Clarkson University Undergraduate Student Aaliyah Gibbons of Lawrenceville, N.J., Co-Authors Chapter on Bullying and Psychology

2014 Nov 14

Clarkson University undergraduate Aaliyah Gibbons from Lawrenceville, N.J.. a student in the McNair Scholars Program, has co-authored a book chapter on bullying and psychology with a faculty member .

She worked together with another student to write a chapter for a forthcoming Nova Science Publishers book Handbook on Bullying: Prevalence, Psychological Impacts and Intervention Strategies.

Gibbons, majoring in interdisciplinary social sciences and biology co-authored the chapter "Coping Strategies and Cognitive Processes Related to Peer Victimization and the Role of Intervention Programs," along with Clarkson University Assistant Professor of Psychology Jennifer Knack and University of Texas at Arlington faculty member Madeline Rex-Lear.

The literature the students reviewed stated that the impact of peer victimization can change how a person sees the world and interprets future interactions.

Gibbons, who is pursuing a career in psychiatry for children and adolescents, said writing a chapter was a lot more challenging than she initially expected, but the process was a great opportunity to gain new skills. "You're not just reading the materials," she said. "You're learning all the jargon from actual professionals, and your chapter has to sound professional while we're still just undergrads."

Knack said this is the second chapter she has co-authored with students, and she finds the collaboration helpful to her as a professor. As her students approach graduation, she said the professional experience is beneficial to everyone involved.

"They're going to be my colleagues in a few short years," she said. "It's very rewarding for me to be able to watch them go through this process and own it."

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.