Headshot of Mat Gendle

Mat Gendle

Professor of Psychology

Department: Psychology

Office and address: Global Commons, office 216 2675 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244

Phone number: (336) 278-6431

Professional Expertise

Ethics and pedagogy in community-based global learning; behavioral neuroscience; neuropharmacology; consciousness

Brief Biography

Dr. Gendle is the Director of Project Pericles and is a Professor of Psychology at Elon University. He joined Elon's faculty in 2003 after earning his Ph.D. in biopsychology from Cornell University. Gendle’s research and professional interests include ethics and best practices in higher education-community organization partnerships in international settings, as well as disciplinary research that focuses on: 1) neuropharmacology (particularly in relation to the prefrontal cortex); 2) nutritional neuroscience; 3) perceptual, neurobiological, and philosophical aspects of human consciousness; and, 4) social and geopolitical components of drug use and commerce. At Elon, Gendle teaches undergraduate courses in behavioral neuroscience, neuropharmacology, consciousness, and global studies.

    Education

    August 2003   Ph.D. in Psychology (Biopsychology), Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

    Dissertation: Prenatal Cocaine Exposure and Enduring Cognitive Dysfunction: Evidence from an Animal Model

    Graduate Minor Fields: neuropharmacology, cognitive development

     

    June 1998        B.S. in Biology and Psychology, Hobart College, Geneva, NY

    Employment History

    August 2015 – Present             Professor, Department of Psychology, Elon University, Elon NC

    August 2009 – July 2015          Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Elon University, Elon, NC

    March 2009                              Granted tenure

    August 2003 – July 2009          Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Elon University, Elon, NC

    June 2007 – Present                Instructor, ELON Academy, Elon University, Elon, NC

    Courses Taught

    • PSY 2430: Behavioral Neuroscience
    • PSY 350: Principles of Drug Action
    • PSY 461: Senior Seminar
    • NEU 495: Seminar in Neuroscience
    • COR 1100: The Global Experience (Culture, Society, and Drugs)
    • Classes for Periclean Scholars program
    • ELON Academy: The Brain: A Users Guide

    Leadership Positions

    • Director, Project Pericles (2017-present).
    • Associate Director, Project Pericles (2015-2017).
    • Mentor, Periclean Scholars Classes of 2019 and 2023.
    • Coordinator: Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (2013-2015).
    • Faculty Ombudsperson (2013-2019).
    • Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR): Councilor (Psychology Division), term: 2010 – 2013.
    • Elon University Academic Council (2010 – 2013).  Chair 2012-2013; Chair-elect 2011-2012
    • Chair, Elon University Institutional Review Board (2006 - 2009).

    Research

    Current research interests include ethics and best practices in higher education-community organization partnerships in international settings, as well as disciplinary research that focuses on: 1) neuropharmacology (particularly in relation to the prefrontal cortex); 2) nutritional neuroscience; 3) perceptual, neurobiological, and philosophical aspects of human consciousness; and, 4) social and geopolitical components of drug use and commerce.

    Publications

    Note: Elon University undergraduate co-author(s) in bold.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. S. (2024). The Community Engagement and Partnership Inventory (CEPI): An aspirational open-source instrument to assess community-based global learning programs. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 30(2), doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.4909

    Gendle, M. (2024). Doing a disservice to Sri Lanka: John Gimlette’s Elephant Complex. Tourism in Paradise, 7, 42-43.

    Gendle, M. (2024). Factors limiting the return of United States tourists to Sri Lanka. Tourism in Paradise, 6, 49-51.

    Gendle, M. H., Senadeera, B., & Tapler, A. (2023). A novel instrument for the community-centered assessment of outcomes resulting from visits by foreign student groups. Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, 16(1), 1-9.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. (2023). International undergraduates are not a resource for neocolonial exploitation. Essays in Education, 29(1), Article 5. https://openriver.winona.edu/eie/vol29/iss1/5

    Gendle, M., & Tapler, A. (2022). Are the international components of global learning programs ethical and appropriate? Some considerations utilizing a Fair Trade Learning framework. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 26, 207-217.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. (2022). Utility of the Global Engagement Survey (GES) to quantitatively evaluate a unique undergraduate community-based global learning program. The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 14, 29-38.

    Gendle, M. & Tapler, A. (2022). The problem with voluntourism. Tourism in Paradise, 5, 51-53.

    Motley, P., Allocco, A., Gendle, M., Vandermaas-Peeler, M. (2021). COVID-19: A catalyst for rethinking global engagement. The Global Impact Exchange: A Quarterly Publication of Diversity Abroad, Summer 2021 edition, 24-27.

    Gendle, M. H., & Senadeera, B. (2020). Sarvodaya and Elon University: A Model for Transnational Partnership in Community Based Tourism (CBT). Tourism in Paradise, 3, 38-42.

    Gendle, M. H., Snapp, K. R., & Shuback, A. T. (2018). Total cholesterol levels and sustained attention in university undergraduates. North American Journal of Psychology, 20, 81-90.

    Gendle, M. H., & Mónico, C. C. (2017). The balloon effect: The role of U.S. drug policy in the displacement of unaccompanied minors from the Central American Northern Triangle. Journal of Trafficking, Organized Crime, and Security, 3, 12-20.

    Gendle, M. H., Dowell, S. W. II, Paxton, R. E., & O’Krent, R. H. (2017). Oral 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) Does not Affect Grooved Pegboard Test Performance. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 133, 1-5.

    Gendle, M. H. (2016). The problem of dualism in modern Western medicine. Mens Sana Monographs, 14, 141-151.

    Gendle, M. H. (2016). The potential behavioral and economic impacts of widespread HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (statin) use. Medical Hypotheses, 97, 54-58.

    Gendle, M. H., Flashburg, A. G., Higgins, K. L., & Oristian, K. M. (2015). Low total cholesterol levels and performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 131, 19-24.

    Gendle, M. H., & O’Hara, K. P. (2015). Oral magnesium supplementation and test anxiety in university undergraduates. Journal of Articles in Support of the Null Hypothesis, 11, 21-30.

    Gendle, M. H., Young, E., & Romano, A. (2013). Effects of oral 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) on a standardized planning task: Insight into possible dopamine/serotonin interactions in the forebrain. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 28, 270-273.

    Gendle, M. H., & McGrath, M .G. (2012). Can the 8-coil Shakti alter subjective emotional experience? A randomized, placebo controlled study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 114, 217-235.

    Gendle, M. H., Stroman, A. K., & Mullin, D. P. (2011). Effect of an acute dose of crude kava root extract on problem solving in healthy young adults. Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism, 23, 160-163.

    Beaudin, S. A., Gendle, M. H., & Strupp, B. J. (2011). Gender influences on the cognitive and emotional effects of prenatal cocaine exposure: Insights from an animal model. In M Lewis & L. Kestler (Eds.), Gender differences in prenatal substance exposure (pp. 77-96). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Gendle, M. H. (2011). Discussing philosophy of mind in introductory neuroscience classes. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 9, E5-E7.

    Gendle, M. H., Glazer, K. S., Olszewski, E. A., & Novak, C. A. (2011). Relationships between total cholesterol levels and specific alterations in impulsivity and attention. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 127, 13-17.

    Gendle, M. H. & Golding, A. C. (2010). Oral administration of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) impairs decision making under ambiguity but not under risk: Evidence from the Iowa Gambling Task. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 25, 491-499.

    Gendle, M. H. & Olszewski, E. A. (2010).  High-risk tanning behaviors, ultraviolet light dependency, and responses to the Addiction Potential Scale in university undergraduates. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 126, 15-22.

    Gendle, M. H. (2010). Use and abuse: Drugs and drug commerce in a global context. R. Haskell & T. Arcaro (Eds.), Understanding the global experience. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

    Gendle, M. H., Smucker, D. M., Stafstrom, J. A., Helterbran, M. C., & Glazer, K. S. (2009). Attention and reaction time in university students following the consumption of Red Bull®.  The Open Nutrition Journal, 3, 8-10.

    Gendle, M. H., Spaeth, A. M., Dollard, S. M., & Novak, C. A. (2008). Functional relationships between serum total cholesterol levels, executive control, and sustained attention. Nutritional Neuroscience, 11, 84-94.

    Gendle, M. H. (2007). Word-gustatory synesthesia: A case study. Perception, 36, 495-507.

    Gendle, M. H. & Finnegan, E. E. (2007).  Self-imposed dietary restraint and food Stroop performance in college-age women.  Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 123, 49-59. 

    Gendle, M. H. & Ransom, M. R. (2006). Use of the electronic game SIMON® as a measure of working memory span in college age adults. Journal of Behavioral and Neuroscience Research, 4, 1-7.

    Gendle, M. H., White, T. L., Strawderman, M. S., Mactutus, C. F., Booze, R. M., Levitsky, D. A., & Strupp, B. J. (2004). Enduring effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on selective attention: Evidence from an animal model. Behavioral Neuroscience, 118, 290-297.

    Gendle, M. H., Strawderman, M. S., Mactutus, C. F., Booze, R. M., Levitsky, D. A., & Strupp, B. J. (2004). Prenatal cocaine exposure does not alter working memory in adult rats. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 26, 319-329.

    Canfield, R. L., Gendle, M. H., & Cory-Slechta, D. A.  (2004). Impaired neuropsychological functioning in lead exposed children. Developmental Neuropsychology, 26, 513-540.

    Gendle, M. H., Strawderman, M. S., Mactutus, C. F., Booze, R. M., Levitsky, D. A., & Strupp, B. J. (2003). Impaired sustained attention and altered reactivity to errors in an animal model of prenatal cocaine exposure. Developmental Brain Research, 147, 85-96.

    Gendle, M. H. (2002). Increases, reductions, or no effect?  The puzzle of neural findings from animal models of prenatal cocaine exposure. Journal of Drug Issues, 32, 1-10.                                                                                                                                                  

    Linn, C. E., Young M. S., Gendle, M., Glover, T. J., & Roelofs, W. L. (1997). Sex pheromone blend discrimination in two races and hybrids of the European corn borer moth, Ostrinia nubilalis. Physiological Entomology, 22, 476-493.

    Karpyn, A., & Gendle, M. (2024). Beyond the Numbers: Rethinking Success in Higher Education Community Partnerships. Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative blog. December 18. https://www.cbglcollab.org/blog/beyond-the-numbers

    Ferrarini, C., Hartman, E., Gendle, M. H., Venezia, A, & Sloan, J. (2024). Assessing global learning: Global Engagement Survey Fall 2022 – Summer 2023 Annual Report. The Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative. https://www.cbglcollab.org/ges-pubs-present-1

    Gendle, M. H. (2024, February 29). DEI and the necessity of self-defense. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/08/10/tenured-professors-call-arms-opinion

    Gendle, M. (2024, January 14). Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education deserve your support. Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record. Also published as: Gendle, M. Diversity, equity, inclusion in higher education deserves support. (2024, January 11), Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. And as: Gendle, M. DEI efforts in higher ed deserve your support. (2024, January 11), The Butner-Creedmoor (N.C.) News and The Wilson (N.C.) Times. And as: Gendle, M. DEI efforts in higher education deserve your support. (2024, January 11), The Salisbury (N.C.) Post.

    Gendle, M. H. (2023, December 22). Greensboro Piedmont Academy, migrant children and the need for greater transparency. Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record.

    Gendle, M. H. (2023, November 9). In providing aid to Ukraine, U.S. should not repeat its past mistakes in Latin America. Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record. Also published as: Gendle, M. H. (2023, November 7). In providing Ukraine aid, US shouldn’t repeat Latin America mistakes. The Butner-Creedmoor (N.C.) News.

    Ferrarini, C., Hartman, E., Gendle, M. H., Sloan, J., & Gibson-Cornist, K. (2023). Assessing global learning: Global Engagement Survey Fall 2021 – Summer 2022 Annual Report. The Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative. https://www.cbglcollab.org/ges-pubs-present-1

    Gendle, M. H. (2023, August 10). A Tenured Full Professor’s Call to Arms. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2023/08/10/tenured-professors-call-arms-opinion

    Gendle, M. (2023, July 31). Why NC should think twice about the massive Buc-ee’s planned on I-85. Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer and Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun.

    Gendle, M. H. & Tapler, A. (2023). Periclean Scholars: Promoting a reimagined model of collaborative and co-created community partnerships for undergraduates. Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative blog. July 22. https://www.cbglcollab.org/blog/elonprojectpericles

    Gendle, M. (2023, June 28). Democrats, stop shaming third-party voters. The Butner-Creedmoor (N.C.) News.

    Gendle, M. (2022, October 16). While the internet doesn’t forget, it also continues to evolve. The (Norfolk VA) Virginian-Pilot. Also published as: Gendle, M. Social media posts may be forever, but your online brand isn’t. (2022, October 13), Wilson (N.C.) Times, (2022, October 18). Salisbury (N.C.) Post, and (2022, October 30). Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record.

    Gendle, M., & Tapler, A. (2022). A Call to Action-Oriented Land Acknowledgments in CBGL. Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative blog. June 13.

    Gendle, M. (2022, March 30). To reduce gun violence, firearm regulations should focus on function, not form. Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. Also published in abridged form as: Gendle, M. (2022, March 30). How gun control proponents might win over some Second Amendment advocates. Charlotte (N.C.) Observer, Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun, Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer.

    Gendle, M. H. (2021, February 1).  A Non-Violent and Local Path Forward: Can the Sarvodaya Social Movement Offer a Viable Populist Solution to Governmental Dysfunction in the U.S.?. The Progressive Populist. 27(2), p. 11.

    Gendle, M. (2018, October 6). To preserve our beaches, we must rethink coastal real estate policies. Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.

    Gendle, M. (2016, November 27). Do they know it’s an awful song at all? Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer.

    Gendle, M. (2015, January 22). Reconsidering U.S. Drug Policies. Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. Also published (2015, January 25) in the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer as: Change in U.S. Drug Policies Could Ease Immigration Woes, and (2015, February 1) in the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record as: We’re Losing the War on Drugs, and (2015, February 8) in the Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch as: Gendle: Fix U.S. Drug Policies to Ease Immigration Crisis.

    Gendle, M., & Monico, C. (2014, September 13). U.S. Has Moral Imperative to Help Children at the Border. Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal. Also published (2014, September 12) in the Gaston (N.C.) Gazette, and (2014, September 27) in the Durham (N.C.) Herald-Sun, and as: Children at the Border: Ignoring the Faces of Those Who Suffer. Burlington (N.C.) Times-News (2014, September 11).

    Gendle, M. H. (2010, March 25). A New Kind of Drug: The Perfect Tan. Charlotte (N.C.) Observer.

    Gendle, M. H. (2008, July 4). It's Not a Zero-Sum Game. Are a Moderately Heavy Teaching Load and an Active Research Program Mutually Exclusive? The Chronicle of Higher Education. p. A31.

    Gendle, M. H. (2007, February 15). Big Blues: The Death of an Industrial Town. The Progressive Populist. p. 17.

    Gendle, M. H. (2006, July 20). Scholar, Global Thinker, and Hypocrite. The Chronicle of Higher Education: Chronicle Careers, Online.

    Gendle, M. H. (2006, April 13). Moving On Up. The Chronicle of Higher Education: Chronicle Careers, Online.
     

    Presentations

    Note: Elon University undergraduate co-author(s) in bold.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A (2025). Associations between rates of undergraduate participation in study abroad and institutional percentages of student receiving Pell Grants. AAC&U Conference on Learning and Student Success (CLASS), April 3, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    Karpyn, A., & Gendle, M. (2025). Beyond the numbers: Rethinking success in higher education community partnerships. NC Campus Engagement PACE Conference, February 12, Guilford Technical Community College, Greensboro NC.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. (2024). University-NGO partnerships in South Asia: A case study of reciprocity and community benefits grounded in Fair Trade Learning. 7th Annual Community-Based Global Learning Summit, November 8-10, Worcester, MA. [did not present due to flight cancellations]

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. (2024). Centering community voices in the evaluation of global learning programs. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, May 28-31, New Orleans LA.

    Stevens, A., Geis, P. J., Gendle, M. H., & Hartman, E. (2024). Assessing global learning as a tool for international education leadership. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, May 28-31, New Orleans LA.

    Gendle, M. H. (2024). Promoting equity-minded leadership for faculty at all ages and career stages. AAC&U 2024 Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, March 21-23, Philadelphia PA.

    Gendle, M. H., & Tapler, A. (2024). The CEPI: A new tool to assess community-based learning programs. NC Campus Engagement PACE Conference, February 14, Guilford College, Greensboro NC.

    Gendle, M. H., Hilpuesch, J. M., & Riley, M. P. (2020). Grapheme-color Synesthesia and Word Search Performance: Implications For Group Studies Of Synesthetes. The Science of Consciousness, April 13-18, Tucson, AZ. Abstract accepted but meeting cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak.

    Lostoski, E. M., & Gendle, M. (2020). Effects of oral 5-HTP administration on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast, March 28, Longwood University, Farmville, VA. Abstract accepted but meeting cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak.

    Gendle, M. H. (2018). The primacy of consciousness in the universe: Are “funda-mental” theories of consciousness being over-emphasized? The Science of Consciousness, April 2-7, Tucson, AZ.

    Bodner, K. A., Riley, M. P., Hochschuler, J. L., & Gendle, M. H. (2018). Potential cognitive-enhancing effects of oral phosphatidylserine in middle-age adults. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE). April 14, High Point, NC.

    Gendle, M. H. (2016). The problem of the duality of “physical” and “mental” disorders in modern Western medicine. The Science of Consciousness, April 25-30, Tucson, AZ.

    Snapp, K. R., Shuback, A. T., & Gendle, M. H. (2016). Relationships between total cholesterol levels and performance on the Conners Continuous Performance Test II. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE). April 2, Clinton, SC.

    Kneeland, K., Paxton, R., Sullivan, M., & Gendle, M. (2016). Alcohol Use and Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE). April 2, Clinton, SC.

    Dowell, S. W., Paxton, R. E., O’Krent, R. H., & Gendle, M. H. (2015). Oral 5-HTP does not affect fine motor control. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE). March 28, Asheville, NC.

    Gendle, M. H., Flashburg, A. G., Higgins, K. L., & Oristian, K. M. (2014). Did cholesterol-lowering drugs play a significant causal role in the financial crisis of 2007-2008? Toward a Science of Consciousness, April 21-26, Tucson, AZ.

    O'Hara, K., & Gendle, M. (2014). Magnesium Supplementation and Test Anxiety. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE). March 29, Asheville, NC.

    Gendle, M. H., Pope-Ruark, R., Butler, J., Cox, D., & Chen, J. (2013). Advancing SoTL through the work of undergraduate research journals. International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, October 2-5, Raleigh, NC.

    Gendle, M. H., & McGrath, M. G. (2012). A randomized, placebo controlled study of the 8-coil Shakti device. Toward a Science of Consciousness, April 9-17, Tucson, AZ.

    McGrath, M. & Gendle, M. (2011). Can the 8 coil Shakti alter subjective emotional experience? A randomized, placebo controlled study.  Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE), March 26, Winston-Salem, NC.

    Stroman, A. K. & Gendle, M. H. (2011). Effect of crude kava extract on Halstead Category Test performance in young adults.  Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE), March 26, Winston-Salem, NC.

    Gendle, M. H., & Pugh, J. C. (2010). Beauregard and the “new” dualism: An emergentist response. Toward a Science of Consciousness, April 13-17, Tucson, AZ.

    Golding, A.C. & Gendle, M. H. (2010). Effects of oral 5-HTP administration on a computerized decision making task. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE), March 27, Winston-Salem, NC.

    Olszewski, E. A., & Gendle, M. H. (2009). High-risk tanning behaviors, ultraviolet light dependency, and responses to the Addiction Potential Scale in university undergraduates: A preliminary investigation. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE), March 28, Charleston, SC.

    Gendle, M. H. (2008). Engaging classroom examples: The extreme, bizarre, and the absurd. 5ion Conference, August 21, Elon, NC.

    Gendle, M. H., & Pugh, J. C. (2008). From the spirit to the synapse: Creating and implementing a unique interdisciplinary consciousness studies class for undergraduates. Toward a Science of Consciousness, April 8-12, Tucson, AZ.

    Spaeth, A. M., Dollard, S. M., Novak, C., & Gendle, M. H. (2007). Relationships between serum total cholesterol levels and cognitive function. Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE), March 31, Davidson, NC.

    Gendle, M. H. (2007). Word-gustatory synesthesia: Insight into a rare sensory experience. 1st Annual International Brain Conference, January 19-21, Orlando, FL.

    Gendle, M. H. & Canfield, R. L. (2004). Specific neuropsychological impairments in lead-exposed children. 23rd Annual Meeting of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, April 28-29, Research Triangle Park, NC.

    Strupp, B. J., Gendle, M. H., Morgan, R. E., Garavan, H., White, T. L., Strawderman, M. S., Mactutus, C. F., Booze, R. M., & Levitsky, D. A. (2003). Lasting effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on sustained and selective attention and reactivity to errors. 12th Annual Meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, April 23-27, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    Gendle, M. H., White, T. L., Strawderman, M. S., Mactutus, C. F., Booze, R. M., Levitsky, D. A., & Strupp, B. J. (2002). Enduring effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on selective and sustained attention and reactivity to errors: a dose-response study. Program No. 286.10. 2002 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience. Online.