Congratulations to EWU McNair Scholar Alexander Dodson. Alexander has been selected to receive a 2024 Frances B. Huston Medallion Award.
Recipients of the Frances B. Huston medallion award must have established themselves as exceptionally capable individuals in both academic and extracurricular activities. The faculty and the administration of Eastern Washington University acknowledge their great pride in the accomplishments of these students during their college experience and expect even greater accomplishments in the years that lie ahead. The Frances B. Huston Medallion is presented to just 20 graduating students per year.
Alexander will be graduating this June with a major in Psychology and minors in Sexuality and Queer Studies and Anthropology. He has worked in both Dr. Philip Watkins' and Dr. Amani El-Alayli’s research lab, both independently and collaboratively, to design several novel, replication, and extension studies in person perception, stereotyping, and prejudice. Dr. El-Alayli served as Alexander’s mentor for his 2022 and 2023 McNair Summer Research Internships. Alexander presented his 2022 research, Effects of American and pride flags on our judgements of others, at the 2023 Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) conference, and his 2023 research, Political orientation moderates pride and American flag effects on person perception, at the SPSP conference in 2024. Alexander also presented a prospectus of his 2022 research at the 2023 EWU Research and Creative Works Symposium.
Alexander exemplifies making the most of his undergraduate experience. In addition to being a McNair Scholar, working in two professor’s labs, and presenting at multiple conferences, he has worked as a PLUS tutor in psychology, guest lectured on psychology and social psychology, acted as both president and treasurer of EWU’s Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology club, and volunteered as an Eagle Ambassador. Alexander was accepted by two Master’s programs: Ball State University’s Master’s program in Social Psychology and the University of Chicago’s Master in Social Sciences program. EWU McNair is so proud of Alexander and all of his accomplishments!