When Christina Tortolani, Ph.D., and Joseph Trunzo, Ph.D., look at architectural drawings of Bryant University’s forthcoming Psychology Research Center, they don’t just see a two-dimensional design. In the black and white boxed-off spaces, they see students finessing skills in state-of-the art labs, undergraduates collaborating with one another in a welcoming lounge area, and graduate students making use of a wellness space to maintain their mental health as they move through the university’s rigorous yet rewarding new Doctor of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program.
“It's going to be cutting edge,” says Tortolani, associate professor and program director of Bryant’s Psy.D. program. “Students are going to have access to clinical spaces that simulate the real world while educators provide feedback in real time.”
Expanding from 933 to 3,440 square feet, the new Psychology Research Center will be located on the third floor of the Unistructure by the Physician Assistant Studies wing — which will help to foster collaboration between the Psy.D. and PA programs. Construction will commence in late spring and will be completed in time for the start of the 2025-26 academic year, when the first cohort of Psy.D. candidates arrive on campus.
“I'm really excited about having a comprehensive space that unifies our department and provides educational and research opportunities for our students and our faculty,” says Trunzo, Psychology professor and associate director of the School of Health and Behavioral Sciences (SHBS); Trunzo also serves as president of the Rhode Island Psychological Association.
The new center is supported by a $1.5 million federal appropriation secured by United States Senator Jack Reed. On October 29, Reed visited campus to speak with Bryant leadership about the planned renovations — including Trunzo, School of Health and Behavioral Sciences Director Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D., Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rupendra Paliwal, Ph.D., and Vice President for Strategy and Institutional Effectiveness Edinaldo Tebaldi, Ph.D. Together, they toured SHBS facilities and invited Reed to meet with undergraduate Psychology students.
“The healthcare system will be improved just by your entry — you’re going to bring new skills, new ideas, and new perspectives,” Reed shared with undergraduates enrolled in a course led by Professor of Psychology Allison Butler, Ph.D.
Lab talk
Catering to both undergraduate and doctoral students, Bryant’s Psychology Research Center will house labs that span the field’s disciplines — including developmental, cognitive, physiological, social, and clinical psychology.
Walking into the research center, visitors find themselves in a reception/waiting room where researchers will greet study participants. To their right will be the Child Development Lab Suite, which will include a room that can be configured either as a classroom or as a child play space for observational research or instructional observations. The furniture will be modular and flexible, with both adult- and child-sized pieces available, and the suite will have an adjacent room fitted with a reversible opaque window as well as sophisticated audio visual educational tools for research observations.
“These tools make it so instructors can observe participants’ role play, interaction, or exercise in real time, while being able to simultaneously provide feedback to the student researcher,” Trunzo says.
Past the Child Development Lab Suite, students will find the Observation Roleplay Suite, a space that will house a central classroom and eight small role-playing rooms. Each room will be equipped with a reversible opaque observation window from the central classroom and include audio visual recording equipment.
Across from the Observation Roleplay Suite, students and faculty will engage in the Psychophysiology and Cognitive Lab, which will prioritize environmental controls (light and sound) that allow for precise stimulus presentation conditions. This room will house all iMotions psychophysiology equipment used for biometric data collection.
“iMotions equipment is basically a class suite of equipment and software that allows us to measure a wide variety of psychophysiological responses — so heart rate, blood pressure, and galvanic skin response,” Trunzo says.
Lastly, Trunzo notes that the Interaction Lab Suite — tucked in the center’s back corner — will feature flexible furniture arrangements allowing for interactions among small groups and an adjacent observation room.
Creating a community
For students, whether they’re beginning their college career or continuing their educational journey through an advanced degree, bonding with peers is essential. Keeping this in mind, Bryant faculty designed the space to include a break room and wellness center.
The break room will include lounge seating and tables where students can relax, study, and collaborate, as well as a kitchen where students can store and prepare food.
“In this space, our students can engage in informal discussion, group work, an exchange of ideas, and can collaborate on research projects. The community spaces are going to foster the necessary relaxation and socialization we hope to create to manage the stresses of intense academic environments,” Tortolani says, noting that she anticipates hosting community building events in these spaces — from social gatherings to cultural celebrations to advocacy efforts that connect Bryant with the Rhode Island community.
Meanwhile, the wellness room is meant to be a refuge amid the busyness of the academic environment.
“This space will be serene and peaceful to nurture students' wellness, self-care, and creativity,” Tortolani says, adding that it will promote student mental health and be an area for meditation, reflection, and a quiet retreat.
The room will have sound and light controls to block outside distractions and will be equipped with comfortable seating, floor mats, greenery, soothing light and sound options, and other decor to promote a sense of peace.
Next steps
As the plans shift from paper to production, Tortolani and Trunzo are confident the new space will enrich the educational experience for students and faculty dedicated to making the world a better place.
RELATED ARTICLE: Thoughts On: The Future of Psychology
Amid a national behavioral health crisis, with two-thirds of psychologists experiencing an increased caseload or waitlists that are hundreds of people long, the infrastructure of the forthcoming center, combined with faculty expertise, will help prepare students to address real concerns upon graduation.
“This space is really going to enhance the sense of community and camaraderie in the department, and it's going to lead to far better research and learning outcomes,” Trunzo says.
