In 2024, the Becky Award for the best Psychology Masters’ thesis was awarded to Judy Mahmalji, who was a master student in the SDSU Department of Psychology. Her thesis, entitled “Early Brain Connectivity Patterns and Language Skills in Preschoolers with Autism”, focused on examining potential brain markers of autism in early childhood. Judy Mahmalji received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience from UC San Diego in 2021. She then received her Master of Arts degree in Psychology from San Diego State University this past spring of 2024. During her time at SDSU, she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Inna Fishman at the SDSU Center for Autism and Brain Development Imaging Labs, where she focused on exploring brain development and language acquisition in toddlers with autism. Judy is currently completing a research fellowship at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, MD, where she is continuing her research focusing on the links between sleep and neurodevelopment. Congratulations to both Judy and Dr. Fishman for an excellent thesis!
The Bryson-Kissinger family established the Rebecca Bryson-Kissinger Memorial Award in 2000 to honor the memory of their former faculty colleague, who for many years served as the Department’s graduate adviser. The award, affectionately known as the “Becky,” is given to the master’s student in the Department of Psychology whose thesis has been selected as the best from among those submitted during that academic year.