Female Serial Killer Expert Marissa Harrison to Speak at SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Potsdam's Department of Psychology Welcomes Dr. Marissa Harrison for Guest Lecture on Sept. 18

POTSDAM, NY (09/10/2015)(readMedia)-- Have you ever wondered what might possess someone to murder multiple people? Do you know what the most common form of murder is for a female serial killer?

Find out these answers and more, at a guest lecture by Dr. Marissa Harrison, titled "Female Serial Killers: What We Know," to be offered next week at SUNY Potsdam.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of Psychology invites the public to attend this free guest lecture on Friday, Sept. 18 at 3 p.m. in Kellas Hall Room 103.

Harrison is an associate professor of psychology at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. She received her Ph.D. in biopsychology with a specialization in evolutionary psychology from the University at Albany in 2006. She has additional qualifications in social psychology and behavioral neuroendocrinology.

Harrison's research has made for an interesting journey, including being a visiting scholar in comparative behavioral biology at the University of Southwestern Louisiana Primate Research Center in New Iberia, La., where she and her colleagues studied contagious yawning in chimpanzees. She has also collaborated on research with colleagues and students at Penn State Harrisburg, as well as at Albright College, the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, Georgia State University and UAlbany.

Recently, Harrison's research on female serial killers has been featured in the Washington Post, along with other national media outlets.

With one of the largest departments on campus, faculty in the SUNY Potsdam Department of Psychology are dedicated to research as well as teaching. Internship opportunities are available in a variety of areas for students. Knowledge in psychology can be used in almost any career -- counseling, research, therapy, medicine, education, social work or human services. To find out more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Psych.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $32 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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