2021 Spring Newsletter I www.mpsi.wayne.edu
MPSI Faculty Member Wins Stanford University Fellowship
Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD, has been named a fellow to Stanford University's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS). Dr. Gómez is an assistant professor jointly appointed to Wayne State University's department of psychology and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute (MPSI). CASBS brings together top scholars from diverse disciplines and communities to advance understanding of the full range of human beliefs, behaviors, interactions, and institutions. Dr. Gómez joins 37 scholars from 19 U.S. institutions and nine international institutions and programs in the 2021-22 class. Since the fellowship program started in 1954, 29 CASBS fellows have gone on to win Nobel prizesMORE . . .
Research
Is Your Child’s Behavior Challenging?

Dr. Lucy McGoron is completing a randomized clinical trial of the Parenting Young Children Check-up (PYCC). The program teaches parents how to prevent and respond to young children’s challenging behavior. Parents access the program through their Smartphones. MORE
MPSI Centennial
Symposium
Illuminating the Future
for Children, Families
& Community
May 21 9 am - Noon
National experts will explore the themes that define MPSI's place in the world: Risk and Resilience, Investment in Children and Youth, and Equity and Identity. The Symposium is free, but you must register on Zoom to attend.
Exhibit
Merrill-Palmer & Detroit:
A Century of
Community Making
Walter P. Reuther Library
The historical exhibit marking the past 100 years of MPSI's events and achievements is now installed in the atrium of the Reuther Library on WSU campus. The Reuther is not yet open to the public. Register to be notified when we schedule the official opening HERE
Education
Colloquia Research Talks Break Attendance Record
Research colloquia presentations have long been a highlight of student and professional training at MPSI. Held twice a month throughout the academic year, these hour-long talks bring experts from around the country to discuss their latest research. Topics examine child and family development from diverse perspectives, including neuroscience, criminal justice, racial identity, abuse and neglect, and LGBTQ+. MORE
Infant Mental Health
And the Deborah Weatherston Infant Mental Health Award Goes To . . .
AeYanna Yett, who is working toward her Master’s degree in social work with plans to pursue a PhD in clinical-community psychology.  AeYanna’s work has focused strongly on the community since her undergraduate days at WSU studying psychology and African American studies. She also has a keen interest in Black feminism and wants . . . MORE
The Deborah J. Weatherston Infant Mental Health Scholarship honors Dr. Weatherston's lifetime of developmental and clinical work, leadership, and mentorship that measurably improved the welfare of infants by expanding and professionalizing IMH best practice. Her scholarship supports diversity in the profession of IMH by providing financial support to students with financial need who are enrolled in the Dual-Title Degree Program. 
Spotlight on Infant Mental Health Students
For LaShae Brooks, a social work student at WSU enrolled in the Infant Mental Health dual-title program, flexibility was a necessity to achieve a goal that at times seemed unattainable. Balancing life as a wife, mother of three daughters and full-time employee . . . MORE
MPSI Early Childhood Center (ECC)
Early Childhood Center Earns Top Accreditation
Once again, the MPSI Early Childhood Center has earned a five-year accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This accreditation is considered by many to be the most rigorous and . . . MORE
Community Engagement
Teen Conference Takes Step in New Direction
The Covid-19 crisis forced the cancellation of MPSI’s 2020 Giant Step Teen Conference. This was the first year Giant Step didn’t occur since it first started 39 years ago.  Covid-19 continues to be unpredictable but we didn’t want to cancel a second year. So the planning committee created a Zoom version with the same mission:  To help high school . . . MORE
Parents' Newsletter Eases Fears & Offers Support
by Beverly Weathington
The Healthier Urban Families Program always has parents, caregivers and children in mind.  At the start of the pandemic, we met with MPSI Director Lichtenberg and faculty members to determine how to make our outreach useful to families faced with fear, uncertainty and social isolation. . . . MORE
The Freer House
Historic landmark and home to the administrative offices
of Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute
May Events!
Film, Edo Avant Garde, May 13-23
Live Q&A, May 20
Called, "mesmerizing," "captivating," "achingly beautiful," and "exquisite," the new documentary film, Edo Avant Garde by Linda Hoaglund, will be free on-demand, May 13-23 for Freer House members and the public. The film reveals the story of how Japan invented modern art and highlights Charles Lang Freer's role as a pioneering collector of Edo era Japanese art. A special live discussion with the film's director and a Japanese art expert will take place on May 20. The program is co-sponsored with the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Watch the intriguing trailer HERE.
Pewabic Pottery Book by Thomas W. Brunk Now Available

Freer House scholar, author and board member, the late Dr. Thomas W. Brunk, was also a noted historian of Pewabic pottery. Dr. Brunk wrote, “Pewabic Pottery: The American Arts and Crafts Movement Expressed in Clay,” which includes a chapter on Freer’s significant patronage of Pewabic and friendship with its founder Mary Chase Perry. Sadly, Dr. Brunk died before his completed manuscript could be published. Thanks to the efforts of Freer House board member John Douglas Peters and Project Editor Amanda Frost, this extraordinary book can now be purchased at Michigan State University Press, your local independent bookseller, and Amazon.
Read the latest Freer House news in their spring newsletter HERE.