Shelby Jane Seyburn
Eternal Lab Manager
1994-2017
Shelby Jane Seyburn joined the PTG lab in the fall of 2015 and served as a dedicated and hard working lab manager since the fall of 2016. Tragically, Shelby passed on June 3, 2017 at the young age of 22. Shelby’s memory will live on not only in our hearts but as eternal lab manager to the PTG Lab.
Shelby led and collaborated on multiple research projects including her most recent, the Teen Parent Programming project. During her time in the lab, Shelby attended and presented at the 2016 and 2017 Meeting of the Minds, the 2016 and 2017 Midwestern Psychological Association conference, and the 2016 American Psychological Association conference. Shelby also published her work in journals, such as the Meeting of the Minds journal. Shelby was incredibly passionate about statistics, always enjoying her time analyzing data and spending many late nights in the lab doing it. Her excitement for statistics started when she took Dr. Taku’s Statistics in Psychology course and continued as she took Advanced Statistics in Psychology and eventually as she served as a TA for that class. For all members of the PTG Lab, Shelby was ready to assist with data analyses in any way she could. Her excitement for statistics rubbed off on others, helping us to find passion in it as well.
Shelby’s project, Teen Parent Programming, will continue and will serve as an educational intervention program to assist teen parents to foster their social support and personal growth. Most of Shelby’s research revolved around social support in adolescents, as she always emphasized the importance of family and friends in the wake of trauma and stress. Shelby’s passions shined through in this work, making it clear that her goal was to help and encourage adolescents experience growth following stress. This dedication and admiration for social support that Shelby possessed stood out in the way she spoke so highly of her relationships with her family and friends. The PTG Lab will carry out her work in her 
name and her memory will be with us every step of the way.
In addition to her accomplishments in the PTG Lab, Shelby thrived in multiple aspects of her academic and personal life. Shelby graduated from Oakland University with honors in psychology. She strived to help others in many other aspects of her life as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and Orchard Grove Church.
Shelby was also passionate about fitness and nutrition, always waking up before anyone else to make it to the gym before her day even started. She was a proud daughter, sister to three younger brothers, as well as a loving granddaughter, niece, friend, and babysitter. Shelby loved the people in her life which was obvious in the way she boasted and spoke of them daily. She always offered an ear to empathize when things were hard and celebrate when things went well.We thank Shelby for everything she has taught and instilled in us. Her passions and dreams will grow in many people’s hearts and lives.
Shelby was a mentor, colleague, and friend and while she is no longer with us physically, 
her academic accomplishments and goals as well as her heartwarming and charming essence is with us in spirit every day. Shelby always strived to do her best, never gave up when things got difficult, and managed to laugh through it all. Having Shelby as eternal lab manager will be a reminder for everyone in the lab to follow in her footsteps for years to come.
Shelby’s family and many others whose lives she touched in the Psychology Department have been working together to establish the foundation to keep her passion alive and assist psychology majors. On November 3, Shelby’s family had a fundraiser for the foundation. It was a special fitness event. More later!
FF-TIP LAB 