The D.I.C.E Lab

DICE Blog

Join the DICE Lab! 

We are now accepting applications for undergraduate research assistants through the Quad Faculty Grant Program. This is a paid opportunity for UChicago students to gain valuable research experience. Interested? Complete the Quad Faculty Research Opportunity Application form. We can’t wait to welcome you to our team!

Congratulations to Dr. Demond Hill on Receiving the 2024 Young Innovator in Behavioral Health Award!

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Demond Hill, a postdoctoral scholar in the DICE lab, has been honored with the 2024 Young Innovator in Behavioral Health Award. Sponsored by Behavioral Health Tech, Hopelab, the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, Pivotal, Resonance Philanthropies, and Manatt, this prestigious award celebrates innovators for their outstanding impact and for making a lasting difference in the field of behavioral health.

As an awardee in the category of Research and Academia, Dr. Hill is being recognized for his exceptional scholarship and community service, as well as his contributions to advancing evidence-based knowledge and translating science into meaningful solutions.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Dr. Hill!

Dr. Onnie Willis Rogers Featured in Netflix Documentary Series Simone Biles Rising!   

We are ecstatic to announce that Dr. Onnie Willis Rogers, Director of the DICE Lab, was featured in the new Netflix documentary series about Simone Biles, titled Simone Biles Rising! Drawing from her unique experience as a former gymnast—UCLA’s first-ever NCAA all-around champion—and her expertise as a developmental psychologist, Dr. Rogers contributes to a powerful exploration of Biles’ journey, highlighting the intersection of race, gender, identity, stereotypes, community, and resilience in the sport. We encourage you to watch Part 1 of the series now, and stay tuned for Simone Biles Rising Part 2, which premieres on Oct. 25!

Congratulations on this incredible achievement, Dr. Rogers! 

New Article! 

We are excited to share a new article by our Director, Dr. Onnie Rogers, in collaboration with former DICE Lab Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Ursula Moffitt, Dr. Kate McLean, and Dr. Moin Syed. Titled “Research as Resistance: Naming and Dismantling the Master Narrative of ‘Good’ Science,” this article has been published in American Psychologist. Congratulations to all the authors! 

Brandon Dull and Amanda-Joy Wright Selected “Committee on Education Graduate Fellows” 

We are delighted to share that two of our Ph.D. students, Brandon Dull and Amanda-Joy Wright have been selected for recognition as Committee on Education (COE) Graduate Fellows at the University of Chicago! As COE Fellows, they will join a distinguished and interdisciplinary group of Ph.D. students from across the University who are conducting innovative doctoral research in the field of education. Congratulations to both of you on receiving this prestigious honor!

Vanessa Cordova Presents at the 2024 Diversity Challenge Conference

During this year’s 2024 Diversity Challenge Conference, titled “Toward an Anti-Racist Psychological Science: Epistemic and Methodological Considerations,” held on September 13 & 14, 2024, at Boston College, our lab manager, Vanessa Cordova, presented the paper, “Master Narrative of Racialized Police Murders: An Examination of Parent-Child Conversations.” Congratulations, Vanessa!

Dr. Josiah Rosario Joins University of Michigan as a Postdoctoral Fellow!  

The DICE Lab is thrilled to celebrate the continued success of our inaugural PhD graduate, Dr. Josiah Rosario! After completing his doctoral studies under Dr. Rogers’ mentorship, Josiah has now embarked on the next chapter of his academic career. He is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, where he is working with Dr. Isis Settles as part of the Multiple Identity Intersections Lab on the NSF-funded CLIMBS UP project. Congratulations, Dr. Rosario! 

Courtney Jones Receives the 2024 Florence Sales Best Teaching Assistant of the Year Award from the Northwestern Psychology Department!

DICE Lab Ph.D. candidate Courtney Jones has been honored as one of the recipients of the 2024 Florence Sales Best Teaching Assistant (TA) of the Year Award from the Northwestern Psychology Department. The award committee highlighted Courtney’s “exceptional dedication to undergraduate education that spanned multiple courses and included mentoring, tutoring, and creative initiatives, going well beyond the typical Teaching Assistant duties and expectations.” Congratulations, Courtney!

New Publication

The article “Narratives of Racially/Ethnically Diverse Genderqueer & Non-binary Identities in the U.S. Context of Trans*normativity and Whiteness” has been recently published in Emerging Adulthood Co-authored by Sarah Eisenman, a former research assistant at the DICE lab, and Dr. Onnie Rogers, our Principal Investigator, this article stems from Sarah’s thesis work conducted in 2022. Congratulations!  

Kenya Tuttle is Awarded Forum for Theological Exploration Doctoral Fellowship! 

DICE lab member, Kenya Tuttle, has been awarded a Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) Doctoral Fellow fellowship for Doctoral Students of African Descent! This fellowship aims to sustain current Ph.D. and Th.D. students of color through graduate school and into a vocation of teaching and scholarship. As such, it will support Kenya’s doctoral work at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Congratulations, Kenya! 

SRA + MPA: Week of conferences in Chicago!

This April, Chicago served as the host city for two exciting conferences: The Society for Research on Adolescence’s (SRA) 2024 Annual Meeting and the Midwestern Psychological Association’s (MPA) 2024 conference. Several members of the DICE lab shared their work on these spaces:  

→ At SRA: 

Courtney Jones presented the paper “’That white side of me is just like obsolete’: Locating Whiteness in the Racial Identity Stories of Multiracial White Youth” in the “Diverse Perspectives on Ethnic-Racial Identity Development for Multiracial Adolescents” symposium. 

Amanda-Joy Wright and Kenya Tuttle presented the paper “’We’re Actually Pretty Beautiful… [and] Smart’: Black Girls’ Reflections, Relationships, and Resistance as Conduits of Belonging in an Out-of-School Context” in the “Toward Developmental Perspectives of Black Girlhoods: Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood across Contexts” symposium.  

Brandon Dull presented the paper “’I don’t think there is much racism left’: A Critical Analysis of White Adolescents’ (Un)Awareness of White Privilege” in the “Anti-Racism Development in White Adolescents: Examining the Predictors, Pitfalls, and Possibilities” symposium. 

Dr. Yerin Park presented the poster “Social Identity Exploration in Intersections of Privilege.” 

Dr. Rogers was the discussant in the symposium entitled “How do parents socialize children living in inequitable societies? Parent ethnic-racial socialization in Germany, the U.S., and S. Korea.” 

→ At MPA:

Vanessa Cordova presented the poster “Master Narrative of Racialized Police Murders: Examining Parent-Child Conversations.”  

 

Congratulations DICErs! 

Josiah Rosario is the DICE Lab’s Inaugural PhD!

In 2017, Dr. Josiah Rosario was a rising senior and Dr. Rogers’ first summer undergrad Research Assistant. In 2018, before the DICE lab even had an official name, Josiah began his doctoral studies at Northwestern University with Dr. Rogers, and the DICE lab began growing. Last week, Josiah successfully defended his dissertation! Josiah’s dissertation defense was truly generative, replete with compliments and awe at the quality, innovation, and intentionality of his scholarship. We could not be prouder!

All members of the DICE lab, past and present, are so fortunate we got to learn with and from you, Josiah! Thank you for being the mold and model.

Congratulations, Dr. Rosario!

Courtney Jones receives multiple awards to fund her doctoral dissertation!

Courtney received Northwestern’s TGS Graduate Research Grant, is a winner of the 2024 APS Student Grant Competition, and received an honorable mention in the APAGS Psychological Science Research Grant. All these awards will serve to fund her doctoral dissertation on Multiracial Identity Stories. Congratulations, Courtney!

Brandon Dull receives Northwestern’s TGS Graduate Student Research Grant

Brandon received Northwestern’s TGS Graduate Research Grant to fund his project: “A critical qualitative examination of how white adolescent boys negotiate power, privilege, and oppression.” Congratulations, Brandon!

New Publication

The article “I don’t think there is much racism left”: A critical analysis of White adolescents’ (un)awareness of white privilege was recently published in Qualitative Psychology. This article is a collaboration between DICE’s doctoral student, Brandon Dull, DICE’s Director, Dr. Onnie Rogers, and DICE’s former research assistant, Elana Charlson. Congratulations!

Professor Ursula Moffitt Accepts a Position at the University of New Mexico!

We are thrilled and proud to share that DICE lab’s former postdoctoral fellow and collaborator, Dr. Ursula Moffitt, has accepted a position in the Education Psychology program at the University of New Mexico’s College of Education and Human Sciences. Congratulations, Professor Moffitt! 

DICE Lab in the News

Several online platforms wrote about DICE’s most recently published article which findings highlight critical differences in the ways Black and white parents talked with their children about Black Lives Matter in 2020. Click the links below to read the publications!

Vanessa Cordova Accepted to present at MPA 2024

Vanessa Cordova has been accepted to present her work titled “Master Narrative of Racialized Police Murders: Examining Parent-Child Conversations” at the 96th Annual Meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association. Congratulations, Vanessa! 

Sheena Tan is awarded Northwestern’s Undergraduate Research Grant

The Northwestern University Office of Undergraduate Research Academic Year Undergraduate Research Grant will support Sheena’s honors thesis work, titled “A Critical Perspective on the Experiences of Singaporean Parents Speaking Singlish.” Congratulations, Sheena!

Brandon Dull is awarded a Clara Mayo Grant

The Clara Mayo Grant Program, awarded by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) aims to support Masters’ theses and pre-dissertation research on sexism, racism, or prejudice and will support Brandon’s work titled “A Critical Qualitative Examination of How White Adolescent Boys Negotiate Privilege, Power, and Oppression.” Congratulations, Brandon! 

IPR Policy Brief: “The Impact of Vicarious Racism on Mental Health”

The Institute of Policy Research at Northwestern University has generated a new policy brief based on a vicarious racism study. Click here to read the report.

New Publication

The article Intersectionality and Identity: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Analysis of U.S. Research in Psychological Science was recently published in Identity: An International Journal of Theory and ResearchCongratulations to DICE Lab’s former Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Ursula Moffitt, Dr. Rogers, and the whole team who worked on this piece!

DICE Lab Celebration of an amazing year and our new graduates!

A beautiful sunny day, delicious food, and all the DICE lab love marked our end-of-the-academic-year gathering. On this opportunity, we celebrated our DICErs hard work and growth during the year AND our incredible graduating members: Djamila, Eivan, Elana, Finn, Mairead, and ShiraThank you for all your remarkable contributions to the DICE lab and we wish you all the best in what’s to come!  

Transdisciplinary Team Lead by Dr. Rogers is awarded new Spencer Foundation’s Pilot Vision Grant!

The Spencer Foundation has launched a new grant program that aims to support transformative research projects designed to reimagine education systems for equitySpencer Foundation’s strategy is to support this work via their Vision Grants and their Transformative Research Grants. The collaborative project titled “Building Just and Humane Schools to Transform Education Systems” seeks to foster just and humane learning environments where all students can learn and thrive has been awarded a pilot Vision Grant. Congratulations to the transdisciplinary team of scholars working on this project: Onnie Rogers (PI; Northwestern University)Velma Murry (Co-PI; Vanderbilt University)Niobe Way (Co-PI; New York University)Laura Peynado-Castro (University Neighborhood Middle School – UNMS, New York Public Schools); Lynne Vernon-Feagans (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Jia-Lin Liu (California State University), Iheoma Iruka (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Michelle Sarche (University of Colorado Denver)Stephanie Rowley (University of Virginia), Nancy Deutsch (University of Virginia), and Robert Sherman (SEL Consultant)!

DICErs Reunion at the University of Washington, Seattle!

Current graduate students at the University of Washington and former DICErs, Kara Dastrup (former Lab Manager) and Jason Schwartz (former Research Assistantreunited with Dr. Rogers during her May 2023 visit to UW’s Seattle campus to deliver a research seminar titled M(ai)cro: Centering the Macrosystem in Human Development.

Josiah Rosario is awarded the 2023 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship!

DICE Lab member and Northwestern’s Ph.D. Candidate Josiah Rosario is one of the 35 awardees of this prestigious and highly competitive fellowship which seeks to “support individuals whose dissertations show potential for bringing fresh and constructive perspectives to the history, theory, analysis, or practice of formal or informal education anywhere in the world” (National Academy of Education, 2022). Specifically, this fellowship will support Josiah’s dissertation work titled: “Understanding students’ school experiences and identities in the sociopolitical context of racial hostility.” Congratulations, Josiah!

DICE Lab at SRCD 2023!

DICE lab’s presence at the Society for Child Development’s (SRCD) 2023 biennial meeting included members’ poster and talk presentations, the participation of our PI, Dr. Onnie Rogers as moderator and speaker in different panels, and 3 awards: Dr. Rogers received a Transdisciplinary Multi-Sector Collaboration Research Seed Grant; former DICE lab postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Ursula Moffitt, received an Early Career Research Contributions Award; and Graduate Student Brandon Dull received a Student and Early Career Council’s Poster Award. Congratulations!  

Two students who attended SRCD’s 2023 biennial meeting shared their highlights:

The highlight of the SRCD conference was presenting my research on a subject that I am most passionate about, one that holds personal significance, and I was pleased to receive a positive response from an engaged audience who showed interest in my research. Additionally, I liked bonding more with members of the DICE team. A particularly treasured moment was witnessed during an award presentation ceremony, where the recipients graciously accepted their awards despite being momentarily blinded by the excessive spotlighting and discordant background music. As an undergraduate, the SRCD 2023 conference was a delightful and lighthearted experience that I will cherish as a fond memory.

Joelle Moore

Undergraduate Student

My favorite part of the conference was meeting and learning from scholars who are doing critical and meaningful work to improve the lives of children around the world. In particular, it was inspiring and motivating to hear the many methods and tools (e.g., interventions, community based participatory research, youth participatory action) that researchers are using to center youth voices in creating a better and more just future!

Brandon Dull

Graduate Student

DICE Lab Members & collaborators who attended: Onnie Rogers, Josiah Rosario, Courtney Jones, Brandon Dull, Sohini Das, Joelle Moore, Vanessa Cordova, Ursula Moffitt, and Katharine Scott.

New Publication

The article Family Racial/Ethnic Socialization Through the Lens of Multiracial Black Identity: A M(ai)cro Analysis of Meaning-Making was recently published in Race and Social Problems, an Official Journal of the Center for Race and Social Problems at the University of Pittsburgh. This article is a collaboration between DICE’s doctoral student Courtney Jones and DICE’s Director, Dr. Onnie Rogers. Congratulations!

Dr. Ursula Moffitt receives the SRCD Early Career Research Contributions Award!

DICE Lab collaborator and former Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Ursula Moffit is one of the five scholars awarded the 2023 Early Career Research Contributions Award from the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD). All SRCD Awardees will be recognized in March at the upcoming SRCD Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. Congratulations, Dr. Moffitt!

DICE Lab Projects accepted for SRCD’s 2023 Biennial Meeting

Multiple DICE Lab projects have been accepted to be part of the Society for Research in Child Development’s (SRCD) Biennial Meeting, which will occur on March 23-25, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Congratulations DICERs!

New Publication

The article The Ongoing Development of Strength-Based Approaches to People Who Hold Systemically Marginalized Identities was recently published in the Personality and Social Psychology Review, an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. This article is a collaboration between DICE’s social psychology doctoral student Josiah Rosario, social psychology doctoral student, David Silverman, and social psychologist, Dr. Mesmin Destin. Congratulations! 

Elana Charlson and Eivan Herrera-Valdez have been awarded Northwestern’s Undergraduate Research Grant

The Northwestern University Office of Undergraduate Research Academic Year  Undergraduate Research Grant will support the development of both students’ Senior Theses. Elana’s project is titled: “White Students’ (Dis)Engagement in Racial Identity and Racial Justice since Summer 2020.” And Eivan’s project is titled: “Transnational Lineages: Gender Identity Formation Across Time and Space.” Congratulations!

Shira Nash shares her experience as a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow in Ireland

This summer, lab member and fourth-year undergraduate Sociology student, Shira Nash, participated in the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship in Ireland. Named after the Black abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass, this fellowship aims to build the next generation of global leaders dedicated to social justice, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. In the reflection below, Shira shares her transformative experience while living abroad, and the ways in which her experiences as part of the D.I.C.E lab helped to enrich her international perspectives as a Fellow:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. ” This is my favorite quote of Frederick Douglass, because it eloquently describes the importance of those willing to fight effortlessly towards change. As a Frederick Douglass Fellow this summer, I met 15 other students from across the country passionate about equality and justice. Together, we took immersive classes and analyzed the current conflict in Northern Ireland, the Apartheid and Civil Rights Movement, and the violence against Palestians. We also had the opportunity to explore the beautiful landscapes of Ireland, meet U.S. and Irish Ambassadors, speak with established professors and international activists, and even develop close relationships with two direct descendants of Frederick Douglass. From my time abroad, I have become more conscious about my global impact, strengthened my problem-solving and public speaking skills, and have undoubtedly made friends for a lifetime. In the D.I.C.E lab, we critically explore the larger structures that impact people of color, particularly adolescents, on both a societal and individual level. My understanding of lab concepts like master narratives, intersectionality, identity, belonging, and resistance all played critical roles in my understanding of the conflicts that currently plague our world. Most importantly, the lab has also taught me the importance of building community and learning from the experiences of others. While in Ireland, I found a community of other students of color who truly motivate, inspire, and challenge me, just as the members of D.I.C.E do. I will never forget my experience. In conclusion, I am so grateful for Dr. Onnie Rogers, because without her and her continued support, this opportunity simply would not have been possible. So thank you to the D.I.C.E lab for allowing me to see research, across the globe, in a new way.

Sarah Eisenman wins the Hunt Award for the best Honors Thesis!

Each year the Psychology Department at Northwestern University conveys the Hunt Award for the best Honors Thesis. This year, the Department selected co-winners. Sarah was one of them with her thesis entitled “’I Still Kinda Don’t Feel Like Enough’: Trans*normativity, Whiteness, and the Diversity of Genderqueer and Non-binary Identities.”

Congratulations and Happy Graduation, Sarah!!!

DICE Lab Presence at The 2022 APS Annual Convention

During this year’s 34th APS Annual Convention, two dear DICErs presented their work:

Sohini Das presented her work: “Identity in Context: Black Girls Making Sense of Intersectional Oppression” (Das, Dorsi, Moore, & Rogers).

Courtney Jones presented and received an Honorable Mention for the APS RISE Research Award with her work: “‘There are Stereotypes for Everything’: Multiracial Adolescents Navigating Racial Identity Under White Supremacy” (Jones & Rogers).

Congratulations Sohini and Courtney!

New Publication

The article Expanding the social psychological study of educators through humanizing principles  was recently published by the Social and Personality Psychology Compass. This article is a collaboration between Dr. Rogers and social psychologists, Dr. Mesmin Destin, and social psychology doctoral student, David Silverman. Congratulations! 

New Publication

An article by Dr. Moffitt and Dr. Rogers –Studying Ethnic-Racial Identity among White Youth: White Supremacy as a Developmental Context – was recently published by the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Congratulations! 

How Black Lives Matter Shaped Children’s Racial Identity

Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research reports on DICE lab research examining the role of Black Lives Matter in children’s racial identity development. 

Yola Mzizi Writes an Article for The Daily Northwestern 

In her article – Illinois passes bill prohibiting hair discrimination in school – DICE Lab’s research assistant, Yola Mzizi, discusses about hair discriminations in Illinois schools. 

New Publication

An article by Dr. Rogers and Dr. Butler-Barnes – “[E]ven Though We Don’t Have Everything…We Build Our Own Thing”: Exploring Black Girl Space – was recently published by the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Congratulations! 

New Publication

An article by Dr. Rogers and Dr. Butler-Barnes – “[E]ven Though We Don’t Have Everything…We Build Our Own Thing”: Exploring Black Girl Space – was recently published by the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Congratulations! 

New Publication

An article by Courtney Jones and Dr. Rogers – “There Are Stereotypes for Everything”: Multiracial Adolescents Navigating Racial Identity under White Supremacy – was recently published by Social Sciences. Congratulations! 

Dr. Rogers, Shira, and Sarah Meet with NU Board of Trustees!

The DICE lab was invited to present about their research and value of faculty-student partnerships and relationships at the March Board of Trustees meeting. DICE research assistants, Shira and Sarah, shared about the unique ways that the DICE lab has shaped their Northwestern experience and defined their future pathways. Congrats, DICErs!

From Dr. Moffitt to Professor Moffitt! 

We are thrilled to share that Dr. Ursula Moffitt has accepted an offer to join the Wheaton College faculty as a tenure-track assistant professor of psychology in Fall 2022! We are beyond proud and will miss her energy, generosity, and brilliance terribly. Good Luck, Professor Moffitt!

Sarah Eisenman has been accepted into University College London!  

Sarah Eisenman, a senior psychology and gender and sexuality studies major and research assistant in the DICE lab, has been accepted to the Child & Adolescent Mental Health MSc program at the University College London! Congratulations, Sarah! We are so very proud!

Shira Nash selected to spend the summer in Dublin, Ireland as a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow!  

Congratulations, Shira!!! 

Shira, a junior sociology major and research assistant in the DICE lab, has been selected as a 2022 Frederick Douglass Global Fellow! The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship is a fully-funded study abroad summer program that allows students passionate about social change to become stronger leaders and international advocates. I have been selected as part of a cohort of 16 students from across the nation who will be following the historic footsteps of Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist and statesman who himself traveled abroad in 1845 and experienced first-hand efforts to overcome religious, gender, and racial injustice. He returned to America in 1847 transformed and inspired to agitate for positive social change. As a Fellow, I will also be enrolled in a Transformational Leadership Across Cultures and will meet with members of Ireland’s government to discuss how we can continue to make a global impact. 

New Publication

Dr. Rogers and colleagues publish an important piece in Human Development. The title of their article is: “M(ai)cro: Centering the Macrosystem in Human Development.” Congratulations to Dr. Rogers! 

Dr. Rogers in collaboration with Drs. Mariah Kornbluh, and Joanne Williams edit a Special Issue titled, “Critical approaches to adolescent development: Reflections on theories and methods for pursuing anti-racist developmental science.” in the Journal of Adolescent Research.

New Publication

Dr. Rogers, Dr. Ursula Moffitt, and DICE lab Alum, Christina Foo have published in Child Development with their article titled, “Martin Luther King Fixed It”: Children Making Sense of Racial Identity in a Colorblind Society. Congratulations to Dr. Rogers, Dr. Moffitt, and Christina!

Congrats to Finn, Chiara, Joelle, and Sarah; each of whom will be presenting poster presentations at the annual meeting for the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference!

New Publication

Congratulations to Dr. Rogers who recently co-authored a paper recently published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences titled, “A window into racial and socioeconomic status disparities in preschool disciplinary action using developmental methodology”. Congrats to Dr. Rogers!

New Publications!

Three articles by Dr. Rogers and colleagues have been published in a special issue of Research on Human Development:
  • “Persistent Concerns: Questions for Research on Ethnic-Racial Identity Development”
  • “Applying the lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity development: Exploring affect, behavior, and cognition to support wellbeing”
  • “A lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity”

Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

New Publication

An article by Dr. Rogers, Josiah Rosario, Dayanara Padilla, and Chrissy Foo – “[I]t’s hard because it’s the cops that are killing us for stupid stuff”: Developing racial identity in the context of Black Lives Matter – was recently published by Developmental Psychology. Congratulations!

Courtney Jones and Dr. Rogers win a Provost Faculty Grant for Research

The Office of the Provost supports excellence in faculty scholarly and creative work through the Provost Grants for Research in Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts. Courtney Jones, teamed up with Dr. Onnie Rogers, has just won one – congratulations! The project the grant will support – the “Beyond Black and White” study – is designed to investigate how our sociopolitical moment of racial unrest and collective reckoning with injustice, influences the identity development of multiracial individuals. This mixed-method study measures racial identities, racial socialization messages, and racial justice activism among monoracial and multiracial Black Americans in the context of this racial awakening.

Dr. Ursula Moffitt publishes a blog post in Psychology Today

Read Dr. Ursula Moffitt’s blog post, titled“White Supremacy is About More Than the Far Right“! It talks about invisible Whiteness, White supremacy, and how anti-racist identities may be constructed.

Dr. Onnie Rogers, Josiah Rosario, and Chrissy Foo publish a blog post in Psychology Today

Read their blog post, titled, “‘Black Lives Matter’ matters for children’s development“! It talks about how realities of racial oppression highlighted by BLM are keenly noticed by children.

New Publication

Dr. Rogers’ new article titled, “‘They’re always gonna notice my natural hair’: Identity, intersectionality and resistance among Black girls.” has just been published in Qualitative Psychology. In this article, Dr. Rogers and colleagues investigate how Black adolescent girls reference hair when discussing their racial and gender identities. Congrats to Dr. Rogers!

Where are the DICE alumni now?

Chrissy Foo

Chrissy Foo was a research assistant at DICE for 4 years, co author on manuscripts,  research presentations, and essays. Now Chrissy works at AVIA Health. She’s recently written a blog post titled “Rooted in Purpose”, reflecting on her experience as an Asian American woman and how her time in the DICE lab has shaped her identity and sense of purpose in the world.

DICE Lab presence at the 2021 EXPO at Northwestern!

The DICE Lab director, Dr. Onnie Rogers, is giving a keynote speach at 12 pm on Wednesday, May 26. It is titled “Mentorship: Nurturing Relationships and Identities through Research.”

The presentations of DICE Lab members are titled:

Sarah Eisenmann: “Gender and Race: GQNB Experiences”

Adia Fielder: “‘Nasty Names’: Black Adolescents’ Discussions of Sexuality”

Imani Minor: “Patriarchal Constraints on Girlhood”

Finn Wintz: “‘[T]hat’s Just How the Game Is’: How Black and White Parents Think about Systemic Racial Structures”

For Zoom links and further info on the EXPO 2021, click on this link

Adia Fielder admitted into Clinical Psy.D at Rutgers University!

Congratulations, Adia!!!

Adia Fielder, a graduating senior studying Psychology at Northwestern, and a DICE lab member, was recently admitted into the most recent Clinical Psy.D Cohort in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University! This practice based program will allow Adia to get hands on clinical experience starting the first year. Additionally, she was awarded the Presidential Fellowship to support her doctorate, an honor granted only to a few students across the entire University. Adia is so grateful to all members of the DICE Lab and especially Dr. Onnie Rogers for allowing her to carry out her senior thesis under the lab and guiding her the past year!

Josiah Rosario accepted into Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

Congratulations, Josiah!

The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society commemorates the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from an American university (Physics, Yale University, 1876). The Bouchet Society seeks to develop a network of scholars who exemplify academic and personal excellence, foster environments of support, and serve as examples of scholarship, leadership, character, service, and advocacy for students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the academy—exemplifying the spirit and example of Dr. Bouchet.

Dr. Onnie Rogers’ new Psychology Today blog 

Dr. Rogers has recently started writing for her new research-based Psychology Today blog, “Who Am I, Who Are We?” Her first piece discussed how children and teens come to understand who they are and who they can become. In the second one, ““Black Lives Matter” Matters for Children’s Development” she explored the connections between BLM and children’s stories. Dr. Moffitt, a guest contributor, wrote on the blog about the need for White people to engage in building anti-racist identities. Dr Piela, also a guest contributor, wrote about the expected and unexpected implications of face coverings for minoritized groups. 

Dr. Onnie Rogers’ public scholarship addresses racial inequalities in the United States

Dr. Rogers’ research helps explain issues at the center of the debate about racial inequalities the United States. She has found that many White parents do not discuss racism with their kids, and the idea of color blindness which masks structural inequalities and prejudice is the dominant frame used when they do talk about race. She has also written an article about the important role of hair in the lives of Black girls. Dr. Rogers’ essays were published in The Hill, on TED IdeasCNN HealthThe Conversation, and The Medium

Congratulations to Josiah Rosario (a PhD candidate in Social Psychology), who got an Honorable Mention to the Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship, was awarded a grant by the Dispute Resolution Research Center at Kellogg to study the work on the sociopolitical climate, and has successfully defended his Master’s Thesis!

Congratulations to our postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Ursula Moffitt, who has been awarded a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship! She will be conducting a research project titled “Politics, Activism, and Identity.”  
The project will run from September 2020 through August 2022. It is a mixed-methods longitudinal study of how diverse college students are making sense of the current sociopolitical climate and upcoming presidential election as they navigate their racial and gender identities. Dr. Rogers is the primary mentor and Professor Margarita Azmitia at UC Santa Cruz is the second mentor on this study.

Some big news for two of our DICErs – research assistant Jason Schwartz and lab manager Kara Dastrup have both been accepted to graduate school at the University of Washington this fall!

Jason will be earning his PhD/EdS in School Psychology. He will be working with Dr. Janine Jones studying the effects of mindfulness-based programs for at-risk students. These programs are designed to enhance resilience for students that face implicit biases.

Kara will be earning her PhD in Clinical Psychology under the mentorship of Dr. Corey Fagan. She will be researching the use of Measurement Based Care (MBC) and Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) and their use in promoting favorable therapeutic outcomes. Kara will also be studying how MBC and ROM assist with ethically conducted therapy and the quality control of therapeutic interventions across clients who have different identities.

Congratulations Kara and Jason! We will miss you!

Medium has started a new blog series on Black women and girls, written by a collective of amazing Black women and girls! 

Dr. Rogers was invited to write a piece based on our “Black girl magic” study, and wrote about the hair analysis. It has been  featured: “My hair is bomb”: Black Girls’ Identities and Resistance. 

Congratulations Dr. Rogers!

Imani Minor was recognized as an Undergraduate Scholar by the 2020 Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) Conference!

The Undergraduate Scholars Program is designed to support junior and senior undergraduate students from racial/ethnic minority groups in North America to pursue graduate work and careers in adolescent development. Selected scholars attend the SRA Biennial Meeting and participate in special pre-conference activities that focus on careers in adolescent research, applying to graduate school and funding, curriculum vitae workshops, and navigating the Biennial Meeting. Scholars will receive mentorship from graduate students and senior scholars who are active in the field of adolescent research.

This is a huge honor, congratulations Imani! We’re so proud of you!

Dr. Rogers was recognized as one of the Institute of Policy Research (IPR) researchers that have pioneered vital research on women’s issues and gender roles. “A new generation of female researchers, as represented by IPR developmental psychologist Onnie Rogers is also blazing down the research trail of racial and gender stereotypes. In a recent investigation, Rogers looks at girls in the United States and China to understand how the pressure to conform to masculine behaviors can affect their psychological well-being.” Read the rest of the article here!

The D.I.C.E. Lab had our fall outing on Saturday. Thank you to all of our wonderful research assistants and graduate students for their hard work and dedication this quarter!

We are thrilled to announce that the ARCC Seed Grant was awarded to Gloria Dotson-Lewis, founder of Distinctively Me, and Dr. Rogers! Congratulations!

(Re)Building the Foundation of Black Girlhood: A Partnership to Promote Black Girls’ Socio- Emotional and Cultural Development

In 2017, the Children and Family Justice Center reported an 81% increase in the number of adolescent girls admitted to Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice facilities, a startling upsurge that disproportionately (57%) affects Black girls. This school-to-prison pipeline, known as “pushout”, is only one of several penalties Black girls in Chicago’s public schools endure as a result of discriminatory school discipline practices, limited access to social workers and counselors, and overall inadequate support systems. The reality is that for Black girls in Chicago, the risk-to- support ratio is grossly out of balance.  Our partnership aims to (re)build the foundation of Black girlhood by providing the developmentally-appropriate, culturally- relevant socio-emotional support Black girls need to thrive. ​

For more information about Distinctively Me: http://www.distinctivelyme.org/

We are so excited to welcome Courtney Jones this Fall as a Graduate Student in the Personality, Development, and Health program. Welcome, Courtney!

We are proud to announce that Dr. Ursula Moffitt will be joining DICE this Fall as a PostDoctoral Fellow. Welcome, Dr. Moffitt!

We are so excited to announce that Shari and Christine won 2nd place in the social science and journalism section of the Undergraduate Research & Arts Exposition! Below are some of their wonderful reviews:

“What a poised and coherent presentation of the research! She has an excellent set of explanations for why the findings didn’t quite go as expected (and why Gillian’s frame work may not entirely fit for the research questions at hand)

“This was an extremely interesting study with significant implications. Christine did a stupendous job in delivery and in responding to questions”

“Well organized and very knowledgeable about the subject, studies limitations and possibilities for future research”

Congratulations Shari and Christine!

We are proud to announce that our fellow DICERs Chrissy, Shari, Dayanara, Imani, and Christine ended the Spring 2019 quarter by presenting their independent research projects at the Undergraduate Research & Arts Exposition! Congratulations, ladies! Click here and navigate to the conference tab to see their poster publications!

Dr. Rogers’ article  “Ideology and Identity Among White Male Teachers in an All-Black, All-Male High School” was recently published to The American Educational Research Journal. Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

Dr. Rogers’ article “Commentary on Economic Inequality: “What” and “Who” Constitutes Research on Social Inequality in Developmental Science?” was recently published to Developmental Psychology. Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

Shari Gordon Graduated!

In Fall 2019, Shari will attend Boston University School of Medicine to pursue graduate studies in mental health counseling. Through the Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine Program, she will begin her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. This program integrates clinical fieldwork with training in behavioral medicine and neuroscience in order to address both physical and mental illness, as well as health promotion. 

“I’ll be interning at Kick Start Pediatric Therapy Network this upcoming spring quarter, which is a multi-disciplinary clinic that works to provide therapeutic services to children and their families. They offer speech therapy, mental health therapy, and occupational therapy. I’ll be able to observe and assist clinicians during their therapy sessions. I will be working alongside a team of therapists from various backgrounds and collaborating with them to help patients make long-term progress. I will be in charge of projects such as creating a lesson or developmental profile of a child.  I’ll also be participating in a few after school social groups for school aged children. These groups often focus on social cognition, problem solving, and executive functions
 
Additionally, I’ve secured an internship for the summer! I’ll be working at Advocate Children’s Hospital Pediatric Development Center. I’ll be able to have one-on-one sessions with children and use play-based therapy to come up with a developmental profile for each child. Additionally, I’ll be helping clinicians in group therapy sessions. The clinicians will train and supply me with a variety of diagnostic tools in order to help them in the diagnosing process. 
 
I’m super excited to finally get my feet wet and gain clinical experience!” 

Our research assistant Chrissy accepted an internship for with AVIA in downtown Chicago for Chicago Field Studies! AVIA is a healthcare startup and her position will be in the Strategic Advisory department, which provides in-depth consulting engagements for network members. For more information, visits the AVIA website here. Congratulations, Chrissy!

“My new job is satisfying and I feel like it extends my research experience to a larger scope. I had the opportunity to work with postdoctoral fellow, Hong Kong Council of Social Services and local famous foundation (Kwok Group, who has a special department named community investment). Now, I have my business card . During the second week, we presented our proposal to multiple stakeholders (Council, funders, and social work agencies) and collected feedback from their practical experiences. From their insights, I came to realize that what I learned from literatures, books is a bit outdated and it is always important to think big, think out of the box. I should expose myself more to such conference, talk, social activities (like the Social Brown Bag series).  Regarding my duties, I am involved in two projects, one is in the final stage of writing, another is in the initial stage of building framework, searching for materials and designing data collection method. We have more than 20 staffs so the average workload is manageable. I have ample time to read a whole book. I selected some classical books on methodology, curriculum development, which I think would be helpful for future research. Recently, I learned logic models, evaluation assessment, and the R language learning is in good progress. My colleagues told me at the center, we have 40+ ongoing projects. I also learned that my colleagues are from diverse background (i.e., social work, management, journalism, statistics). I hope to make good use of these resources and fuel future research with inspiration.” 

We are so excited to announce that NU’s Global Marketing and Communications team has published a story about our research and the DICE team in Northwestern Magazine! You can read about the feature on Confronting Stereotypes here, and click here to view a video montage about our lab and the #BlackGirlMagic project! 

Dr. Rogers’ article, “Reimagining social and emotional development: Accommodation and resistance to dominant ideologies in the identities and friendships of boys of color” was recently published to Human Development. Click here to be directed to the article. Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

The Global Women’s Executive Network (GWEN) and Edelman Griot, a communication firm invited Dr. Rogers to participate on a panel for the International Day of the Girl at Edelman Chicago! Panel participants discussed factors about girlhood including self-image, confidence, identity, and the ways our society can better and best support its girls. Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

Dr. Rogers’ article, “I’m Kind of a Feminist”: Using Master Narratives to Analyze Gender Identity in middle Childhood” was recently published to Child Development – Northwestern posted a brief on the article here. Click here for the article and here for a full list of other publications & resources – Congratulations Dr. Rogers!

I spent this summer in Belgrade, Serbia and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina in a Comparative Public Health study abroad program. I learned about the complex history of Yugoslavia’s dissolution in the 1990s, the collective memory and trauma of such a recent war, and its implications for public health in the Balkans. One of the most fascinating aspects of this region is identity. Ethnicity and religion sharply divide people who are so genetically similar and share so much history. It has been very interesting to compare their tensions to the racial ones of the US, especially after focusing on race and gender identities in lab!

–  Chrissy

This summer for me has been very fun and rewarding! Over the past months, I have had the opportunity to work for the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. As a research assistant I have learned about behavior as it changes through the ages, and in particular during our senior years. It has been intriguing to learn about the neurochemistry of the aging brain  and how it affects one’s self concept and awareness, adapting to disability, and the change in family dynamics. The DICE lab has allowed me to explore the dynamics of identity and culture as they relate to youth more specifically. Experiencing the geriatric side of development this summer has broadened my understanding of identity and how it changes through the lifespan. In between working and studying, I have been able to travel to various destinations with my family! Overall I have had a great summer, and I’m so excited to return to the DICE lab in the fall!

–  Shari

This summer, I interned at a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Bolivia called Tukuy Pacha, which works to support people with disabilities – along with their families and communities – in the municipalities surrounding the Cochabamba area. Tukuy Pacha works under the framework of Rehabilitacion Basada en la Comunidad (RBC), or Community-Based Rehabilitation, to provide support for people with disabilities. The NGO addresses the lack of resources of people with disabilities and their families. For example, patients have a hard time acquiring the services that the organization provides, like workshops, home visits, legal support, and technical aids, elsewhere.
 
I worked within each of the main sectors of the organization, exploring physical therapy, political advocacy, communications, and marketing. My group members and I worked to combine the tasks and goals of each subject area into one cohesive aim: to improve Tukuy Pacha’s visibility. To achieve this goal, my group members and I created organizational and informative materials to increase feasibility and productivity of patient home visits. We designed a database of the exercises that patients are typically assigned. Each exercise was printed individually, with a small progress log on the back and some information about a specific legal right that people with disabilities have and how to enforce it. Tukuy Pacha’s physical therapist can then compile different pages into a personalized manual for each patient based on their physical therapeutic needs. Our aim was to increase legal rights awareness and political empowerment. We also compiled the whole database of exercises and other information together to create a bigger manual for the community promotors, to reference when they go visit the clients to follow up on the physical therapist’s visit. With this work, we hope to facilitate Tukuy Pacha’s efforts to provide rehabilitation for people with disabilities within communities. In terms of working to improve the organization’s image, we redesigned the website, created a pitch deck powerpoint, conducted interviews with community members and Tukuy Pacha staff, and organized their social media accounts. The objective of this was to learn more about the stories of the people that the organization is supporting, help Tukuy Pacha gain insight on what they need to improve in their services, and to provide material for the website for outsiders, including potential donors. I hope that this work will contribute to increasing Tukuy Pacha visibility worldwide and facilitate their fundraising efforts.
 
In the time that I spent in Bolivia, I witnessed how people with disabilities face a lot of barriers to live a healthy, educated, socially mobilized, inclusive, and economically subsistent life. It sometimes seems that a person’s disability takes over their entire identity, in the eyes of their society. In Bolivia, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding people with disabilities, and that is something that Tukuy Pacha wants to chip away at. Our conversations with Tukuy Pacha employees and community members allowed us to better understand their needs and helped us in the process of creating material that would be useful, accessible, and culturally-responsible.In addition to my work in Tukuy Pacha, I also got to see many of the beautiful sights that Bolivia has to offer. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Mountain Tunari, which is the highest mountain in the city that I was staying in. It literally took my breath away, because it was so hard to breathe at such a high altitude. In Copacabana, I enjoyed watching the sunset from the top of a mountain that overlooked the whole town. I also took fairy rides to the Island of the Sun and to the Island of the Moon. I got to see dinosaur footprints at Torotoro National Park, along with astonishing canyons and shimmering waterfalls. I set foot on the largest salt flat in the world at Salar de Uyuni and got to witness a beautiful red lake, flamingos, and geysers. In the city of La Paz, I got aboard an aerial lift that allowed me to see the whole city from above. In the city of Santa Cruz, I got to attend a Mana concert, which was a dream come true because they are my mom’s favorite band and I grew up listening to their music. Although these trips were amazing, the best part of my experience in Bolivia was my wonderful host family which welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home, even when I was thousands of miles away from Chicago. I miss them dearly and will be eternally grateful for their hospitality and warmth
 
–  Day

EP successfully defended her master’s thesis project, “Visibility and Characteristic Presentation of Multiply-Marginalized Targets: An Examination of Interpersonal Intersectional Invisibility”, which was approved Dr. Sylvia Perry & Dr. Onnie Rogers.

Chrissy was accepted to a public health program in Serbia + Bosina, Herzegovina for summer 2018! She will be investigating mental health initiative surrounding trauma and related public policy and post-war relief efforts. Congratulations, Chrissy!

Dr. Rogers won The Women’s Center – Gender Equity in Action Faculty Award. Congratulations, Dr. Rogers!

Day got accepted to study abroad this summer in Bolivia with all expenses paid. Congratulations, Day!

Abbey is doing a year long MS in secondary education at Northwestern University in 2018-2019. Congratulations, Abbey!

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