Teaching Achievements and Activities

N.B.: Information in each category listed in order of importance and relevance to instructional accomplishments.
For additional information click on pointer (when provided for item).

Honors and Contributions

HONORS

Robert S. Daniel Award for Four Year College/University Teaching, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2006. Bestowed on psychology instructors who have distinguished themselves according to the following four criteria: (a) demonstrated influence in interesting students in the field of psychology; (b) development of effective teaching methods, courses, and/or teaching materials; (c) outstanding performance as a classroom teacher; and (d) concerns with professional identity as a teacher of psychology.
UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement of the UC Davis Foundation,1994. The award is given annually to that faculty member who combines outstanding undergraduate instruction with an internationally recognized program of original research. Nominations coming from the college deans, the final selection is made by an administrative committee chaired by the Chancellor that consists of representatives from the faculty, alumni, and undergraduates. The $25,000 cash prize (since raised to $45,000) is considered the largest of its kind in the United States.
Distinguished Teaching Award of the UC Davis Division of the Academic Senate, 2000. After nomination by students and faculty, the final recipient determined by a Senate committee consisting of faculty appointed by the Committee on Committees (with graduate and undergraduate representation provided by their respective organizations).
Magnar Ronning Award for Teaching Excellence of the Associated Students of the University of California at Davis, 1980. Solely students (without participation of faculty or administrators) determine this honor. It honors excellence in undergraduate instruction.
Fellow, Division 2 "Teaching of Psychology" of American Psychological Association, 1997. Division 2 is devoted to improving the quality of instruction in the field of psychology.
Fellow, Danforth Foundation, 1970-74. This fellowship program was designed to promote quality teaching in higher education.
Finalist, Distinguished Teaching Award of the Academic Senate, 1981.
Nominated, U.S. Professor of the Year, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1997 and 1998.
Campus faculty representative, Forum on Exemplary Teaching, American Association for Higher Education, 1994.
Commencement Speaker, Commencement Ceremonies for the College of Letters and Science, June 1994.
Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service as Faculty Advisor, Davis Chapter of Psi Chi, 1994.
Honorary Member, Golden Key National Honor Society, 1991.
Outstanding Advisor in Picnic Day Parade, Advising Services float, 1990.
Nominated, Outstanding Advisor Award for the College of Letters and Science, 1998, 1999.
Feature article entitled "Prof. Dean K. Simonton, Ph.D." in the California Aggie, 1991.
Award for Excellence, Mensa Education and Research Foundation, 1986.
Esther Katz Rosen Fund Lecture on Gifted Children, American Psychological Foundation, 1994.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Endowed the Simonton Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, 1994: $500 given during commencement ceremonies in conjunction with the Chancellor's Award (24 recipients): Carla Bittel (History, 1995); Rebecca Gutierrez (History, 1996); Leslie Nicole Levine (Mathematics, 1997); Michael Poland (Geology, 1997); Kypros Hostetter (History and Classics, 1998); Diana Portnoy (Psychology, 1999); Benjamin Garcia (Chemistry, 2000); Luke Donev (Physics, 2001); Patricia L. Duong (Genetics, 2002); Nicole Ann Tetreault (Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, 2002); Nathan Bronson (Division of Biological Sciences, 2003); Christina Ramos (History, 2003); Andy Ehrensberger (Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2004); Shannon Davis (English, 2005); Peter Samuel (Psychology, 2006); Gregory Ho (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2007); Marisa S. Goo (Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, 2008); Helen Craig (Physics, 2009); Michael Dean (Economics, 2009); Ernest Maningding (Microbiology, 2010); Elaine Garcia (Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, 2011); David Johnson (Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2011); Becky Xu Hua Fu (Microbiology, 2012); Keegan Owsley (Biomedical Engineering, 2012).
As Faculty Sponsor, collaborated with students in establishing the first UC Davis Chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honorary Society for Psychology students, November 22, 1982.
Implemented new Departmental Honors Program, including initiation of Psychology 194H and the general procedures for the evaluation of submitted Theses, 1992.
Created and taught updated version of the professional course on "The Teaching of Psychology" (Psych. 390A/B), 2012-present.
Developed and implemented the TEAM (Teaching and Excellence and Merit) Program in collaboration with former Vice-Provost Carol Tomlinson-Keasey. The program was designed to reward merit increases to Full Professors who increase the quantity and quality of their contributions to undergraduate instruction at UCD (now defunct).
Created new courses, including the General Education course on "Genius, Creativity, and Leadership" (Psych. 175) in 1991 and the graduate course on the "Causal Modeling of Correlational Data (Psych. 204b) in 1993.
Both as consultant and interviewee helped develop educational television programs on the subjects of creativity ("The Creative Spirit" for the Public Broadcasting Service, 1994), genius ("The Mystery of Genius" for the Arts and Entertainment Channel, 1998), and discovery (“Gone Sideways” for David Suzuki’s The Nature of Things, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/National Film Board of Canada, 2009).
Created and maintain departmental webpage listing graduating seniors who have received exceptional recognition for their accomplishments ("Psychology Department Undergraduate Honors, Awards and Achievements"), 2002-present.

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Grants, Training, and Service

GRANTS:

Faculty Summer Planning Award, Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program, Teaching Resources Center, 1990. Used to prepare new General Education Course, Psychology 175: "Genius, Creativity, and Leadership."
Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Grant, Teaching Resources Center, 1991. Used for conducting a survey of student attitudes toward the Psychology Departmental.
Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Minigrant, Teaching Resources Center, 1999. Used for the implementation and enhancement of new instructional technologies.
Pre-Grad Student Affirmative Action Academic Support Funds, Student Affairs, 1991. Used for conducting survey of minorities in the major.

TRAINING:

Workshops, Forum on Exemplary Teaching, American Association for Higher Education, Chicago, 1994.
Summer Institute on Technology in Teaching, Teaching Resources Center, UC Davis, 1999.

SERVICE:

University:

Chair, Distinguished Teaching Award Committee of the Academic Senate, 1988-90. This committee bestows the faculty’s highest form of recognition for outstanding teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels. Member, 1987-90.
Chair, Committee on Teaching of the Academic Senate, 2001-2002. Deals with campus-wide instructional issues and policies.
Chair, Subcommittee on Teaching Awards for Outstanding Graduate Students, 2000-2001. Bestows awards to the best graduate-student instructors.
Chair, TEAM (Teaching Excellence and Merit) Committee, 1996-98. This committee awards merit increases to faculty who have followed a special plan to increase the quality and quantity of undergraduate instruction.
Chair, Administrative Review Committee for the Davis Honors Challenge, 1997-98.
Member, UC Davis Prize Committee, 1990-91, 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99.
Member, Teaching Committee of the Academic Senate, 1998-2001.
Member, Committee on Academic Federation Distinguished Teaching Awards, 2001.
President, Phi Beta Kappa, UC Davis Chapter, 1986-87. I was responsible for officiating at initiation ceremonies and delivering the opening address.
Campus Liaison Officer, Danforth Foundation.
Member, Chancellor’s Teaching Fellowship Advisory, 1999-2000.
Member, Sub Work Group on Retention, 1987-88. Examined the success with which UCD was retaining students from underrepresented populations in the State of California.
Member, Registration Fees Administrative Advisory Committee, 1987-88. Assessed the optimal distribution of funds obtained from the students’ Registration and Education Fees; evaluated the units that receive student support in their budgets.
Member, Courses and Bylaws Subcommittee of the Graduate Council, 2002.
Member, Child Care Administrative Advisory Committee, 1991-92.
Member, Chancellor’s Academic Planning Council, 1991-92.
Faculty Advisor, Epsilon Sigma Rho (Multicultural Fraternity), 1995-96.
Member, Ad Hoc Search Committee to select the Director of the Teaching Resources Center, 1989.
Participant, Chancellor’s Fall Conferences, 1981, 1991
Member, Phi Beta Kappa Graduate Fellowships Committee, 1997.
Faculty representative, Accreditation Team from Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 1991.

College:

Chair of the Faculty for the College of Letters and Science, 1997-98. Chaired the meetings of the Executive Committee, the primary college body responsible for college instruction and curricula, including student petitions and the reports of the Educational Policy and Teaching Program Planning and Review Committees, as well as the appointment of faculty to these and other standing committees (e.g., Student Petitions, Individual Majors, and Study of Foreign Languages).
Vice-Chair of the Faculty for the College of Letters and Science, 1996-97.
Faculty Coordinator, Fulmor Scholarship Program, 1986-87. Besides serving as special advisor, I was responsible for organizing extra enrichment experiences for entering freshmen who were considered especially capable academically.
Ex officio Member,Committee on Educational Policy of the College of Letters and Science, 1996-97.
Member, Committee on Courses of Instruction.
Member, Winslow and Gilhooly Award Selection Committee, 1995.
Member, Undergraduate Computing Lab Workgroup for the Division of Social Sciences, 1999.
Member, Task Force to Review the Composition Requirement, 2000.
Member, Ad Hoc Review Committee for the Teaching and Program Review Committee to evaluate the Statistics undergraduate major, 1987-88.
Member, Ad Hoc Committee for Program Review of the MA Program in Rhetoric, 1986-87.
Member, Search Committee for the position of Executive Associate Dean, 1989.
Summer Advisor, for first-year, transfer, and STEP students, various years to date.

Department:

Master Advisor and Chair, Undergraduate Advising and Student-Faculty Liaison Committee: responsibilities include approving transfer agreements, handling student petitions, interviewing applicants for the Peer Advisor position, and running the Honors Program, 1980s-2004.
Faculty Graduate Advisor: responsible for administrating the doctoral program in psychology, 2006-present.
Faculty Sponsor, UC Davis Chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honorary Society in Psychology, 1982-present.
Undergraduate Honors Advisor: running the Honors Program and maintaining the undergraduate honors and awards webpage, 2004-present.
Faculty Presenter of Psychology Majors for Commencement Ceremonies of the College of Letters and Science, 1988-to present.
Department Representative, Intersegmental Major Preparation Articulated Curriculum for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (ensure that students transferring from the community colleges to UC and CSU are prepared for work in their chosen major and transfer without having to repeat coursework), 2003.
Chair, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
Chair, Graduate Advising Committee.
Member, Graduate Admissions.

Profession:

Panel Chair, Robert S. Daniel Award for Four Year College/University Teaching, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2008 (recipient: Dr. Jane P. Sheldon, Associate Professor, University of Michigan-Dearborn).
Panel Member, McKeachie Graduate Student Award, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2007 (recipient: Ms. Jessica Irons, Auburn University).
Panel Member, Wayne Weiten Teaching Excellence Award for 2-year Colleges, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2009 (recipient: Professor Jennifer O’Loughlin-Brooks, Collin College, Plano TX).
Panel Member, Mary Margaret Moffett Memorial Teaching Excellence Award for High School, Division 2 - Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2010 (recipient: Wendy Hart, Brentwood High School, Brentwood, TN).
Textbook evaluator for Oxford University, 2; Prentice-Hall, 2; Brooks/Cole, 2; Westview, 2; Freeman, 2; Harcourt Brace Janovich, 1; Allyn & Bacon, 1; Academic, 1; Cambridge University, 1; Sage, 1; Taylor & Francis, 1.
Editor, Journal of Creative Behavior, 1993-present. This journal has been published by the Creative Education Foundation since 1967, and is the oldest professional journal devoted to research and practice in the area of creativity.
Executive Advisory Boards, Encyclopedia of Creativity, Academic Press, 1996-99; Encyclopedia of Creativity (2nd ed.), Elsevier, 2009-11).
Consultant, Creativity Museum Project, Milken Family Foundation, 1994, 1996.
Consultant, Prize for Promise, $100,000 award for a young woman who shows considerable talent, 2001-03.
Advisory Board, Achievement Advocates, a mentoring program for 4th-6th grade students who show promise, 2001-present.
Expert Reviewer, Student Travel Program of the American Psychological Association, 1999.
Textbook reviewer for Contemporary Psychology (Simonton, 1999h) and Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts (Simonton, 2007s).
Educational documentary reviewer for PsycCRITIQUES (Simonton, 2007j).
ISPP Junior Scholar Mentor (for Pete Peterson, Ohio State University).

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Courses and Student Evaluations

COURSES TAUGHT

Occidental College (1969-1970):

UNDERGRADUATE-

History of Western Civilization (section leader).

Harvard-Radcliffe College (1970-1972):

UNDERGRADUATE-

Introductory Social Psychology (teaching fellow); Introductory Psychology and Social Relations (teaching fellow).

University of Arkansas (1974-1976):

UNDERGRADUATE-

General Psychology (lecture); Social Psychology (lecture); Archival Data Analysis (laboratory).

GRADUATE-

Social Psychology (seminar); Archival Data Analysis (seminar).

University of California at Davis (1976- ):

UNDERGRADUATE-

Introductory Psychology (lecture); Introductory Social Psychology (lecture); Introductory Psychometrics (lecture); History of Psychology (lecture); Genius, Creativity, and Leadership (seminar and general education course); Archival Data Analysis (laboratory).

GRADUATE-

Multivariate Analysis (lecture); Causal Modeling (lecture); History of Psychology (seminar); Genius, Creativity, and Leadership (seminar); Teaching of Psychology (professional).

TEACHING RATINGS

Ratings reported below are those obtained since the Psychology Department introduced a new evaluation form in the Fall of 1987. The new form asked students to rate the instructor’s overall performance on a 5-point scale. The N's indicate the number of students filling out the evaluation form rather than the total enrollment. Courses that used qualitative ratings are not included (e.g. PSC 190, 390). It may be noted that I regularly subject these ratings to multiple regression analyses to determine their main predictors. Only one potential predictor emerges as statistically significant (p = .006): My teaching ratings in 185 tend to be 0.093 points higher than those received in other courses. This is also the course for which I received the most perfect ratings (5.0's).

PSC 151: Social Psychology (until 2000 numbered 145):

4.8 1987 Fall N = 122 (First rating on 5-point scale) / 4.7 1988 Winter N = 132 / 4.7 1988 Fall N = 154 / 4.8 1990 Winter N = 88 / 4.7 1990 Fall N = 124 / 4.9 1992 Winter N = 94 (Reorganized course) / 4.7 1998 Spring N = 77 (First time taught since 1992) / 4.8 1999 Spring N = 108

PSC 175: Genius, Creativity, and Leadership:

4.9 1991 Winter N = 35 (Taught for first time) / 4.8 1991 Fall N = 36 / 4.9 1992 Spring N = 34 / 4.9 1993 Fall N = 32 / 4.8 1994 Fall N = 37 / 4.8 1997 Spring N = 22 / 4.8 1997 Fall N = 36 / 4.9 1998 Fall N = 29 / 4.9 1999 Fall N = 41 / 4.7 2000 Fall N = 57 / 4.8 2001 Fall N = 57 / 4.9 2002 Spring N = 39 / 4.8 Fall 2002 N = 34 / 4.8 Spring 2003 N = 29 / 4.9 Fall 2003 N = 56 / 4.8 Fall 2004 N = 41 / 4.9 Spring 2005 N = 54 / 4.5 Fall 2005 N = 55 (Lowest rating ever received for an undergraduate course) / 4.9 Fall 2006 N = 55 / 4.7 Fall 2007 N = 56 / 4.7 Fall 2008 N = 54 / 4.9 Winter 2011 N = 44 / 4.8 Spring 2012 N = 56 / 4.6 Fall 2012 N =43

PSC 185: History of Psychology (until 2000 numbered 120):

4.8 1989 Winter N = 19 (Taught for first time) / 4.9 1990 Spring N = 25 / 5.0 1991 Spring N = 26 (First perfect rating!) / 4.9 1991 Fall N = 32 / 4.8 1995 Winter N = 27 / 5.0 1996 Fall N = 27 (Second perfect score for this course!) / 5.0 1997 Winter N = 24 (Third perfect score for this course!) / 4.8 1998 Winter N = 39 / 4.9 1999 Winter N = 38 / 5.0 2000 Winter N = 42 (Fourth perfect score for this course!) / 4.9 2001 Winter N = 31 / 5.0 2001 Spring N = 23 (Fifth perfect score for this course!) / 4.7 2002 Winter N = 28 / 5.0 2003 Winter N = 33 (Sixth perfect score for this course!) / 4.9 2004 Winter N = 54 / 4.9 2005 Winter N = 33 / 5.0 2006 Winter N = 40 (Seventh perfect score for this course!) / 4.9 2006 Spring N = 41 / 4.8 2007 Spring N = 49 / 4.7 2008 Spring N = 48/ 4.9 2009 Spring N = 46 / 4.8 2010 Fall N = 42 / 4.7 2011 Spring N = 59 / 4.9 2011 Fall N = 91

PSC 207: Multivariate Analysis:

4.7 1990 Spring N = 15 (Reorganized course) / 4.9 1991 Spring N = 22 (Substantial improvement)

PSC 204b: Causal Modeling of Correlational Data (until 2000 numbered 207a):

4.7 1993 Winter N = 20 (Taught for first time) / 5.0 1994 Winter N = 7 (Non-psychology students only) / 4.8 1995 Winter N = 16 / 4.9 1997 Winter N = 22 / 5.0 1998 Winter N = 7 / 4.9 1999 Winter N = 13 / 4.8 2000 Winter N = 33 (Largest enrollment ever for this course) / 4.5 2001 Winter N = 12 (Introduced new notation; lowest grade ever received for graduate course) / 4.8 2002 Winter N = 28 (Return to baseline) / 4.9 2003 Winter N = 22 / 4.7 2004 Winter N = 29 / 4.6 2005 Winter N = 20 / 4.2 2007 Winter N = 28 (Worst score ever received for any course ever taught!) / 4.7 2008 Winter N = 31 / 4.7 2009 Winter N = 25

PSC 220: History of Psychology:

4.8 1995 Spring N = 4 (Taught for first time on moment's notice) / 5.0 2004 Spring N = 7 (Substantial improvement) / 4.6 2011 Winter N = 7 (Raw ratings 6 "excellent" and 1 "fair")

PSC 390A/B: The Teaching of Psychology:

5.0 2012 Winter N = 6 / 5.0 2012 Spring N = 7

For qualitative evaluations published in Student Viewpoint, click here.

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Research Mentoring and Supervision

DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

Committee Chair:

Shing-Shiang Ting (Professor of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan): The Social Psychology of Chinese Literary Creativity: An Archival Data Analysis (1986)
Judy Quan (Biostatistician, Division of General and Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco): The Relationship Between Acculturation and Mental Ability Pattern for Chinese Americans (1987)
Peter Michael Bradlee (Clinical Psychologist, private practice, Vacaville, CA): Primary Components and Subcomponents of "Masculinity" and "Femininity" (1990)
Vincent J. Cassandro (Director of Market Research, TriWest Healthcare Alliance): Versatility, Creative Products, and the Personality Correlates of Eminent Creators (2001)
Kathleen Ann Taylor (Professor of Psychology, Sierra College, CA): Heredity Matters: Family Fate and Huntington Disease (2002)
Anna V. Song (Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced): Cognitive Style, Personality, and Socio-Political History: A Longitudinal Study of U.S. Presidents 1789-2005 (2006; co-chair with Alan Elms)

Committee Member:

Cherlyn (Carrie) Thomas (Professor Emerita of Psychology, California State University Long Beach): The Quality of Personal Life: Sex, Class, and the Social Relations of Inequality (1980)
Patricia Denise Rozee (Professor of Psychology, California State University Long Beach): Rape: A Redefinition and Examination of World Patterns Among Non-Industrial Societies (1984)
Kennon Sheldon (Professor of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia): Creativity, Goals, and Emotions in Artists, Physicists, and Ecologists: A Comparative Analysis (1988)
Barrett Scott Caldwell (Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University): Social Processes in Isolated Groups of U.S. National Park Rangers (1990)
Eva M. Schepeler (Clinical Psychologist, private practice, Woodland, CA, and Lecturer, University of California, Davis): The Psychological Development of Jean Piaget: Interrelations of His Life and Work (1990)
Sahng Ern Park (Faculty, University of Maryland University College Asia, Korea): Acculturation, Perceived Control, and Career-Related Interests and Values in Asian-American College Students (1993)
Veronica Benet (Professor, Department of Social and Political Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona): Towards a Spanish Taxonomy of Personality Descriptors: Generality of the "Big Seven" Factor Model with Indigenous and Imported Constructs (1995)
Patricia Maal Colby (Assistant Professor of Psychology, Skidmore College): Individual Differences in Identity Development Status: Social and Cognitive Correlates of Goal Integration in Early Adulthood (1996)
Ky-Van Lee (Analyst, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University): A Two-Wave Panel Study of the Relationships among Hardiness, Acculturation, Stress, and Psychological Distress in Chinese Americans (2002)
Tim Gaffney (Standards and Assessment Division, California Department of Education): Ego-Resiliency, Resilience, Substance Use, And Risky Behaviors: Some Measurement and Structural Models (2004)
Jane Thompson (formerly, Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii, Hilo): A Monte Carlo Comparison of Tests for the Number of Factors under Alternative Factor Models (2004)
Patricia Jennings (Research Associate, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, College of Health and Human Development, Penn State University): The Role of Personality, Stress, and Coping in the Development of Wisdom (2004)
Gary D. Stockdale (Postdoc-employee, Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis): Factors Affecting Goodness of Fit of the Quasi-Simplex, Linear Growth Curve, and Latent Difference Score Models to Oppositive Data Structures: A Simulation Study (2007)
Alison J. Terry (Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Maine, Farmington): Components of the Authoritative Parenting Style: Predictors of Asian American Adolescent Achievement (2007)
Mark David Prokosch (Visiting Professor of Psychology, Elon University): Women’s Mate Choice: Towards an Understanding of the Evolutionary Mechanisms Driving Women’s Preferences for Cognitive Traits in Men (2008)
Leticia Carrillo: The Physical Activity and Nutrition Behaviors of Adolescents of Mexican Origin (2011)

N.B.: In parentheses are given "last known" positions or affiliations, with no assurances that they are all up to date. Even in the age of Google and Facebook, persons can disappear, so please notify me of any changes.

EXTERNAL EXAMINER:

Alexander Arno Pudmenzky: The Neurobiology of Creativity - An Artificial Intelligence Model. Doctoral Dissertation, School of Medical Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia (2002)
David Matta: People of Greatness: Their Shared Qualities And Life Experiences. Masters Thesis, Counseling Psychology, Trinity Western University, Canada (2004)
Moong Mae Chan: The Hen Who Heralded the Dawn: Leadership Lessons from China's 7th Century Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian (A.D. 624-705). Dissertation, Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia (2008)
Yuan Zhi Seah: ’But What ... Is It Good For?’ An Investigation into the Process of Evaluating Potentially Creative and Innovative Products. Doctoral Dissertation, School of Management, University of New South Wales, Australia (2012)

POST-DOCTORIAL:

Kyle E. Jennings (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2010), 2010-2012.

HONORS STUDENTS:

Christina Clark, Jacqueline Curran, Rael Dornfest, Carol Facione, Emily Gromis, Susan Ko, Kheang Lim, Bayard D. Nielsen, Monica Parkins, Megan Reed, Michael Scherer, Michael Sintetos, Jacqueline Teague, and Rhonda Williams.

DAVIS HONORS CHALLENGE STUDENTS:

Christopher Fagundes.

MURALS STUDENTS:

Pamela Akins, Gonzalo Calderón, Carla Gregory, Linda Natarajan, and Cindy Santana.

FOREIGN STUDENT THESES:

Oscar Westra van Holthe (University College Utrecht, Netherlands).

INDEPENDENT STUDY STUDENTS

Mentioned in acknowledgments of published work (192):

Bergen Achtel, Pamela Akins, Jill Allen, Elizabeth Amirkhan, Jeff Ancker, Ken Andersson, Makoto Arakaki, Gazelle Babaee, Marc Bartolome, John Bayliss, Stony Beck, Nataliya Belfor, Paige Black, Margie Blatchford, Nancy Bouffard, Jennifer Bovolick, Pendra Boyd, Melisse Bouziane, Naomi Braun, Rayna Broome, Margaret Buckman, Kimiko Burton, Leia Buwalda, Gonzalo Calderón, Chrisin Campbell, Lois Campbell, Tara Campo, Chahndra Carpenter, Mary "Molly" Cash, Steve Castellón, Alyssa Cauble, James Chan, Robin Chand, Maia Chang, Paula Chang, Wayne Chapman, Elaine Chinn, Maria Ramirez Clanton, David Clemons, Jennifer Cohen, Tracé Michelle Conway, Hillary Cox, Karen Cross, Lisa Curtis, Suzanne Dahnert, Heather Davids, Ron Day, Ann del Forge, Niki De Santo, Elizabeth Dean, Jennifer Denbo, Pamela Dickson, Carolyn Dodge, Joy Donny, Rael Dornfest, Kelley Elkins, Melissa Ewen, Vida Fereydouni, Michelle Ferreira, Jeff Finstad, Stephanie Fisher, Cory Fitzpatrick, Sean Follette, Calvin Fong, Alfonso Ford, Fernanda Formel, Othon Franco, Christina Frederick, Patrick Gargiulo, Nadia Gemmellaro, Gina Giachini, Kuldip Gill, Rick Gonzales, John M. Gotelli, Janelle Gray, Aaron Grey, Nichole Griffith, Jacob Grosz, Debbi Gutierrez, Donna Haaf, Alysia Hall, Kari Hansen, Kim Haralson, Erin Harrington, Nathan Hasbarger, Miguel Herrera, Danny Herz, Michele Hill, Howard Hines, Kevin Hogan, Christina Holsworth, Cynthia Hom, Alexander Hughes, Chris Hughes, Jennifer Idlor, Donald Inn, Ashaki Jackson, Elizabeth Judy, Paul Kahn, Dana Kamla, Kathryn Kaney, Karin Kawagoe, Cara Kennedy, Elizabeth King, Jacques Koujoumajian, Alicia Krause, Barbara Krieger, Beverly Kwong, Phong La, Lisa Lawrance, Hanh Lee, Herman Lee, May Chao Lee, Andrea Lim, Kristin Lipman, Susan Lovercheck, Ellen Lucas, John Lucas, Christopher Lucich, Deepa Makam, Anneliese Makely, Crystal Martin, Renae McCann, Christian McClellan, Heather McCormick, Brenna McKinley, Rob Messerli, Malu Mithaiwala, Rick Moen, Humaira Mojadaddi, Sook Morimoto, Apollo Mayagag, Craig Marquardt, Alan Morris, Scott J. Morris, Bettina Murphy, Monica Murray, Masaki Nakazono, Linda Natarajan, Sin Soon Francis Ngau, Ryan Nguyen, Jeff Nuelle, Pamela Nyon, José Ortega, Melanie Peacock, Tereza Pena-Hibberd, Manoj Perera, Kim Pham, Linda Plachy, Stephen Price, Lisa Rogers, Yvonne Romerwell, Steven Sacks, Tracy Saladh, Dan Samsky, Lillian Sanchez, Thomas Sanchez, Serafina Sands, Cindy Santana, Todd Sasano, Melissa Schneider, Daniel J. Seitz, Darren T. Seitz, Mundeep Sidhu, Julie Silva, Rachel Silverman, Wendy Etsuko Siu, Susan Slager, David Smiler, Juliette Smith, Chas Smithson, Heidi Soltis, William Sparr, Cindy Stein, Heather Stewart, Ted Sullivan, Marco Tam, Jeanice Tran, Brent Treichler, Ann Ulibarri, Brian Victor, Harjot Walid, Heather Weibel, Diane Wenzler, Becky Wong, Cynthia Whitacre, Henry Wong, Russell Wong, Jason Woodward, Timmie Yamada, Kai Yang, David Yoo, and Lindsey Yu.

Contributed to works-in-progress (134):

Michael Alexander, Kara Allmett, Pamela Andronis, Margarita Animo, John Arbanasin, Maria E. Ariagno, Mazen Awad, Lavdeep Bains, Charley Bak, Elizabeth Baker, Tonia Bellestri, Krisin Beratta, Elena Bills, Nicole Booker, Melissa Brie, Tracie L. Brooks, Kenyatte Brown, Rachael Callahan, Ethan Camp, Rubi Carrillo, Alyssa Cauble, Cindy Chang, Paula Chang, Elham Chishty, Simon Chu, Richard Chuakay, Kaitlin Clark, Kathryn Clowes, Annie P. Cox, Joshua Damoth, Alisha de Leon, Melandro T. de la Rosa, Alexis Deavenport, Cari Denham, Paul DeVries, Elissa Dresden, Sasha Dressler, Rayana Egea, Andrew Erickson, Carrie Esler, Sergio Enriquez, Emerson Estrada, Jason Farris, Desmond Foong, Hortencia Garcia, Kelli Garcia, Raylene Gaul, Amanda Ghali, Alganesh Ghebretensae, Gina Giachini, Jeff Harmon, Adriane Harrison, Aida Hasan, Brianna Heinrich, Troy Hess, Christina Holsworth, Yana Horton, Wilbur S. Hulin, Christopher Huynh, Steve Jacobson, Cinnamon Johnsrud, Samantha Jones, Jonathan Karsh, Yon-Ji E. Kim, Darya Kiper, Victoria Kung, Michael Kurland, Erik Lacy, Melissa Lau, Sandra Lee, Yiling Lee, Hyla Lieberman, Jordan Lindsey, Alice Fong Liu, Melissa Lockwood, Michael Lombardo, Rachel Loui, Jonna Marron, Stacy McCorquodale, David Menzer, Lancie Miklaus, Tara A. Miskovich, Arren Molina, Sook Morimoto, Janet Morones, Britt Morrissey, Courtney Nash, Michelle Nathan, Minh Nguyen, Ngthuhanh Nguyen, Victor Nguyen, Bayard Nielsen, Cansu Oranc, Ryan Ort, Agnes Pagadora, Maren Parsons, Naju Patel, William Pernik, James Pitner, Virkam Prashar, Jeanne Reilly, Michelle Ruble, Deanna Santos, Adrienne T. Scharnhorst, Roxanne Shakoori, Natalie Shapland, Lyndi Shaw, Nina Shaw, Casey Shimane, Megan Silady, Julie Silva, Jennifer Simon, April Smith, Steve Sprague, Terri Sprague, Joseph Sullivan, Cecile M. Town, Haviland Trammell, Jeanice Tran, Paisley Tucker, Keri Turner, Kenneth Underwood, Rachel Ungar, Lynn VanMale, Marlon W. Varin, Maria Isabel Villalobos, Michelle Walker, Christie Wallace, Carla Welker, Jennifer Whelan, Michael Wolff, Greg Wolkstein, Kari Yamagishi, and Cebastiin Allain Zephr.

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Oral Presentations

SPECIAL ADDRESSES

On Campus:

Five, four, three, two, one, zero. Commencement Address, Commencement Ceremonies for the College of Letters and Science, June 1994.
Why go to UCD? Opening address, Undergraduate Research Conference, April 1995.

Off Campus:

Teaching and the Big Five. Teaching Personality and Social Psychology Pre-Conference for the meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, Los Angeles, February 2003.
Genius, creativity, and talent: Definitions and manifestations. Keynote, 13th Annual Undergraduate Conference, Psychology Students’ Association, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, April 2011.
Diversifying experiences and creativity: Correlational and experimental research. Keynote, Lamar Bruni Vergara & Guillermo Benavides Z. Academic Conference, Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Texas A&M International University, March 2013.
Great psychologists and psychological science: The quantitative analysis of psychology's past, present, and prospects. 45th annual Spartan Psychological Association Research Colloquium, San José State University, March 2002.
Scientific studies of genius, history, and the arts. Carleton College, Minnesota, Sloan Grant for Technology and Liberal Education, February 1984.
Musical esthetics, biography, and history. Texas Music Educators Conference, San Antonio, February 1983.
Esther Katz Rosen Fund Lecture on Gifted Children, American Psychological Foundation, August 1994.
Giftedness: The gift that keeps on giving. National Association for Gifted Children, Minneapolis, 2007.
Giftedness to genius. Distinguished Lecturer Program, Gifted and Talented Education, Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, CA, March 1998.
Giftedness, talent, and genius: Developmental continuity and discontinuity. Distinguished Lecturer Program, Gifted and Talented Education, Sweetwater Union High School District, Chula Vista, CA, May 2000.
Giftedness, talent, and genius: How the same? How different? 12th World Conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Seattle, WA, July 1997.
Making a mark: The psychology of greatness. After-dinner address, Athenaeum, Claremont McKenna College, March 1995.
Genius, civilization, and science: Laws of history. Centennial Celebrations, Occidental College, Los Angeles, April 1987.

GUEST LECTURES

On Campus:

Teaching and tenure. "Issues in Higher Education" Education 130, May 1990.
Creativity testing. "Directed Group Study" Management 298, Nicole Biggart instructor, October 1994.
Psychology of the arts. Seminar, Art Studio 290 , Lucy Puls, Graduate Adviser, October 1992.
Intelligence, creativity, and genius. Integrative Studies (IST9 Seminar), October 1995.
Creativity in old age. "Social Aspects of Aging" Human Development 160, Diane Gilmor instructor, March 1995.
Creativity and aging. "Issues in Aging" Human Development 162, Diane Gilmor instructor, February 2002.
Artistic creativity. "Design and Visual Culture" Design 1, Janet Hethorn, Instructor, October 1996.
Scientific creativity. "From Molecules to Humans" Integrated Studies Seminar, Tom Reid instructor, 1989.
Presenter, "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" Freshman Seminar, Dennis Dingeman instructor, February 1989.

Off Campus:

Greatness, women, and minorities. Honors Seminar on "Greatness," Jonathan Schooler instructor, University of Pittsburgh, November 1995.
Historiometry in social psychology. Social Psychology class, Mark Costanzo instructor, Claremont McKenna College, March 1995.
Creativity in Alaska. Graduate Seminar on "Human Adaptation to the North," University of Alaska, Fairbanks, October 1996.

MISCELLANEOUS TALKS AND WORKSHOPS

On Campus:

Teaching experiences. Annual workshop for new faculty, University of California at Davis, September 2001.
TAing in the Social Sciences. Panel member for session chaired by Dean Barbara Metcalf, UC Davis Orientation Program for New Teaching Assistants, September 1996, 1997.
Faculty Dormatory Programs, 1976-present, including: Creativity (Regan, November 1992); Creativity and giftedness (Integrative Studies Students, Campo Regan, October 1991; also Miller, Segundo, November, 2011); Liking and Loving (Bixby, Feb. 1989, Apr. 1991, Feb. 1993; Struve-Titus, May 1989; Ryerson, March 1990, Nov. 1994; Castillian, May 1990, Nov. 1990, May 1992; Hughes, Mar. 1991; Tercero E, Mar. 1992; Malcolm, May 1993; Webster, Nov. 1993, June 1995; Thoreau, Mar. 1994; Emerson, Mar. 1995; Tercero G, Nov. 1996, Nov. 1997; Nova, Feb. 1997; Tercero K, May 1997; Tercero F, June 1998).
Faculty Lecturer, Summer Advising, 1987-1989.
Making it to your 22nd (or 23rd) birthday at UCD: A survivor’s handbook. Lecture for students in Summer Advising, Young Hall, July 1992; Harring Hall, July 2002.
Creativity and leadership. Meeting of the Society of Women Engineers, UC Davis Chapter, February 1987.
Great leaders: Lessons for everyday leadership practice. Leadership Development Series, Office of Student Affairs, March 1995.
Creativity. Leadership Workshop, Alpha Phi Omega, Iota Phi Chapter, January 1995.
What professors (really) do for a living: Or, why your son/daughter is in good hands at UCD. Lecture for parents in Summer Advising, Olson Hall, July 1992; Kleiber Hall, July 2002.
Making it big. Eyeopeners, the UCD Alumni Breakfast Series, The Capitol Club of the Renaissance Tower, Sacramento, May 1994.
Genius: Truths and myths. Talk for Parents Weekend, 1990.
Chosing a President: Why it’s so difficult. Mini-lecture, Picnic Day, April 1996.
Presidental leadership: Personality and performance. Faculty Lecturer, Picnic Day, April 1988.
Presenter, Academic Panel, College Colloquia for Center for Talented Youth, Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth of Johns Hopkins University, October 1996.
Creativity and leadership. Faculty Mini-Lecture, Picnic Day, April 1986.
Leadership. Workshop for Area 3 History and Cultures Project, Center for Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools, Division of Education, August 1994.
What it takes to be great. Donor Appreciation Day, University of California, Davis, April 1997.
Genius, creativity, and leadership. Annual UCD Executive Program, University Extension, February 1985.
Panelist, Education/Teaching Panel, UC Davis Student-Athlete Career Night, April 2012.

Off Campus:

10,000 hours: Does practice make perfect? Panel discussion with K. Anders Ericcson, Student Union, Pomona College, 2011.
Creativity and leadership. Workshop for the Student Conference and National Convention, Society of Women Engineers, Oakland, CA, June 1989.
Panelist, APA Career Workshop, Western Psychological Association, Vancouver, BC 2003.
Creativity and the zeitgeist: Social and other factors affecting the development of genius. Creativity and the creative process: In others and ourselves, Extension Program, University of California, Los Angeles, October 1984.
Creativity in the sciences: Creative ideas, scientists, processes, and disciplines. Panel presentation, Innovation inventors forum: Can Cleveland Clinic staff become more inventive – A forum on creativity in science. Cleveland Clinic Management Track, 2010.
Creativity and leadership: Convergences and divergences regarding exceptional exemplars. Keynote at the Residential Orientation and Conference for Saybrook University, San Francisco, 2010.
Esthetics, biography, and history in musical creativity. In W. J. McKeachie (Chair), Ann Arbor Symposium on applications of psychology to the teaching and learning of music (session III). University of Michigan, August 1982.
Genius, creativity, and giftedness. Keynote address, Sacramento Area School Psychologists Association, Rancho Murieta Country Club, October 1991.
Creative leadership: Historiometric perspectives. Creativity and innovation in bureaucracy symposium, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC, October 1983.
Mini-Conference on Creativity. Project Zero, School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, February 1990.
What makes giftedness? Keynote address, GATE Fifty Mile Club Mini-Conference, University of California, Davis, October 1999.
Conversations with the author. GATE Fifty Mile Club Mini-Conference, University of California, Davis, October 1999.
Psychology of literary creativity. Sixth Annual Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, June 1995.
Genius and Mozart. Upbeat Live Pre-Concert Event, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles, CA, April 2002.
Interview, "Media Picks" column (Jamie Chamberlin), gradPSYCH Magazine, American Psychological Association, November 2011.
Conversation hour for Students (with J. C. Kaufman). Western Psychological Association, Cancun, Mexico, April 2010.
The science of genius. Audition, The Great Courses, The Teaching Company, Chantilly, VA, 2013.

SYMPOSIA

Genius, creativity, and leadership: A UCD expository writing General Education course. In H. T. Snyder (Chair), Teaching creatively–Examples from the teaching of psychology of creativity. American Psychological Association, San Diego, 2010.
Formal education, eminence, and dogmatism. In H. J. Walberg (Chair), Psychological and historical studies of the eminent and educators: Qualitative and quantitative perspectives. American Educational Research Association, Los Angeles, April 1981.
Esthetics, biography, and history in musical creativity. In W. J. McKeachie (Chair), Ann Arbor Symposium on applications of psychology to the teaching and learning of music (session III). University of Michigan, August 1982.
Discussant. In H. T. Snyder (Chair), Teaching creatively and teaching creativity. American Psychological Association, Orlando FL, 2012.
Discussant. In R. Paschal (Chair), Notable American women: Interpersonal and mentor influence. American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, April 1995.

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Publications and Research

Simonton, D. K. (2009). Genius 101. New York: Springer. Introductory text; first volume in Psychology 101 series. To be used as textbook in General Education course on "Genius, Creativity, and Leadership" (175).
Simonton, D. K. (2006). Nothing more than a university professor engaged in teaching, research, and service: Nor less. In J. G. Irons, B. C. Beins, C. Burke, B. Buskist, V. Hevern, & J. E. Williams (Eds.), The teaching of psychology in autobiography: Perspectives from psychology’s exemplary teachers (Vol. 2, pp. 85-91). Washington, DC: Society for the Teaching of Psychology, American Psychological Association.
Simonton, D. K. (1994). Scientific eminence, the history of psychology, and term paper topics: A metascience approach. Teaching of Psychology, 21, 169-171. Describes innovative approach to term papers in "History of Psychology" (120). Reprinted in M. E. Ware & D. E. Johnson (Eds.) (2000). Handbook of demonstrations and activities in the teaching of psychology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Simonton, D. K. (2012). Teaching creativity: Current findings, trends, and controversies in the psychology of creativity. The Teaching of Psychology ("The Generalist's Corner"), 39, 203-208.
Simonton, D. K. (2013). Creative teaching of creativity: A potential user's personal perspective. In M. Gregerson, J. C. Kaufman, & H. Snyder (Eds.), Teaching creatively and teaching creativity (pp. 185-191). New York: Springer.
Simonton, D. K. (in press). Creativity. In E. Diener & R. Biswas-Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF Publishers. DOI: www.nobaproject.com
Simonton, D. K. (2007). Preface: Why get your undergraduate education at a major research university? Explorations: The UC Davis Undergraduate Research Journal, 10, iii-v.
Sommer, R., & Simonton, D. K. (1991). Student opinions of the psychology major. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Davis. A survey of the majors, including a section on the attitudes of underrepresented groups.
Simonton, D. K. (2000, April). The positive repercussions of traumatic events: The life lessons of historic geniuses. Psych-Talk, Special Bulletin, No. 1, 21-23. Article in official publication of the Student Members Group, British Psychological Society.
Simonton, D. K. (2002). Great psychologists and their times: Scientific insights into psychology’s history. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. Besides the planned use as a text in teaching history, the book contains a concluding chapter on how the findings can be applied to undergraduate and graduate education.
Simonton, D. K. (2002). It’s absolutely impossible? A longitudinal study of one psychologist’s response to conventional naysayers. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Psychologists defying the crowd: Stories of those who battled the establishment and won (pp. 238-254). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Simonton, D. K. (1984). Genius, creativity, and leadership: Historiometric inquiries. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Successfully used as textbook in undergraduate seminar (190) and in General Education course on "Genius, Creativity, and Leadership" (175). Also used at other universities in paperback reprint.
Simonton, D. K. (1988). Scientific genius: A psychology of science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Used as supplementary textbook for term paper assignment in "History of Psychology" (120).
Simonton, D. K. (2004). Creativity in science: Chance, logic, genius, and zeitgeist. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Used as supplementary textbook for term paper assignment in "History of Psychology" (185).
Simonton, D. K. (1994). Greatness: Who makes history and why. New York: Guilford Press. Used as textbook in General Education course on "Genius, Creativity, and Leadership" (175). Also used at other universities.
Simonton, D. K. (1991). Creative productivity through the adult years. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 15, 13-16. Reprinted in H. Moody, Jr. (Ed.) (1994), Aging: Concepts and controversies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. Also in 2nd (1998) and 3rd (2000) editions.
Simonton, D. K. (1983). Formal education, eminence, and dogmatism: The curvilinear relationship. Journal of Creative Behavior, 17, 149-162. [Abstract in Resources in Education, 1981, 16, 89.] Examined how higher education contributes to the development of creative potential.
Simonton, D. K. (1998). Creativity, genius, and talent development. Roeper Review: A Journal on Gifted Education, 21, 86-87.
Simonton, D. K. (1984). The nourishing mentor. Occidental, 8, 20-23. Essay on the importance of mentoring in creative development.
Simonton, D. K. (1985). Genius, creativity and leadership. IEEE Potentials, 4, 31-32. Essay for publication aimed at engineering students throughout the United States.
Simonton, D. K. (1983). Esthetics, biography, and history in musical creativity. In Documentary report of the Ann Arbor Symposium on applications of psychology to the teaching and learning of music (Session 3, pp. 41-48). Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference. Essay aimed at music educators.
Nielsen, B. D., Pickett, C. L., & Simonton, D. K. (2008). Conceptual versus experimental creativity: Which works best on convergent and divergent thinking tasks? Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2, 131-138. Honors thesis published as lead article in APA journal!
Encyclopedia articles with educational functions (undergraduate and/or graduate): Simonton (1983e, 1989c, 1995c, 1996a, 1996c, 1998d, 1999i, 1999k, 1999l, 1999q, 2000a, 2002b, 2003b, 2007a, 2007c, 2007g, 2007h, 2007m, 2008c, 2008e, 2008i, 2008m, 2009b, 2009l, 2009q, 2009v, 2010e, 2010f, 2011a, 2011g, 2011i, 2011k, 2011m, 2011o, 2011q); Simonton & Damian, 2011a).

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Last Revised: May 4, 2013

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