I-O Psychologists Unite at SIOP 2018!
This past week, three VUHRD faculty members had the opportunity to travel to Chicago for the SIOP Annual Conference. SIOP is the Society for Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology.
As many of you know, the Graduate HRD Program at Villanova is a part of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, formerly called the Department of Psychology. Many of the faculty members working in the program hold Ph.D.'s in I-O psychology. According to SIOP's website, "Industrial-organizational (psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations. The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society." As you can see, there is direct overlap with the study of HR.
SIOP is the world's largest professional organization for I-O psychologists with over 9,000 members. The SIOP Annual Conference is I-O psychology's premier educational event and one of the only conferences in the world that brings together a mix of the very best academic researchers in the organizational sciences with leading practitioners from industry, government, and consulting firms.
During the event, our faculty had the opportunity to attend professional development sessions, informative talks and networking opportunities to meet new colleagues. They also found time for a bit of fun! Dr. Brandon participated in the 26th Frank Landy 5k Run on Friday morning and even finished 3rd in his age group. (Go Dr. Brandon!) He also had an opportunity to catch up with a former VUHRD faculty member, Dr. Chris Castille, who is now working at Nicholls State University in the Department of Management.
Here is what the VUHRD faculty had to say about attending this event:
"SIOP is a great chance to catch up with old friends and colleagues and to meet new ones. SIOP gets you updated on the newest trends in the field of I-O psychology and allows opportunities to discuss new and exciting avenues for research in our field."
--Dr. Christian Thoroughgood
"SIOP provides an opportunity to learn about emerging ideas and new research that can be incorporated into our HRD courses."
--Dr. Gerry Brandon
"SIOP allows me to catch up with colleagues and collaborators and to get a pulse on the new research that is happening in the field."
--Dr. Katina Sawyer
Overall this conference was a wonderful experience for our faculty. Beyond educators, SIOP provides membership opportunities for students and professionals. We would encourage our students and HR community to take a look at the benefits that SIOP might bring to you and maybe we will see you at a SIOP conference in the future!
