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CORVALLIS, Ore. - An Oregon State University neuropsychologist has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award designed to support emerging influential scholars and educators.

Sarina Saturn, an assistant professor of psychology, will use the funding to investigate how naturally occurring variations in the oxytocin hormone (also known as the "love hormone") influence the experience and expression of uplifting emotional states and altruism in young children, young adults and older adults.

The CAREER award is the NSF's most prestigious award for new faculty members, designed to recognize and support the early career-development activities of the academic leaders of the future.

An integral component of Saturn's research involves forming a partnership between the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and the Cross-Cultural Mentorship Program at OSU in order to introduce underrepresented and first-generation college students to a variety of scientific research opportunities on campus.

Saturn holds a doctoral degree from New York University and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an expert on the link between genetics and empathy, and is particularly concerned with how oxytocin impacts social connections and behavior.