UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- Two Penn State New Kensington psychology professors collaborated on a research project that earned a first-place award Sept. 30 at the 16th Annual Conference of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium at Penn State University Park.
Rob Bridges, professor of psychology, and Rick Harnish, associate professor of psychology, won the top honor in the Poster Award category. Their project, “Predicting Volunteer Motives Among Faculty and Staff,” explored how motives predicted whether an individual volunteers at a civic or a social organization. The survey data showed a significant relationship between an employee's values and volunteerism. The data was obtained from 47 faculty and staff at the New Kensington campus. They presented their findings at the “Ways to Build Institution-wide Involvement” session of the conference.
Posters were rated based on the quality of engagement scholarship content, presentation clarity, and effective use of visuals to convey content. A panel of judges reviewed a field of national and international submissions.
The Engagement Scholarship Consortium is a nonprofit educational organization whose membership comprises a mix of 33 public and private institutions. The consortium works collaboratively to build community partnerships anchored in scholarship, and designed to help build community capacity. The organization was founded in 2005 by Penn State, Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin to share knowledge about community-based programs.
Bridges and Harnish have collaborated in the past on numerous papers and presentations. Last year, they co-authored “Compulsive Buying: The Role of Irrational Beliefs, Materialism, and Narcissism” for the Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, and “How Advisers can Promote Student Engagement Outside the Classroom” for Academic Advising. A Handbook for Advisors and Students.
K. Robert BridgesA member of the campus faculty since 1971, Bridges teaches introductory courses on psychology. In the past 40 years, most underclassmen have experienced a Bridges psychology class. He has served as a mentor to many students by providing support and guidance about graduate school, internships and future employment. In addition, he has been integral to the establishment of the Penn State New Kensington Psychological Association and serves as its faculty adviser.
Bridges' contributions to the campus and community have been recognized throughout the years with many awards. His teaching acumen was acknowledged by the University in 2005 with the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching. Penn State honors faculty and staff annually for academic excellence, outstanding leadership and meritorious service. The Eisenhower Award recognizes excellence in teaching and student support among tenured faculty. Milton S. Eisenhower, brother of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, served as president of Penn State from 1950 to 1956. In addition, Bridges was honored locally with the Excellence in Teaching award by the New Kensington campus, Blue White Spotlight by the Alle-Kiski Alumni Society, and Citizens Advisory Board Advocacy by Family Services of Western Pennsylvania.
The Lower Burrell resident earned his bachelor of arts in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his master of arts in experimental psychology from Temple University and his doctoral degree in child development from the University of Pittsburgh.
Bridges' research interests have included work on attitudes measurement (regarding parent training), neuropsychological vulnerability to alcoholism, the cultivation effects of television viewing, the effect of attributional style on academic performance, procrastination and irrational thinking, and the effect of thinking style on hypnotizability. He is currently investigating cross-cultural influences on self-report measures of fear, assertiveness, and anxiety sensitivity.Richard HarnishHarnish’s research focuses on the intersection between attitudes, consumer behavior, the self and affect (or emotion). He is particularly interested in how beliefs impact the products purchased. His past research has examined the effect of clothing, personality styles, and environmental cues, which individuals use to interpret another's friendliness. His current research examines individuals' friendship networks exploring the types of people who influence purchases.
Prior to joining the campus community in 2003, Harnish spent 13 years working in private industry. He served as director of market research for Blattner Brunner, a comprehensive marketing services firm with offices in Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh before taking the teaching position. He teaches lower- and upper-level psychology courses, including Basic Research Methods in Psychology.
Harnish’s students also share their professor’s passion for research. At the campus’ annual spring Research and Creative Exposition, he routinely advises 12-15 student research projects, the most of any of his colleagues. The exposition provides students with the opportunity to conduct research, draw conclusions and present their information in a public setting. Last semester, 81 students researched 53 projects, under the direction of 14 faculty members. Fifteen of Harnish’s students participated.
A Penn State alumnus, Harnish received his doctorate in Social Psychology from Michigan State University.
For more about the Psychology program at Penn State New Kensington, visit http://www.nk.psu.edu/Academics/Degrees/28550.htm