Field Trip & Masterclass 

Dr. Mah Sue Lynn, PI of the ALiEN Lab, along with Dr. Nancy Ng, visited Mapúa University, Manila, Philippines from 7–12 September! 😊

Dr. Mah led masterclasses and workshops, showcasing PsychoPy and real-time body tracking with MediaPipe, giving students a hands-on look at modern psychological research. 💻

The visit included a tour of Mapúa’s Intramuros campus, meetings with faculty, and a trip to Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, highlighting diverse career paths in psychology and opportunities for future collaborations. 🌱

It was an inspiring experience, and many thanks to Mapúa University, all faculty, and staff for their warm welcome and support in making this trip both memorable. 📝

Dr. Mah delivered a masterclass for psychology students, covering: 

• The evolution of psychological testing, from early observational methods to modern computerized experiments

• Challenges of conducting experiments with young participants (including a recent study with kindergarten children)

• Strategies for navigating age-specific considerations in research

Students gained insight into the realities of psychological research, including handling unexpected outcomes in digitalized studies as experiments rarely run perfectly! 😅

During the visit, Dr. Mah showcased PsychoPy, an open-source Python library for creating psychology experiments. Highlights included:

• Demonstrating MediaPipe for real-time body pose tracking

• Visualising experimental data in interactive ways

• Running a numerical Stroop task workshop where students and faculty built experiments together

This provided participants with practical experience using open-source tools and emphasized that experiment-building can be approachable and fun.

The trip included a visit to Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, where Dr Mah and Dr Nancy observed that:

• Many psychology graduates in the Philippines pursue corporate careers, leaving fewer psychologists in counselling roles

• Opportunities for students through programs like the Master of Counselling (Clinical Mental Health), partnered with Sunway Medical Centre, which includes internships, practical training, and collaborative research

This highlighted the diverse and impactful career pathways in psychology.

The visit also included a tour of Mapúa University’s Intramuros campus, exploring libraries, research facilities, and meeting with more of the faculty. 

These meetings fostered potential collaborations and gave insight into resources available for psychology students.