The MUPSA Executive Council for 2009

Corey Blomfield - President

Corey is the current president of MUPSA, and is a post graduate student in the combined PhD/Clinical Masters program in the school of Psychology. Her research interests include adolescent development, the influence of extracurricular activity participation on the positive development of adolescents, and contexts that promote and improve an adolescent’s self-concept. Corey also completed her undergraduate degree at Murdoch University, graduating in 2007 with Honours in Psychology, and has been a member of the MUPSA committee since the beginning of 2008.

Beth Strang - Finance Chair

Hi everyone, I’m in the final throes of completing my PhD in Environmental Science. It has been an interesting experience and my time on the MUPSA committee has been rewarding as it has been challenging. The people I have met and the stories I’ve heard have been highly entertaining and I encourage everyone doing a Post Graduate Degree to get involved and make the most of your time at University… I’m going to miss being a student it has been very good to me! I am a past President and Committee member and currently I am the MUPSA Secretary/Treasurer. I am looking to handover these roles to new members, so if either of these roles (or any other role) takes your fancy please contact me via the club email address (postgrad@murdoch.edu.au). MUPSA is in a reformation phase and to grow the club needs active members to help run events, write articles, research guest speakers ect, as well as the usual committee roles. The MUPSA student base is vast and varied, full-time, part-time, on-campus, of-campus, offshore even, and as a group we need to plan for the future, which will be undertaken throughout year. If you are free to spend a few hours on a working group please contact the club and so we can start to plan the process, many hands make light work! Thanks, and good luck with your studies this year.

Bree Abbott - General Committee

Bree has been studying at Murdoch University since 2002. She completed her undergraduate degree with Honours in Psychology in 2007 and in 2008 she began work on her PhD also in Psychology. Her thesis investigates Body Image in adolescent girls and attempts to de-objectify the construct by expanding the measurement of body image to include the body’s functionality in addition to its appearance. Bree has been a member of MUPSA since the beginning of 2008 and is also the postgraduate representative on the Learning and Teaching committee.

Caroline Ross - General Committee

My name is Caroline Ross and this is my first year as a MUPSA committee member. Having completed my undergraduate degree in psychology here at Murdoch, I am now undertaking a Combined Master of Applied Clinical Psychology & PhD through the School of Psychology. Over the years, I have enjoyed my time at Murdoch University and have spent many hours on campus. I am hoping that through my work on the MUPSA Committee, I will be able to give back to the university community through helping to support fellow postgraduate students. Postgraduate study can be a somewhat daunting & lonely journey, but it can also be a fun one - so make sure you come to the MUPSA social events that will run throughout the year - make friends, seek support if you need it & have some fun... I'll look forward to meeting you, so be sure to say hello!

Bethanie Gouldthorp - General Committee

Bethanie has been at Murdoch since 2000. She started out studying a double major in Biomedical Science and Molecular Biology, before transferring to Psychology in 2002. She completed her Honours in 2005 and is currently completing a PhD (expecting to submit her thesis in mid-2009). Bethanie’s area of research interest is in cognitive/neuropsychology and neurolinguistics. Her thesis topic is on the role of the right cerebral hemisphere in language comprehension, specifically in relation to the use of contextual information in sentences. Bethanie has been on the MUPSA committee from the start of 2008 and, until recently, has been the official ‘cupcake-maker’ for our monthly coffee mornings. She also currently works in the Alumni, Careers & Employment Centre on Bush Court.

Nick McCarthy - General Committe

I was originally from Sydney and came to Perth prior to the America's cup in 1987. I have been a member of the Australian Defence Force and an Industrial Salesman before deciding to attend University. I have completed a BA with honours from Curtin University and BA from Edith Cowan University. In 2004 I was awarded the Government of Ireland scholarship for 2004/05 which enabled me to attend NUI Maynooth and complete a H/Dip in Anthropology. I have always been a keen sportsman and my sporting highlights to-date have been part of a crew thyat has won three Australian sailing championships.

Womens Representative

The role of the Womens Representative is to provide support, advocacy and representation for all female postgraduate students.

International Students Representative

The role of the International Students Representative is as the point of contact for any matters affecting international postgraduate students during their candidature.

Coursework Representative

The role of the Coursework Representative is to represent the needs and issues facing all postrgaduate coursework students.