Professor Xiaodong Ma passes away in automobile accident

Xioadong Ma, professor of psychology, adult development and aging, died Sept. 13 in an automobile accident. She was 39 years old.

Ma became a professor at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) in August 2010, obtaining her Ph.D. in philosophy from Bowling Green State University earlier that same year.

Ma spent her time at UHCL teaching classes in social science and psychology. Born Jan. 12, 1977, in China, Ma

accomplished many things in her short period of teaching including a study conducted along side Chris Ward, professor of psychology and neuroscience at UCHL.

Ma and Ward did a study pertaining to the correlation between “Sleep and Depression,” later publishing their collaborative analysis into a research journal. Ward said he was impressed by Ma’s sheer work ethic and overall personality. Both were asked by a journal reviewer to re-analyze the data on their project using a technique Ward found unfamiliar. Ward said Ma took the lead.

“Xioadong just said, ‘I got this’, and had it completely re-analyzed and written up the next day,” Ward said.

Ma’s accomplishments can be traced back to her success at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Graduating with a Ph.D. in philosophy, Ma was guided and mentored by professors in the Department of Psychology at BGSU. Ma’s dissertation advisor, Yiwei Chen, professor of psychology at BGSU, sent a few kind words to the memorial.

“Xiaodong was my graduate student and dear colleague,” Chen said. “During her graduate study at the Psychology Department of [BGSU], she was remembered as a diligent student, a cooperative colleague and a lovely person full of positive energy.”

The chair of BGSU’s Psychology Department, Michael Zickar, also sent his condolences to Ma’s family.

“The faculty, students and staff in the Department of Psychology at [BGSU] all remember Xiadong as a gentle soul, someone who always walked the halls with a smile and someone who cared deeply about using psychology to make the world a better place…we grieve her loss,” Zickar said.

Ma not only made an impact on her former professors and colleagues but on her students as well.

“I always loved her gentle nature…it was easy for me to see that she was genuine and sincere and tried her best to help,” said Samantha Grant, psychology major at UHCL.

Grant added that outside of class she would visit Ma in her office and realized how greatly Ma adored animals.

“She kept pictures of her pets in her office, and we’d share stories,” Grant said.

Because Ma was an avid animal enthusiast, in lieu of flowers, her family asked that donations be sent to ASPCA, Bay Area SPCA, Houston SPCA or The Humane Society.