{"id":202,"date":"2013-11-26T12:46:20","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T17:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/risc\/?page_id=202"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:36:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:36:18","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/risc\/people\/","title":{"rendered":"Current"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Faculty\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/a>Nora S. Newcombe<\/strong><\/p>\n

318 Weiss Hall
Telephone: 215-204-6944
<\/a>newcombe@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Nora S. Newcombe, Ph.D, is a Professor of Psychology at Temple University. Her research centers on cognition, development, spatial thinking, memory, and STEM education. Honors include the William James Fellow Award from APS and the George Miller Award and the G. Stanley Hall Awards from APA, the Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science, also from APA, and the Women in Cognitive Science Mentor Award. She is a fellow of four divisions of the American Psychological Association (General, Experimental, Developmental, and Psychology of Women), of the American Psychological Society, of the Cognitive Science Society, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/newcombe\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thomas F. Shipley<\/strong><\/p>\n

317 Weiss Hall
Telephone: 215-204-7890
<\/a>tshipley@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Thomas F. Shipley\u2019s research focuses on spatial cognition and learning. He applies formal methods from previous research to understand the perceptual and cognitive processes subserving navigation and visualization. His recent work aims to support undergraduate geology education with a longer term goal of understanding the cognitive processes that are critical for spatial reasoning and thus support STEM education in general for both K-12 and undergraduate students.<\/p>\n

Website: https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/shipley\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Graduate Students<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Naoya Tani<\/a><\/strong>
naoya.tani@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Naoya is a graduate student in the Developmental Psychology area and is mentored by Drs. Nora Newcombe and Ingrid Olson. He received his B.S. in Human Development and B.A. in Psychology, with a minor in Education, from University of California, Davis, in 2017. He is interested in episodic memory development with using both the behavioral and neuroimaging approach, such as fMRI.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/span>Stephanie Doner<\/strong><\/div>\n
stephanie.doner@temple.edu<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n

Stephanie is a Cognition and Neuroscience graduate student mentored by Dr. Nora Newcombe and Dr. Ingrid Olson. She received her B.S. in Psychological Science from the University of Arizona in 2020. She is interested in investigating spatial navigation, cognition, episodic memory across development. She is interested in doing this by observing behavior in virtual environments, and linking this with cognition and memory by using fMRI techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Post-Docs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicole Colchete
<\/strong>nicole.colchete@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Nicole Colchete, PhD, is a postdoctoral scholar working with Dr. Nora Newcombe in the RISC lab. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Bryn Mawr College and her PhD. in Educational Psychology from University of California, Riverside. Her research interests include STEM education, spatial memory, navigation, and how educators can leverage spatial cognition to improve STEM learning and equity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Visiting Scholars<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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There are no current visiting scholars.<\/p>\n

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Staff<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Olivia Biggs<\/strong>
Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

olivia.biggs@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Olivia graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in Neuroscience and Business from Gettysburg College in 2024. Her undergraduate research included working under Dr. Kevin Wilson in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, focusing on how tDCS stimulation \u00a0affects behavioral and emotional responses. She is interested in how neurodegenerative diseases and aging modulate behavior and memory consolidation.<\/p>\n

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\"\" <\/a>Abby Losey<\/b>
Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

abigail.losey@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Abby graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and a certificate in Spanish from Temple University. She is currently continuing her work with Dr. Newcombe, as she worked in the lab during her undergraduate as well. She is interested in investigating how children develop moral reasoning, judgment, and decision-making, and how these processes are shaped by environmental contexts across development.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Sofia Offutt<\/strong>
Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

sofia.offutt@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Sofia graduated with a B.A in psychology and a minor in Criminal Justice from Temple University. She worked in the RISC lab throughout her undergrad, and is now continuing her work with Dr. Newcombe. She is interested in how neurodivergence can impact the development of morality and empathy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Frankie Bolen<\/strong>
Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

frankie.bolen@temple.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Frankie graduated in 2025 with a B.A. in Psychology from Eastern University. Her undergraduate research experience included working in the Legal Psychology Lab under Dr. Kelsey Hess, and serving as a research assistant for Dr. Tara Stoppa studying the cognitive processes of mind wandering. She is interested in studying cognition, social behavior, clinical theory and practice, and understanding how these concepts connect.<\/p>\n

Undergraduate Interns<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Fall 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

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