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Matthew Sitomer ’00, who graduated summa cum laude with honors in psychology and a second major in American Studies, gave the keynote address at the annual All-College Honors Convocation on April 27 (see related story).
“I had a ton of amazing experiences at Lafayette, pursuing a variety of interests academically, athletically, and musically,” says Sitomer, who is studying with Peter R. Killeen, one of the world’s leading experts in animal learning, as a doctoral student in psychology at Arizona State University. “Had I attended another school, I doubt I could have done so many different things at such a high level. Further, I’d no doubt have pursued a completely different career. Lafayette allowed me to continue doing things I already enjoyed, and helped me identify something I’ll continue loving to do for the rest of my life — behavioral research.”
Sitomer received ASU’s Most Outstanding Oral Presentation award several weeks ago for his presentation on “Work Ethic in Pigeons Revisited” at the annual Life, Earth, and Social Sciences Graduate Research Symposium. He previously studied with Armando Machado at Indiana University. He has published his scholarly work in several scientific journals and presented at major psychological conferences.
At Lafayette, he won the Burton H. Cohen Memorial Prize in Psychology and the Herbert Rogers Psychology Prize. He conducted EXCEL Scholars research with Robert Allan, associate professor of psychology, and was a Writing Associate in the College Writing Program. President of the Lafayette chapter of Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, Sitomer was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, the scientific research society. A four-year member of the varsity track and field team, he also played baritone saxophone in the jazz ensemble
Completing a double major at Lafayette was challenging, but “a lot of fun,” Sitomer says.
“Obviously psychology was and is my primary field, but as an American Studies major, I took classes in history, literature, music, and art,” he says. “I’m now a scientist, but I truly have a liberal arts education.”
He worked in Allan’s lab for “the better part of three years,” initially as a volunteer, then as a paid research assistant through the EXCEL Scholars program. He presented research at a national conference in his field and carried out an extensive experiment for his honors thesis.
“I learned so much from Dr. Allan about conducting strong empirical research, working with animals, experimental design, data analysis, philosophy of science — you name it,” he notes. “He was an outstanding mentor, and I’m convinced that the interactions I had with him would not have been possible at most other colleges and universities, especially large universities like ASU, where the graduate students command all of the professors’ attention.”
The opportunity to compete at the Division I level in athletics was another aspect of Sitomer’s Lafayette experience that many other small colleges lack, he says.
“Taking part in the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry on the track was extremely exciting, especially when I contributed to the team’s efforts,” he notes. “It was always an honor to don the maroon and white. Being a member of the track team certainly defined my identity on campus to a large extent.”
Sitomer was a Writing Associate for three years and a psychology lab assistant for two, team teaching a lab section of Experimental Psychology with a professor.
“Both of these experiences were fundamental to my professional development, and have made me a better teacher,” he says.
Playing four years in the Jazz Ensemble was another significant activity for Sitomer.
“Before I got to Lafayette I thought my saxophone-playing days might come to an end, but I was able to maintain this creative outlet, playing with the band each week, performing at concerts each semester, and appearing in a jazz festival at Moravian College,” he recalls. “As a senior, I also had my own radio show on WJRH.”