Sam Castelblanco

Biography

Dr. Castelblanco earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University, a master's degree in Psychology with a concentration in Academic Psychology (teaching Psychology) from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology (with a Social Psychology focus) from East Tennessee State University. She has 10 years of experience teaching psychology (Asheville-Buncombe Community College, University of North Carolina at Asheville, East Tennessee State University) and is excited about teaching students at Western Carolina University. Her research interests involve examining the impact of nature exposure on health and well-being and when she's not teaching, she likes to be outdoors hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking with her husband and three children.

Education

• Ph D, East Tennessee State University

Teaching Interests

<b>Teaching Interests:</b><br>General Psychology<br>Social Psychology<br>Ecopsychology<br>Behavioral Economics<br><br><b>Courses Taught at WCU:</b><br>Cognitive Psychology (PSY444)<br>Developmental Psychology I: Childhood (PSY320)<br>General Psychology (PSY150)<br>Careers and Issues in Psychology (PSY250)

Research Interests

Dr. Castelblanco's research interests center on how social relationships impact health and well-being. More specifically, she is interested in examining the influence of nature exposure, self-control, optimism, stigma, culture, social support, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on social relationships. Her current research program focuses on investigating the effects of nature exposure on social health.