Gokey, Talbot Recognized in Inaugural COPLA Research and Teaching Awards

Florida Tech faculty members Catherine Talbot and Kaitlynn Gokey are recipients of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts (COPLA) inaugural COPLA Awards, established to recognize exceptional achievement in teaching and research within the college.

Talbot, an assistant professor of psychology, earned the Award for Excellence in Research/Scholarship for her original contributions to her field, her scholarly impact and her sustained excellence, as well as notable recent achievements — most recently, she contributed to a study examining the evolution of kissing that drew international attention. Her research covers the evolutionary and biological mechanisms underlying sociality, face recognition and social processing, autism, behavioral economics and animal welfare.

Gokey, an assistant professor of behavior analysis, earned the Award for Excellence in Teaching for her outstanding instruction, student engagement and impact, and innovative teaching. She leads courses such as Introduction to Concepts and Principles, Advanced Concepts and Principles, Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Radical Behaviorism and Ethics for Behavior Analysts. She also collaborates with the university’s Behavioral Performance Coaching Program, which seeks to enhance competitive esports performance through behavioral science.

“These awards recognize outstanding contributions in research/scholarship and teaching across our college,” said Lisa Steelman, COPLA’s interim dean.

The COPLA Awards Committee was made up of six faculty members representing the School of Psychology, School of Behavior Analysis and School of Arts and Communication. They reviewed self and peer nominations using a rigorous rubric aligned with the award criteria. Recommendations were then forwarded to Steelman for final selection.

Talbot and Gokey will each receive a $200 stipend to support their continued academic and research endeavors.