Harrisburg students gain research skills through ACE Lab

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Students researching substance use disorder in the Awareness and Community Engagement (ACE) Student Lab at Penn State Harrisburg presented their work at multiple conferences over the past academic year.

The ACE Student Lab, part of the Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research and co-directed by faculty members Övgü Kaynak and Christopher Whipple, brings students together to work on research related to substance use disorder.

The lab aims to help students learn about research — how to conduct it and how to write an abstract, for example. The students work primarily with data that has already been collected, such as data from the Life Unites Us campaign, a partnership between the Pollock Center and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Kaynak, associate professor of psychology, said she hopes students come away with a better sense of how to apply what they’ve learned about statistics, research methods and academic writing. ACE Lab students leave with more confidence in their ability to come up with a research question, think about how to answer it through data and statistics, and write and present their findings, she said.

“Many also tell us that while they went into the experience unsure about their feelings about research, they go out with a genuine love and appreciation of the scientific process,” she said.

Emily Kiefer, a biobehavioral health major, joined the ACE Lab in 2025, after a faculty member suggested it to her class.

“Honestly, it’s been so much more interesting than I could have imagined,” she said. “I think it's made me more empathetic, and it's taught me things that I didn't realize were of concern in our community. I think it's made me a more informed individual as I work toward a career in healthcare and public health, because I recognize that addiction and other people's attitudes on addiction and stigma are all so multifaceted.”

Kiefer and other students in the lab studied support for harm reduction strategies and demographic predictors based on data from Life Unites Us.

“We looked at support for fentanyl test strips and safe injection facilities based on demographic factors,” she said, explaining that they wanted to see if demographic factors, like age, gender, political ideology or income, would predict whether someone was supportive of those kinds of harm reduction strategies.

Their work was accepted for the American Public Health Association Conference in November 2025, where Kiefer presented on the group’s behalf.

“The opportunity to present at a research exhibition is super exciting, especially as an undergraduate,” Kiefer said.

Justin Riddle, who received his bachelor’s degree in psychology in May, spent two semesters with the ACE Lab. He was part of a group that examined why women with higher levels of depression and anxiety were less likely to judge individuals with some form of substance use disorder.

“It's something significant in the field since there's not much research on it,” he said. “So, we wanted to look into it specifically to understand why.”

The students presented their work at the Eastern Psychological Association conference in Boston in March.

“I loved every second of it,” Riddle said. “It was really nice to network and talk to other students there that also had shared some of the same values and findings, or even just being able to discuss research in general and see that kind of passion that some people have for their work.”

Whipple, associate professor of psychology, said presenting at conferences is the culmination of months of work for students and a chance for them to realize that others appreciate that work. They have the chance to discuss their work as equals with graduate students and faculty.

“Students are often nervous about presenting their findings to faculty members and answering questions, but once they do it, it is empowering,” he said.

Riddle, who was accepted to the master of arts in clinical psychology program at Penn State Harrisburg, said being part of the ACE Lab was like preparing for the next level.

“You're learning how to conduct a study,” he said. “You're learning how to write up the results, all aspects of a research paper. It's giving you that experience so when you get to that master's level, you're not feeling under prepared or feeling overwhelmed.”

Giulia Cantella, who graduated in December, also presented her own research — focused on college student substance use, perceived stress and anxiety — at the APHA conference after working with the ACE Lab in 2024-25. It was a great chance to meet people and network, she said.

“It was very interesting to confront ideas and findings with other experts in the field, and, overall, something that really sparked my interest in research,” she said.

Cantella recently took a position as clinical research assistant for Brown University Health in Rhode Island, and she credits the ACE Lab with helping her land the job. It gave her the base knowledge she needed about the research world as well as the confidence to complete her own independent study in her last semester, she said, noting that she handled everything from crafting the research questions and running a survey to getting required approvals and ultimately analyzing the data.

“The lab taught me everything I know, especially for this role,” she said, noting that she’ll be working with a team on studies related to supporting people with substance use disorders. “My time with the ACE Lab was incredibly precious and essential for me to obtain my current position and feel comfortable around its demands and what is asked from a research assistant.”

Community outreach

Since outreach is part of the Pollock Center’s mission, the ACE Lab is designed to include an outreach component, too. Students are encouraged to participate in community events advocating for treatment and resources or sharing information about recovery.

“We believe that community connection benefits the students and the people we aim to help through our work,” Kaynak said.

Students benefit from meeting and talking to people with experience with substance use disorder or advocates who are working on the ground to help people, she said, and it helps build a sense of trust and commitment with the community as well.

Whipple said he hopes students who participate in the ACE Lab leave with recognition of how important research is.

“For us, research is not simply about increasing knowledge or understanding about a topic but a way for us to improve the lives of those we study,” he said.