Mills Cognition Lab Members

Director

Dr. Christie Chung is an Assistant Professor of  Psychology at Mills College. She received her Honours BSc as a Psychology Specialist from University of Toronto, her MA and PhD in Applied Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University, and postdoctoral training in Behavioral Neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT). When Dr. Chung is not busy thinking about how memory changes with age, she enjoys baking, traveling around the world, going to the gym, playing music on her piano, and singing (PlayStation karaoke games!).

Research Assistants

Frishta Sharifi, Lab Manager, has graduated from Mills College, in 2008, with a BA in psychology and a minor in women studies. Her goal is to enter a PhD program in clinical-cognitive psychology or neuro-psychology. She is very interested in research in humans' physical health and its relations to cognitive aging. In the field of women studies, Frishta is interested in exploring the conflicts that modern day women (in particular women of the east) experience in terms of reconciliation of their faith/traditions with the necessities of modernity. In her free time, she is busy with personal training and teaching group exercise classes in a gym.

Ziyong Lin, Senior Research Assistant, has been an undergraduate student at Mills College since August, 2008. She is working on her double-major in psychology and music. Ziyong joined the Cognition Lab in the summer of 2009. She went back to China and helped Dr. Chung collect data for the positive effect project. Since she is interested in both music and psychology, she is trying to find a way to combine these two fields. In her spare time, she enjoys playing flute and studying ancient Chinese poetry.

Laura Samuelsson, Senior Research Assistant, is finishing her second Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Mills College, after receiving her first BA in English from Wellesley College. She joined the Mills Cognition Lab in 2010 and was promptly put to work, which made her very happy. Her primary foci are sleep and cognition and sleep and clinical applications, including stress and psychiatric and medical disorders. When she is not watching people sleep (or designing studies that will enable her to watch people sleep for the next six years of grad school), Laura swims, cooks, takes road trips, and reads publications about sleep.

Sarah A. Wong, BA,, Senior Research Assistant, graduated from Mills College with a Bachelor of Art in Psychology, Research and a minor in Asian Studies in May, 2008. While initially vowing that neuroscience just wasn't for her, through her work with Dr. Chung's Cognition Lab, Sarah developed an interest in the connection between attachment theory and emotional memory in cognitive behavioral and neurocognitive brain activity. (Turned out she liked brains/psychological research too much.) While she is currently working full time for City Hall of San Francisco, she hopes to pursue further graduate studies in cognitive psychology with an emphasis on lifespan development and integrative cultural studies and eventually wishes to travel to Japan and the vastness of Asia for further research opportunities.

Soo [Yeonsoo] Choi is currently an undergraduate student at Mills College, Class of 2013. She is majoring in Research Psychology and minoring in Child Development. She is interested in school psychology, especially in the role of play in social and cognitive development and adolescent identity formation in children from multicultural background. Soo loves to cook, create and play board games with her friends during her free time. She hopes to enter a PhD program in clinical or school psychology. Eventually, she wishes to travel around the world working with as many children as she can (because they are amazing!). She strongly believes in the words of Tolstoy, "I have learned that all men live not by care for themselves but by love in a passer by."

Nicole Harrison

Kimiko Tsuchiya

Abby Yip, is an international undergraduate student from Hong Kong who has been studying at Mills College since 2010. She has always been fascinated by the field of psychology, and she is often intrigued by how the intricate human brain functions. Abby has a variety of interests, ranging from playing and listening to music to traveling and learning about the cultures of other places. In her free time, Abby also enjoys writing short stories and spending time with her family and friends.

Past Members

May Chen (visiting student) is an undergraduate at Wellesley College, working towards a degree in Cognitive Science with a minor in Computer Science. Unable to pull herself away from the world of academia, May joined the Cognition Lab winter of 2009. She is particularly interested in perception and information processing in the brain. In her free time, she likes to draw, travel and hang out with friends.

Tonya Coney Transferred to Mills in 2006 after graduating from Merritt College (AA in Behavioral Science) in 2005. Graduated from Mills College in 2008 on the Research Psychology track. Currently a graduate student in my last semester at Holy Names University; working on a Dual Master's program in Counseling and Forensic Psychology. As part of my graduate traineeship I lead a Domestic Violence women's group and counsel K-5 elementary school students in Oakland's inner city. Joined Mills Cognition lab as a Research Assistant in December 2010.

Sara Harris graduated with honors from Mills College in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Art in Psychology, Research. She is interested in various aspects of cognitive psychology and neuroscience such as memory, learning, decision-making, as well as social cognition and media psychology. Her hobbies include exercising, watching movies, reading, and spending time with friends and family. In the future, she hopes to further her knowledge of psychological research at the graduate level. Until then, she is very excited about working with the Mills Cognition Lab.

Jennifer Johnson is a Fall 2008 Mills graduate in Psychology. Before pursuing graduate studies, she is excited to research memory and aging. She also has special interest in emotion, early relationships, and physical health and well-being. She hopes to move to Barcelona next summer to study Spanish. In her spare time Jennifer likes to play tennis and attempt to do pull-ups.

Ekaterina Mahinda graduated from Mills in December 2008 with a degree in Psychology. She is interested in women's health issues. Ekaterina would like to focus her studies on the correlations between people's health and their cognitive processes such as memory and learning. She hopes to enter a PhD program in clinical psychology. She loves to read, cook and spend time with family and friends.

Lou Ann Smith Berardi graduated from Mills in 1952. She then obtained her General Secondary Teaching Credential at SFSU and Master of Arts at UC Berkeley. Lou Ann worked in education for 45 years, the last 17 as the Skills Assessment and Development instructor for Loyola High School and College Preparatory in Los Angeles. She is now retired and is working to encourage seniors to write their stories and memoirs.

Ana Ruth Tejada Castillo, BA

Amelia True graduated from Mills College in May, 2010. Amelia transferred to Mills in 2008 from Cottey College (a two-year women's college in Missouri) to pursue a degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Research. Amelia finds the brain and behavior fascinating and is looking forward to continuing study this field. Amelia is also a member of the Mills College Swim Team. She enjoys doing things she is good at such as theater, lifeguarding, swimming, swing dancing, and going to school.