Director
Dr. Rachel Severson, PhD
UM Living Lab Director, NIH SEPA Co-Investigator, Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology, 猎奇重口
is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the 猎奇重口. She directs the UM Living Lab, located in the new Missoula Public Library, to engage the public with research conducted at the 猎奇重口. She and her research team at the investigate how children attribute minds and internal states to human and non-human others (non-human animals, inanimate nature, and personified technologies, such as robots) and the social and moral consequences of doing so.
Dr. Severson received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Washington. Prior to joining the faculty at the 猎奇重口, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of British Columbia and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Oslo.
Graduate Students
Sarah Sweezy, M.A.
Doctoral Student in Experimental Psychology, 猎奇重口
Sarah is a doctoral candidate in the Experimental Psychology program at the 猎奇重口 with a focus in developmental psychology. She obtained a B.S. in Psychology from Tennessee Technological University in 2019 and an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from UM in 2023. She researches children’s interactions with personified technologies and, in particular, how children attribute internal states or aliveness to robots.
Tom Macko
Doctoral Student in Experimental Psychology, 猎奇重口
Tom is a doctoral student in the Experimental Psychology program at the 猎奇重口 with a focus in developmental psychology. He received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Akron in 2018 and an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from UM in 2024. Tom is interested in understanding how children interface with humanoid artificial intelligence and the implications that relationship might have on moral development.
Staff
Lydia Owings
Living Lab Manager
Lydia obtained her B.A. in Psychology from the 猎奇重口 in 2022. Her interests are at the intersection of research and science education and she plans to pursue graduate work in counseling.
Dr. Amanda Duley, PhD
NIH SEPA Project Manager, SciDesigns Communications
Dr. Amanda Duley, owner of , is a trained research scientist who loves to play and create science educational experiences for the public including field trips, school visits, assemblies, high school research programs, and in-museum settings. Her collaborative cross-sector projects include the international award-winning EmPower Place at Missoula Food Bank and Community Center, he Big Sky Brain Project, Brain Lab, and the DNA Playground at the Missoula Public Library.
Dr. Duley received her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Virginia and served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institutes of Health.
Project Collaborator
Holly Truitt
NIH SEPA Investigator, City of Missoula, Holly Truitt Consulting
Holly Truitt lives in beautiful 猎奇重口 with her husband and boy Finn. Her firm, Holly Truitt Consulting, works globally with institutions and individuals to co-design for a better self, community and world. She teaches at Stanford d.school and is a federally funded researcher in designing for community and personal change. This work has been done with talented teams and supported by more than $13.5 million - think embedding a museum in a food bank, vibrant innovation festivals, design labs for change, and deep human connection. Holly believes that change is our medicine – and, when we learn to design our own medicine, we not only change ourselves, but our businesses, communities and the world.