Mika Armenta Email & Phone Number

In my position at Sandia National Laboratories, I:- Consult on the development and evaluation of culturally-sensitive and transferable educational materials to train professionals and researchers in Indonesia and Somalia on how to respond to terrorist threats- Conduct interviews, lead qualitative analysis teams, and develop and facilitate scenario-based forecasting workshops for strategic planning of the Peace Engineering initiative at Sandia National Laboratories - Lead, facilitate, and analyze output from workshops on Peace Engineering at international, transdisciplinary conferences- Have managed the organization of international conference tracts involving more than 60 attendees and presenters on social and cognitive science research in the Department of Energy laboratories

Erbil, Erbil Governorate, Iraq

I co-developed and lead participant-informed research on social cohesion and climate change in Basrah, Iraq. Specifically, in a between-groups design, we evaluated the impacts of a subprogram from Mercy Corps Iraq's, "Advocacy Creates Transformational Influence Validating Action for the Environment (ACTIVATE)" on aspects of social cohesion in a neighborhood in Basrah, Iraq. Many in this neighborhood are Sabean, a religious minority in Iraq, who experience some religious discrimination as a minority group. Many in the neighborhood are also concerned with climate change induced water scarcity. We found that, relative to a control group, those who participated in the ACTIVATE-inspired intervention felt more cohesive with other social groups than those who did not participate in it. We believe that this may be due to the nature of the intervention in that it caused people to think about climate-related hardships that affect everyone and not just their social group.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

As a graduate student, I have:- Led multiple collaborative studies in children and adults that combine theory and methods from the social and evolutionary sciences to explore how socially-motivated emotions and behaviors influence the interactions of individuals and groups. Specific topics studied have have included cooperation, forgiveness, social norms, and violence- Designed and coordinated participant-informed research with public schools and local community organizations- Managed multiple research teams of 2-10 members- Collected, processed, and analyzed quantitative and qualitative behavioral and survey data from more than 2000 participants- Supervised and mentored four M.A. students through their theses which included complete experiment design and analysis, analysis of pre-existing datasets, and literature review

Chicago, Illinois, United States

As a Senior Contributor at the Chicago Policy Review, I write articles that bridge the gap between academic research and public policy by translating empirical studies into accessible articles for the public and policymakers and interviewing practitioners on their insights.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I have taught several undergraduate courses at the University of Chicago including: Evolution and Economics of Human Behavior | Introduction to Social Psychology | Social Neuroscience | Sensation and PerceptionIn these courses, I:- Prepared hour-1.5 hour-long lectures for undergraduate psychology courses and created weekly lesson plans for seminars in several courses- Collaborated with other TAs and head instructors to ensure efficacy of instruction and develop course content- Led weekly discussion sections in undergraduate courses, managing 20-30 students per section- Guided students through course-long projects, providing feedback on experimental design and applicable psychological theories

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

As a Ronald E. McNair Research Fellow, I:- Co-led, designed and published on a psychological investigation of the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation and meditation on empathy involving more than 80 participants- Managed and trained research assistants, created and programmed novel psychological tasks - Designed a psychological intervention for accessibility and ease of use. Intervention involved Loving Kindness Meditation and a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that is FDA approved and uses only a 9-volt battery

University Of New Mexico, Department Of Sociology, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

As a Learning Circle Facilitator and Research Assistant, I:- Conducted and assisted with development and evaluation of programs in Refugee Well-Being Project, a community-based participatory intervention and research project on refugee settlement in Albuquerque, NM.- Interacted with Iraqi, Syrian, and African (Great Lakes region) refugees - Planned and organized group activities designed to encourage and teach refugee’s self-efficacy e.g., navigating US insurance system, how to fill out a job application etc.- Led weekly children’s Learning Circles which involved gathering refugee children and advocates for two hours each week for social time, structured cultural exchange, and one-on-one learning - Coded qualitative data from interviews with refugees

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

As the Volunteer Coordinator and Intern at the Los Alamos Study Group, I:- Informed leadership on nuclear disarmament and related issues in NM and nationally through research and scholarship and education of decision-makers and local press- Provided assistance with grant proposals and communicated with individual funders- Managed volunteers, planned events including academic talks and community meetings, and organized member and board meetings

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Psychology

Master Of Arts - Ma, Psychology

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Psychology And International Studies

Concentration: Peace and Conflict Resolution Area: Middle East and Europe Certificate: Peace Studies Summa Cum Laude | National Hispanic.

Certificate In Japanese Buddhist Studies (Study Abroad), Japanese Buddhist Studies

Studied Japanese language and Japanese Buddhism.

Certificate, Islamic Culture, Peace & Conflict Resolution (Study Abroad), Peace Studies And Conflict Resolution

Studied Modern Standard Arabic (Fuṣḥā) and Islamic society and culture.