UAB Student to Present Research on Capitol Hill

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) psychology major Felix Kishinevsky, 21, of Mountain Brook, has been selected to present his research on Capitol Hill May 5 as part of the “Posters on the Hill” event sponsored by the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR).

May 4, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) psychology major Felix Kishinevsky, 21, of Mountain Brook, has been selected to present his research on Capitol Hill May 5 as part of the "Posters on the Hill" event sponsored by the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR). Kishinevsky, a senior, is the only student from an Alabama college or university selected to participate in this year's event.

"Posters on the Hill" is a competitive, annual CUR event that showcases high-quality student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. This year the CUR selected abstracts from 60 students across the United States. The students will meet with senators and representatives from their home and school states and representatives of various funding agencies to talk about the value of science education programs and undergraduate research. Kishinevsky is scheduled to meet with Alabama U.S. senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions.

In addition, the students' research posters will be displayed in the Rayburn House Office Building. Kishinevsky, a member of both the University Honors Program and the Department of Psychology Honors Program, will present his poster titled "Obese Women With Greater Impulsivity Show Reduced Executive Function Brain Activation." The poster summarizes his psychology honors thesis, an fMRI study on impulsivity in obese women, which he conducted under the supervision of UAB neuroscientist Rosalyn Weller, Ph.D., in the UAB Department of Psychology.

"Our results suggest that impulsivity, a possible risk factor for obesity, may stem from the executive system working less efficiently in more impulsive people," he said. The executive system is the cognitive system believed to be involved with mental processes such as attention and inhibition control. Kishinevsky said that knowledge of the brain structures that work less effectively in obese individuals could lead to drug or behavioral treatments.

Kishinevsky is a native of Kishinev, Moldova. His family immigrated to the United States in 1991. He is the son of Igor and Mila Kishinevsky of Mountain Brook.

About UAB

The UAB Department of Psychology is recognized nationally for its significant contributions to cutting edge research and scholarship as well as teaching. The department's undergraduate program is one of the largest majors on campus. The department also offers graduate programs in medical psychology, lifespan developmental psychology and behavioral neuroscience.