adults with persons diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Qualifications:

• 45–65 years of age
• Healthy and free of neurologic disease 

 The study will consist of two visits on separate days:

• First visit (approximately 15 minutes): Familiarization session
• Second visit (approximately three hours): Experimental session
  • Lower leg muscle contractions
  • Walking tests
  • Recording muscle activity

Compensation: $20 for the experimental session

If interested, please contact Leah Davis at leah.davis@colorado.edu for more information.

Save the date! Please join the Biological Sciences Initiative for the annual BSI Scholars Poster Symposium from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the Recreation Center, room C250. Refreshments will be served. This year will feature undergraduates presenting their work from labs in chemistry and biochemistry, MCDB, IPHY, psychology and neuroscience, EBIO and geological sciences.

The Neurophysiology of Movement Lab needs volunteers for a study on aging and movement decision-making. Participants will be using their right wrist to generate low forces and lean with their whole body to play decision-making games. 

Participants must be/have:

• English-speaking
• Right-handed
• Between 40-60 or 65-89 years old
• Normal or corrected vision
• No movement control problems
• No recent orthopedic surgeries or broken bones

Experiment involves one sessions, which lasts approximately three hours. Subjects will be compensated at $10 per hour with an opportunity to win up to an additional $40. Email Landon Hamilton at landon.hamilton@colorado.edu.