Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004250099
SECTION: FOUNDERS DAY '90 PAGE: VT10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"When I do research that attempts to make a difference, it keeps me excited when I teach," Geller said. "And when I can show students how the science of human behavior can be used to make a difference, it keeps them excited, too."
Geller is a firm believer that research, scholarship and teaching go hand in hand. But, he said, he had two or three other advantages that helped him win the Sporn Award, which is given each year to an outstanding teacher of introductory subjects.
First, he teaches psychology, an exciting subject that lets students learn about themselves. "And what's more important than learning about one's self?" he asks.
Secondly, Geller says, the Department of Psychology has "probably the best group of teachers on campus." That makes competition fierce and challenges him to do his best.
And thirdly, he gets to teach all levels of courses. From freshman classes to one-on-one research projects, the many levels bring variety to his teaching.
Geller's research projects are far ranging, but most have the common goal of motivating people to change some particular aspect of their behavior.
Geller has done research into the best ways to motivate people to do everything from conserve water to recycle waste products to behave responsibly after drinking alcoholic beverages. He has used his behavioral-science knowledge to develop and conduct a program in Africa to persuade parents to have their children immunized against killer diseases.
His latest research involves analyzing the risky behavior of university students, developing and evaluating a driver-training program for Dominos Pizza and other pizza stores with delivery service, and planning a corporate-based recycling program. The risk-behavior project involves comparing the personalities and lifestyle of students who are into drugs or drinking or unsafe sex with those of student leaders.
The Dominos project is designed to help pizza deliverers avoid, not only accidents, but muggings and robberies while they are delivering pizzas. The videotape and workbook for this program has been translated into Spanish.
The recycling program, in cooperation with such local firms as Wolverine, Federal Mogul, Southern Printing and Tech's Corporate Research Center, will study various strategies for encouraging employees to bring their recyclables to work with them. Less than five percent of Montgomery County's residents take recyclables to local collection sites that require an extra vehicle trip, Geller says, and he hopes work-based recycling bins will increase the attraction and cost effectiveness of recycling.
Geller has presented innumerable workshops and training programs and has received grants from many sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Transportation, General Motors Research Laboratories, the National Science Foundation and the Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has served as a consultant to groups as divergent as the Virginia Division of Litter Control, the National Prison Project, the Pawtucket Heart Health Program, the Alaska Council on Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Ford Motor Company. He has published widely in professional journals.
But Geller says he could not carry out his research without his students' help. At any given time, he has from 20 to 25 graduate or undergraduate students helping with the research. That's equal to teaching another class, he said, but the students' assistance and leadership are invaluable.
For his work, Geller has earned several awards, including the Horace Hood Safety Award from the Roanoke Valley Safety Council, awards of appreciation and scholarship from the Virginia Academy of Science and the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Safety Scholar Award from the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Dance. He was also honored with election to the Virginia Tech Academy of Teaching Excellence, receipt of the Alumni Teaching Award and selection several times for excellence in teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences.
He is editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and associate editor of Environment and Behavior. Geller also is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of the advisory board for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. He is on the board of directors for the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and also is a member of the Virginia Tech Faculty Senate.
by CNB