Industrial/Organizational Psychologist Speaks at Meredith

Justin Travis, an Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychologist and an incoming instructor of psychology, spoke to members of the Meredith College chapter of Psi Chi on October 25 in Ledford. Psi Chi is the international honor society for psychology.

Travis, who will be teaching a brand new I/O psychology course at Meredith in the spring, gave students a brief introduction to the theory and practice of  I/O psychology and outlined current research in the field. Students also had the opportunity to ask questions.

Rebecca Smith, ’19, who is majoring in psychology and minoring in business administration, was among the students in attendance. Smith is planning to take the I/O psychology course. “I am encouraged to learn more about combining psychology and business administration with I/O,” Smith said. “My goal is to determine if [I/O] may be something that I want to do as a career.”

Travis is looking forward to working with Meredith students. “I am interested to learn from their insights and experiences, and I hope to provide them with valuable exposure of how principles of human behavior apply to understanding, studying, and improving the workplace,” said Travis.

A graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Travis received his M.A. in industrial/organizational psychology and will earn his Ph.D. in the same field from North Carolina State University.

I/O psychology is the scientific study of behavior in organizational settings and the application of psychological science to understanding work behavior. Along with the undergraduate course in I/O psychology, Meredith will be offering a new graduate program with an I/O psychology emphasis in fall of 2018. The Master of Arts in psychology program is a two-year master’s degree that culminates in a full-time internship, developing graduates who are ready to enter the job market in a variety of industries and organizations.

By Donna Bahena ’18