Marina P. Gross

Marina P. Gross

Ph.D. Candidate, Cognitive Psychology, Arts & Sciences

Marina’s service to the community expands beyond Washington University. In her position as Graduate Representative to the Board of Trustees, Marina co-developed a plan for a graduate student housing project that would better connect the university’s students with the community around them, incorporating health and wellness resources and access to childcare and schools for students with families. In developing projects like these, Marina champions inclusion through her words and actions. She is always actively mindful and encourages those around her to think critically and inclusively by asking ‘whose voice is missing from this story?’ and by seeking out connections and conversations to build collaboration and consensus.

Ethic of Service Award Nomination

Marina P. Gross is a doctoral student in Ian Dobbins’ Memory & Decision Making Lab. Using pupillometry and behavioral measures, Marina investigates memory processes, how they relate to our conceptualization of attention or cognitive load, and how we can use pupil dilations to observe how we learn and forget information. While studying what can arguably be viewed as one of the most challenging disciplines at the university, Marina has managed to prioritize service to the campus community throughout her tenure.

Marina uses her research skills to assess systems, consult on improving transparency on campus policies and is a change agent working towards increased diversity, inclusion, and equitable conditions for all campus members. Over the past four years Marina has served as the Co-President of the Graduate Student Senate (GSS), Chair of the Diversity and Advocacy Committee within the Graduate Student Senate, Executive Committee Member of the Graduate Council, Senator in the Graduate Student Senate, Chair of the Psychology Graduate Student Association, Liaison to the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in the Graduate Student Senate, Diversity Committee Member in the Psychology Graduate Student Association (PGSA) and the Co-Chair of the Graduate and Professional Advisory Council to the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

Marina has also organized and participated in numerous Call Congress days, on topics raised by both the Washington University and St. Louis community. For Election Day in November 2018, Marina joined with the leaders of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and the Urban League in St. Louis to help fill a need for volunteers to provide rides to the polls for St. Louis residents. This event resulted in approximately 30 voters being driven to the polls by pairs of volunteer undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and community members.

Marina is expected to complete her doctoral degree program in June 2021.