Dr. Scherer’s Positive Psychology Research Labs
Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities (PPAH Lab)
The goal of this research group is to analyze literature, music and art for Positive Psychology themes and strength
Alexandra Gaeth is a University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) alumna and graduated in May of 2022 with her Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies in Biology, Psychology, and Sociology. To further prepare for a clinical psychology graduate program, she returned to UNO in the Fall of 2022 to join the Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities Lab and complete a B.S. in Psychology with a Concentration in Mental Health. Her research with Dr. Scherer within the Positive Psychology and Humanities Lab has been focused on examining the 24 VIA Character Strengths as represented in children’s literature. In the Spring of 2023, she received an Honorable Mention Award in Oral Presentation at the UNO Research and Creative Activity Fair on Building Character Strength in Children: Qualitative Analysis of Strength Themes in Children’s Literature. This qualitative research identifying strengths’ themes in children’s literature has been used to create public, educational content for Boys Town National Research Hospital. Alexandra has followed up this study with an independent research project, currently in the data collection phase, which examines the effect of narrative plot themes versus literal strength word mention on accurate identification of the strength. Along with her research at UNO, Alexandra is also a volunteer research assistant for UNL’s Sexual Assault and Sexual Health Lab and UNMC’s Parent-Child Interaction Training Lab. She aspires to attend graduate school to become a clinical psychologist and focus on research and clinical interventions for individuals who have experienced trauma. In addition to her academic and research responsibilities, she works as a full-time special needs caregiver. Outside of work, Alexandra enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going for walks with her dog, playing basketball and sand volleyball, and reading mystery/thriller books.
Alexandra’s top 5 signature strengths are perspective, honesty, humor, Fairness, and spirituality.
Emma Grubbe is pursuing a major in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is currently a member of Dr. Scherer’s Research Lab on Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities. The lab is focusing on teaching VIA strengths to elementary students through children’s literature. Emma is specifically focusing on the VIA strength of social intelligence. Post-graduation, Emma aims to pursue a graduate degree in either psychology or occupational therapy. Her primary academic interests lie in developmental psychology and language acquisition. Outside of academic pursuits, Emma enjoys reading, hiking with her dog Margo, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends.
Emma’s top five signature strengths are appreciation of beauty and excellence, honesty, love, creativity, and curiosity.
Ella Helm is majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health. She is actively involved in Dr. Scherer’s Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities Lab. The lab’s current project involves using children’s literature to teach elementary students about the Virtues in Action (VIA) strengths. Ella is focusing her research on the strength of teamwork. After graduation, Ella’s next steps are to pursue a degree in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and obtain credentials to become a licensed mental health practitioner. She hopes to provide guidance for children and young adults facing obstacles in the developmental stages of their lives. Outside of academic interests, Ella is a cheerleader for the Omaha Mavericks.
Ella’s top 5 signature strengths are humor, social intelligence, kindness, creativity, and appreciation of beauty and excellence.
Kyden Johnson is currently pursuing a major in psychology with a concentration in mental health, with a minor in medical humanities. He is currently a member of Dr. Scherer’s Research Lab on Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities. The lab is centered on teaching the VIA strengths to elementary students through children’s literature. Kyden is focused specifically on the VIA strength of teamwork. Post-graduation, Kyden aims to pursue a graduate degree in either clinical psychology or counseling, followed by a PhD program in clinical or counseling psychology. His primary academic interests lie in mental health psychology as well as developmental areas of psychology. Outside of academics, Kyden enjoys movies, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and spending time with his family.
Kyden’s top 5 signature strengths are love, spirituality, appreciation of beauty and excellence, social intelligence, and honesty.
Gabriel Kane is a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha and is working towards a bachelor’s in psychology with a concentration in mental health and a minor in sociology. He expects to graduate within the next year. He is a member of Dr. Scherer's Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities Lab, working on VIA Strengths in the Children’s Literature Research Group. Gabriel is focusing on the VIA strength of social intelligence as represented in children’s literature. Gabriel will be helping to teach and read teamwork books to Karin Rohrig’s third grade class at Brownell-Talbot. Gabriel’s ultimate occupational goal lies somewhere in the realm of therapy, yet to be specified. He is a people person and loves to listen to others’ stories and struggles. Outside of school Gabriel works as a direct care representative, coaching individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to achieve their goals and independence. Recreationally, Gabriel is a rock climber and works out regularly. He nerds out for anime, video games, and understanding others.
Gabriel’s top signature strengths are creativity, love of learning, judgment, perspective, and social intelligence.
Peyton Powell is a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Ethics. She is an undergraduate researcher in Positive Psychology under Dr. Scherer and an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Reiter-Palamon’s Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership Lab. In the summertime, Peyton works at Streck where she helps the Sterile Services team to clean in-house labware and prepare it to be sterilized. After graduation, Peyton plans to find work in a psychology or social work-related field and to eventually complete a graduate degree. Peyton loves to learn all things about psychology and is mostly interested in developmental psychology. She is also a big advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Outside of attending school, she loves to watch the Food Network, play with her 2 cats, exercise, and spend time with her family.
Peyton’s top character 5 strengths are spirituality, honesty, perspective, self-regulation, and gratitude.
Kevin Ramirez is a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and minoring in Sociology and Neuroscience. He is an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Lisa Scherer’s VIA Strengths in Children Literature Research Team. Kevin will be research the VIA research strength of social intelligence and will be involved in teaching social intelligence, fairness and teamwork VIA character strengths to third grade students through children’s literature. He will be reading and analyzing literature to help each child flourish and become more resilient for future adversities. Upon graduation, he aims to become a Clinical Psychologist. Kevin is the 2024-25 UNO Student Body’s Vice President and the UNO Out of the Darkness Campus Walk Student Walk Coordinator. Outside UNO, he is involved in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention - Nebraska Chapter’s Public Policy Committee and UNMC College of Public Health’s Harm Reduction Committee. In Kevin’s free time, he enjoys running, playing tennis, sunbathing, and spending quality time with his family.
Karli’s top character 5 strengths are creativity, appreciation for beauty and excellence, leadership, love, and curiosity.
Rachel Sabaliauskas is a native of Omaha, currently pursuing a major in Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology. She first graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2015 with a degree in Human Development and minors in Criminal Justice and Native American Studies. After spending several years teaching middle school in Florida, Rachel returned to Omaha and has decided to continue her education to become a school psychologist. Rachel is currently involved in Dr. Lisa Scherer’s Positive Psychology, Arts and Humanities Lab, focusing on inculcating the Virtues in Action (VIA) strengths of fairness, social intelligence, and teamwork in third grade students at Brownell-Talbot via children’s literature. She is focusing specifically on research supporting teamwork training.
Looking ahead, Rachel plans to pursue a master’s degree and an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) Degree to become a school psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, working out to decompress, and traveling.
Rachel’s top 5 signature strengths are Spirituality, Fairness, Honesty, Love, and Perseverance.
Izzy Vargas is a senior undergraduate at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, expected to graduate in May 2026 with a dual degree and triple major: a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology, along with a minor in Medical Humanities. Izzy has engaged in multiple interdisciplinary projects. Most recently, she worked with Dr. Lisa Scherer, blending her knowledge of positive psychology and strengths with Izzy’s knowledge of musicology. Specifically, she researched what bridges humanities, musicology, and positive psychology, mapping one strength for each of Seligman’s six virtues (wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, transcendence) onto Romantic-era orchestral compositions. She illustrated each categorization with musical excerpts and discussed broader applications of neuroscience, emotional and social well-being, and future directions. She was awarded “Outstanding Undergraduate Oral Presentation” at the 2025 UNO Research and Creativity Fair.
Positive Psychology, Health, and Medicine (PPHM Lab)
This lab seeks to understand how positive psychology can be applied to improve health and medicine of healthcare providers as well as their patients and families.
Hailey Bartz is a University of Nebraska at Omaha alumna, and graduated in May of 2021 with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health. Her current research is focusing on veteran’s trust in physician’s associated with trait forgiveness. Hailey aspires to attend PA school and ultimately work in the dermatology field to help others feel beautiful and healthy inside and out. She currently works part-time as a certified nursing assistant at the VA hospital. In her time as an undergrad, she was a member of the UNO softball team. In her moments away from school and work, she enjoys spending time at the lake, music, and relaxing with her family, friends, and two dogs.
Hailey’s top 5 signature strengths are Love, Humor, Gratitude, Social Intelligence, and Honesty.
Emily Champion is majoring in Molecular and Biomedical Biology and minoring in Medical Humanities and Psychology. Her overall ambition is to become a physician assistant. Emily serves as a student co-leader of the Positive Psychology, Health and Medicine group under Dr. Scherer, and she was awarded a FUSE scholarship to explore the effects of patients' perceptions and trust in physicians on patient adherence to medical treatment plan. Emily's interests outside of school include working part-time at Lakeside Hospital, serving on UNO Dance Marathon's Executive Board, and spending quality time with friends, family, and her beloved dog Wilson.
Emily’s top 5 signature strengths are Kindness, Fairness, Forgiveness, Teamwork, and Honesty.
Kiley Dinsmore is from Omaha and is majoring in Molecular and Biomedical Biology with minors in Medical Humanities and Chemistry. Her research interests include identifying positive psychology predictors of patient adherence to treatment plans and predictors of medical student well-being. Kiley will apply to medical school in the future with the hope of becoming an OB-GYN. She currently works as a Patient Care Technician at Nebraska Medicine, and as an Advanced Simulation Intern for iExcel at UNMC. She is also very involved on campus. In her free time Kiley enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outside, travelling, and relaxing while watching TV shows.
Kiley’s top 5 signature strengths are Leadership, Kindness, Love, Love of Learning, and Teamwork.
Ally Glaser is an Omaha, Nebraska native, and is a Junior at the University of Nebraska-Omaha majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She plans to graduate in May of 2022 and attend medical school in hopes of becoming a physician. Her research interests include positive psychology inventions with regards to patient wholistic health. Ally is currently studying the intervention roles music can play in human psychology. She hopes to one day apply these findings in the clinical setting to provide her future patients with not only physical health support, but also mental health maintenance within their treatment. She is a licensed SCUBA diver and a licensed pilot, and enjoys backpacking, reading, recreational sports, and talking openly with others about mental health issues.
Ally’s top 5 signature strengths are Kindness, Humor, Curiosity, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, and Spirituality.
Sydney Hampton from Durant, Oklahoma, is a Biology major, minoring in Chemistry, Psychology and Spanish. Sydney is the student co-leader of the Positive Psychology, Health, and Medicine group under Dr. Scherer. She was awarded a FUSE scholarship to examine patient adherence and wellbeing of spinal cord residents of QLI, where she works as a certified nursing assistant. Sydney aspires to become a physician assistant. She is a pitcher for the UNO softball team and enjoys spending time with her one-year old Australian shepherd, Baker.
Sydney’s top 5 signature strengths are Humor, Gratitude, Judgment, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, and Kindness
Abby Lingelbach from Omaha, Nebraska, is majoring in Spanish language and literature with a minor in chemistry. Abby is currently focusing on positive psychology predictors of patient adherence to treatment plans and positive psychology interventions to buffer burnout among physicians in the Doctors Without Borders program. Abby will apply to medical school with the hope of working in underserved communities. She has two pugs named Georgia and Lucy.
Abby’s top 5 signature strengths are Self-Regulation, Teamwork, Honesty, Love, and Fairness.
Asia Wewel, from Omaha, Nebraska, is an undergraduate student double majoring in Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After graduation, she hopes to obtain a PhD or PsyD in clinical psychology and eventually work with children. Under Dr. Scherer, Asia will be identifying strengths-based themes in children’s books. In her leisure, she loves to play music, read, learn languages, and create art.
Asia’s top five strengths are: Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Humor, Fairness, Humility, and Kindness.
Positive Psychology and Well-being Among College Students Lab (PPW-C Lab)
This lab seeks to understand the stressors experienced by working college students and how principles and practices of positive psychology can serve as protective factors in reducing and even preventing negative outcomes and facilitate student flourishing.
Isha Dhakal is pursuing a bachelor's in psychology with a concentration in Mental Health and a minor in Chemistry. She in on the pre-med route in hopes of becoming a psychiatrist. She was awarded a FUSE scholarship, under Dr. Scherer, for her project which examines whether the strength of the relationship between mindfulness and wellbeing differ for nontraditional versus traditional college students. She is currently a Senator for the College of Arts and Science in Student Government and is a Board Member of the Women and Gender Equity Center. She currently works part-time as a pharmacy technician at CVS as well as a patient attendant at UNMC. In her free time, Isha loves to go biking and spend time with her family and friends.
Isha’s top 5 signature strengths are Love, Fairness, Curiosity, Love of Learning, and Hope.
Cierra Johnson is a student at the University of Nebraska Omaha majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Mental Health with a minor in Medical Humanities. She is currently working with Dr. Scherer’s Service-Learning partner, Omaha Middle College, to create content and activities for positive psychology concepts that are usable for high school students. She is also researching the consequences of high and low levels of each of the eight wellness dimensions and why it matters. After graduation, Cierra wishes to continue her education in graduate school to pursue her PsyD in Clinical Psychology. Cierra is involved in the Psychology Student Board and the Chi Omega sorority on campus. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, going to concerts, and journaling.
Cierra’s top 5 signature strengths are Love, Kindness, Appreciation of Beauty, Humor, and Perspective.
Kyden Johnson is currently pursuing a major in psychology with a concentration in mental health, with a minor in medical humanities. He is currently a member of Dr. Scherer’s Research Lab on Positive Psychology, Arts, and Humanities. The lab is centered on teaching the VIA strengths to elementary students through children’s literature. Kyden is focused specifically on the VIA strength of teamwork. Post-graduation, Kyden aims to pursue a graduate degree in either clinical psychology or counseling, followed by a PhD program in clinical or counseling psychology. His primary academic interests lie in mental health psychology as well as developmental areas of psychology. Outside of academics, Kyden enjoys movies, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and spending time with his family.
Kyden’s top 5 signature strengths are Love, Spirituality, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Social Intelligence, and Honesty.
Rae Morales was raised in Michigan until she moved to Omaha during her adolescent years. Rae is currently attending the University of Nebraska at Omaha to complete her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a concentration in mental health. Her research interests include positive psychology, multicultural psychology, and work-life balance. Rae’s research is currently focused on the influence of mindfulness on working college students’ stress, well-being, and school engagement. Rae received a FUSE scholarship for the 2020-2021 school year for her research project The Effects of General Stress Level on Student Burnout and Student Engagement, and she is a co-author on a paper with Dr. Scherer, Shaina Kumar and Emily McQuade that was accepted for a podium presentation at the World Congress for the International Positive Psychology Association. Rae is hoping to pursue a graduate degree in either counseling or clinical psychology. Rae’s current occupation is waitressing at the locally owned restaurants Pacific Eating House and the Twisted Cork. In her free time Rae enjoys creating art, reading, playing with her cats, and spending time with her husband.
Rae’s top 5 signature strengths are Kindness, Social Intelligence, Love, Creativity, and Judgment.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Working with an active research group gives students the opportunity to put book knowledge to work in a more 'real world' research setting. While textbooks often present science as a series of topics and facts, in a research group you participate in the activity of science, where answers to questions are not known, you build on the work of others, collaborate with others, gather and interpret data, and present the results for peer review and feedback.
Other Research Domains Explored
Because Psychology is such a broad area covering multiple areas of daily life, the Dr. Scherer’s undergraduate research groups have varied in their focus over the years. Some of the topic areas students have explored include:
Work-Life Conflict, Stress and Burnout
We have examined various issues relevant to the traditional areas of work-family and work-school conflict and balance among employees, volunteers, and working college students. Most recently we have expanded the non-work domains of interest to include volunteer/extracurricular and friendship/personal relationship roles. We are exploring individual and situational variables that buffer the negative influence of work-life conflict on stress and burnout.
Workplace Mistreatment and Violence
This research prong has focused on incivility, sexual harassment, bullying, workplace politics, ostracism, physical aggression and homicide in the workplace. Current efforts are focused on workplace violence prevention at universities, health care facilities, and court rooms.
Problem Solving and Decision Making and the Role of Mood & Emotion
Studies in this domain have included basic research on problem solving and decision making with particular emphasis on solution generation, alternative evaluation, and post-decisional regret. In addition, other decision-making studies have examined the role of mood, emotion, and emotional regulation of the decision making and behavior of college students, employees, and volunteers.
Volunteerism
This research has investigated numerous antecedents of volunteer engagement and burnout, with a focus on volunteer retention and well-being.
Past members and Research Fair Participants | Helpful Resources
Director
Dr. Lisa Scherer received her BA, MA, and PhD. from the Ohio State University, specializing in Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology. In addition to serving in the psychology department, she is a faculty member for the Medical Humanities undergraduate program and the interdisciplinary, online graduate program in Critical and Creative Thought (CACT). She represents the Organizational Science and Leadership Concentration on the Graduate Leadership Committee for the CACT program. She has served as a research mentor for more than 100 graduate students in I/O Psychology and 8 students in the CACT graduate program. She is active in the International Positive Psychology Association and in the Society for Occupational Health Psychology, focusing on employee, volunteer and student well-being, particularly through the application of positive psychology tools and strengths use and resilience. She has taught research skills and led over 300 undergraduate students conducting studies via Independent Study, Senior Thesis courses and FUSE grants. She has taught 18 different courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level. She has been awarded both the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Excellence in Teaching Award and the Outstanding Graduate Student Mentoring Award. As the former director of the UNO Volunteer Program Assessment outreach, Dr. Scherer provided consulting services to over 50 non-profit organizations to enhance volunteer program success, representing over 1.5 million of in-kind donations. Her signature strengths are Spirituality, Creativity, Leadership, Zest, and Love of Learning