MS Students

Research and Community Outreach Focused

Marie Bliss

Marie is from St. Charles, Illinois. She received a BSc in Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London. Her major professor is Dr. Margaret Quinn and is currently focusing on the extent to which literacy apps facilitate learning of handwriting, spelling, and composition skills in young children. Marie and Dr. Quinn hope to present their preliminary findings at the 2018 LRA conference in Indian Wells, California.

Shelby Clouthier

Shelby is from Brentwood, TN. She received her Bachelors in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her assistantship is with Dr. Heidi Stolz. Her research focus is child development and parenting. Specifically parental knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy.

Lauran Gieske

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Lauran is from Murfreesboro, TN. She received her B.S. in Child in Family Studies with a double major in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her major professor is Dr. Julia Jaekel. Lauran’s research focuses on the long term physiological health and cognitive development of children raised in stressful environments, with an emphasis in resilience and neurological mechanisms.

Rachel Guy

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Rachel is from Tallahassee, Florida. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida State University with a double-major in Geography and English. Her major professor is Dr. Margaret Quinn. Rachel’s research interests focus on the influence of parenting as well as cultural and environmental influences on children’s educational outcomes throughout the lifespan, specifically for reading and writing.

Amie Kahovec

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Amie is from Bolingbrook, IL. She received her B.S. in Family Social Services with a double major in Rehabilitation and Disability Services and a minor in Psychology from Northern Illinois University. Amie’s research interests include emerging adults’ decision-making and relationship functioning.

Kylie Larkin

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Kylie is from Church Hill, TN. She recently attended Carson-Newman University where she earned a B.S. in Child and Family Studies. Her research interests are broad but revolve predominantly around Early Childhood Education.

Rebecca Renegar

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Rebecca is from Oak Ridge, TN. She received her B.S. and M.S. from Virginia Tech. Rebecca’s research interests include young children (birth to age 5), development, nutrition, and parenting behaviors.

Shahad Subiani

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Shahad is from Saudi Arabia. She received her B.E. in Home Economics from King Abdulaziz University. She works as a research assistant with her major professor Dr. Megan Haselschwerdt who is the director of the Family Violence Across the Lifespan Research Team. Shahad’s research focuses on domestic violence with emphasis on interparental violence and coercive control. Her study looks for the short and long-term health outcomes from the perspective of women and children exposed to domestic violence and abuse.

Samantha Talarico

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Samantha Talarico is from Memphis, TN. She received her B.A. in Anthropology with a concentration degree in Disasters, Displacement, and Human Rights from the University of Tennessee. Her major professor is Dr. Hillary Fouts. Her main interest is working with law, policy making, and advocacy for children survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Teacher Licensure Focused