Dr. Kari Nysse Carris, a 1996 Hope College graduate who is vice president of health sciences at NORC (formerly known as the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago will present “Research Methods: The Tie That Binds” on Monday, Feb. 18, at 3:30 p.m. at Hope in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall through the college’s annual John Shaughnessy Psychology Lecture Series.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The title of the address links the research focus of Carris’ work, the Department of Psychology’s integration of research throughout its curriculum and John Shaughnessy’s signature Research Methods course — taken by more than 2,500 students during his time at the college.
Carris will discuss how exposure to and experience with social science research methods while at Hope has informed and shaped her career conducting surveys and statistical analysis while working for NORC, which is one of the nation's oldest independent research institutes. She has conducted studies on a variety of topics, ranging from children’s eyewitness testimony to juror decision making, problem gambling, health disparities and women's reproductive health. She will share real-world examples of how a solid grounding in research methods has allowed her to contribute to a wide variety of projects that inform policies at national, state, and local levels.
In her role with NORC, Carris provides methodological expertise to clients and managerial leadership to staff, and assists with the development and oversight of NORC’s health-research portfolio. She leads multidisciplinary teams to design, develop and deliver complex survey data and analytic products used by federal agencies, foundations and researchers to inform policy decisions in the public-health, healthcare and mental-health arenas. Her expertise spans a range of data-collection methodologies and modes, and she has directed telephone, in-person, web and self-administered survey projects.
Carris majored in psychology and sociology at Hope. She received her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002.
The lecture series is named in memory of Dr. John Shaughnessy, a professor emeritus of psychology who died on Dec. 16, 2015. He had taught at Hope for 40 years, from 1975 until retiring at the end of the 2014-15 school year, and was highly regarded for both his teaching and his commitment to engaging students in collaborative research. Among other honors, he received the Hope Outstanding Professor Educator (H.O.P.E.) Award from the graduating class in 1992 and the college’s “Janet L. Andersen Excellence in Teaching Award” in 2008. The annual lecture series, which is funded through an endowment and debuted in March of 2017, features psychology alumni who in addition to giving a presentation interact with students, demonstrating ways in which their Hope psychology education informs and shapes their work.
Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 12th streets.