{"id":549,"date":"2023-03-27T22:54:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T22:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/?page_id=549"},"modified":"2026-09-29T21:04:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T21:04:29","slug":"gasp","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/psyc\/gasp\/","title":{"rendered":"GASP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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WHAT IS GASP?<\/p>\n

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GASP<\/strong><\/b> stands for Graduate Association for Students in Psychology, the wonderful family that comprises graduate students in the psychology department of USC. As the GASP executive board, we are responsible for helping organize student orientations, Town Hall, and community events.\u00a0 We also share resources for professional development and are the liaison between students and administrative staff.\u00a0 Most importantly, we build a community of friendship and support by organizing events and outings for students such as game nights, Halloween parties, and comedy events, with lots and lots of delicious food. As GASP, we are here for you, and strive to make your PhD experience as welcoming and enjoyable as possible. The GASP Mentor-Mentee Program<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0has been a success in getting new students to feel welcome and helping them get oriented with the PhD program and life at USC. Every new psychology student that begins a PhD at USC gets matched with a current student and learns some tips and tricks for navigating the grad life from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n Stay Connected!\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Stay connected with your fellow graduate students using our Slack<\/span> <\/a>channel<\/strong>! Search for the #psychology-graduate-students channel.<\/p>\n

You can also connect with us on IG @gasp_usc<\/strong> to stay up to date with social events!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n

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\n GASP Executive Board 2026-2027\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Meet the GASP Executive Board for the 2026-2027 school year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\n Sarvenaz Oloomi\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Co-President<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a third-year PhD student in the Developmental and Brain and Cognitive Sciences areas, working with Dr. Santiago Morales. My research involves understanding the impact of biological, environmental, and cultural factors on different trajectories of socioemotional and cognitive development in children. I\u2019m excited to be serving as GASP\u2019s Co-President this year to advocate for student needs with the department and the broader graduate student community. In my free time, I enjoy exercising, reading at the beach, and exploring LA\u2019s food and music scenes!<\/p>\n

Contact: oloomi@usc.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

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\n Irem Kuyucu\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Co-President<\/strong>
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I am a third-year PhD student in the Social Psychology area, working with Dr. Norbert Schwarz. My research investigates how people make meaning from metacognitive and social cues like fluency, effort, and message framing. As Co-President this year, I’m committed to strengthening community in our department by promoting support, fairness, and collaboration and by creating fun, frequent opportunities for students to connect. Outside of school, I like reading, exercising, and travelling.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Contact: kuyucu@usc.edu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \"Irem_Kuyucu\"\n\n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
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\n Margarid Turnamian\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Climate Coordinator<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am a third-year PhD student in the clinical area working with Dr. Jonathan Stange. My research interests center around understanding how experiences in daily life, including emotion regulation, physiology, behavior, and cognition, interact and how these interactions influence the maintenance and trajectories of depression. As the CLIMATE Chair, I am excited to work with our students and faculty to continue to foster justice, support, and equity without our department! Outside of work, I enjoy going to the beach, spending time with friends, trying different matcha cafes, and exploring neighborhoods around LA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact: turnamia@usc.edu<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \"Margarid_Turnamian\"\n\n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
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\n Begum Babur\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Professional Development Coordinator
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I’m a 4th<\/sup>\u00a0year PhD student in the Social area, working primarily with Dr. Elisa Baek. My research broadly investigates how people learn about others from social interactions, use them to guide their decisions to connect with others, and how unmet needs of social connection (i.e. loneliness) influences these processes. As the Professional Development Chair, I’m excited to support GASP members as they navigate career development at different stages, connect them with the broader Trojan alumni network,\u00a0 and create opportunities for students across years to share their experiences and skills they gained from the program. Outside of research, I enjoy attending concerts and live music events, dancing, cooking, and exploring good food spots in the city.<\/div>\n

Contact: babur@usc.edu<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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\n Idella Smolyar\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Mentor-Mentee Program Coordinator<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Idella works with Dr. Sandy LaTourrette in the Child Learning & Development Lab. Her research interests are in further understanding children\u2019s language and cognitive development. Currently, she is examining how children use linguistic context to learn new word meanings, as well as how children form their concepts of mixed emotions from the language they use and\/or hear. She is interested in how exposure to other linguistic information, languages, social interaction, and even media potentially influences children\u2019s word and concept learning. Idella graduated from UCLA in 2024 and served as Lab Manager for the CHILD Lab in its first year.<\/p>\n

Contact: ismolyar@usc.edu<\/a>
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\n Yalda Daryani\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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DGSA Representative<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>I am a fourth-year\u00a0PhD student working with Dr. Daphna Oyserman. My research\u00a0is focused on how cultural and moral values change over time and how they shape intergroup relationships.\u00a0I\u2019m excited to be serving as GASP\u2019s DGSA representative to be a liaison between our department and the broader graduate student community. In my free time I enjoy hiking and exploring museums and art galleries.<\/p>\n

Contact: daryani@usc.edu<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

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\n Previous GASP Executive Boards\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n \n