Noble Earns Travel Grant to Present Research at National Conference

Jeremy Noble of Mobile, Ala., a doctoral student in counseling psychology in The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Psychology, is the recipient of a prestigious competitive travel grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The grant will fund his travel and expenses in order to present his research at the American Psychological Association's conference in August in Washington, D.C.

Noble's work examines whether protective behavioral strategies mediate the relationship between alcohol consumption and related negative consequences in college student athletes. 

Noble's graduate research is under the direction of assistant professor of psychology Dr. Michael Madson, who coordinates the Department of Psychology's Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program.

Noble is interested in the impact of addiction, as well as sport psychology. Through his research, he's learned that college athletes typically drink more frequently and more episodically than non-athlete college students.

 “It's hard to believe that within the college population (a population that reports over 1,800 deaths per year due to alcohol use), an even more at-risk group exists,” he said. “Therefore, I decided to take this route with my research in an attempt to better understand this particular group.”

Noble praised Madson for encouraging him to pursue graduate studies, as well as the Department of Psychology's College Alcohol Research Team (CART) for its support of his research. Currently, he serves as a counselor at an alcohol and drug residential facility in Hattiesburg as part of his curriculum, and is vice president of the Counseling Psychology Student Government (CPSG).He plans to either continue his research on alcohol in academia or work in counseling after graduation.

“The award process is very competitive, and it speaks volumes about Jeremy's work that it was recognized by leading researchers in alcohol and drug abuse,” Madson said. “He was in competition against other students from across the country, and it's exciting to see him receive such a prestigious national award so early in his graduate career.”

For information about degree programs and research activities in the Department of Psychology, online visit https://www.usm.edu/psychology or call 601.266.4177.