Three students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania have been selected for IUP’s Justice Research Fellowship program offered through the IUP Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center.
Emily Schumacher, an economics major from Abington; Emily Seebold, a sociology major from Mifflinburg; and Symia Taimuty-Loomis, a psychology major from Mars, were selected for the program after a competitive application process. They are the third cohort of students in the IUP Justice Research Fellows program.
The program offers the opportunity for the students to participate in “real life,” practical mini-research projects with IUP faculty during the winter and spring 2025 semesters. Students will be immersed in activities of IUP’s Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center faculty currently positioned at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in Harrisburg and will travel to attend training and experiential learning opportunities.
Students must hold junior or senior student status to be nominated and may be studying in any major. Nominations must come from faculty members.
The Justice Research Fellowship program is supported through the Department of School Psychology, Special Education, and Sociology and the Department of Finance and Economics.
Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center Director Christian Vaccaro said that the experience will have multiple beneficiaries.
“We are so excited to be in our third year of providing this undergraduate research experience to serve the public good,” Vaccaro said. “We continue to be impressed with our fellows and are proud to encourage them to explore careers in research and in public service. Our partners at Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency also see the value in this program,” he said.
“This year was a particularly difficult one in making our final selections given the level of skill and interest that nominees showed in their interviews with us,” IUP-Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency principal investigator at the Center Robert Orth said.
“This year was a particularly difficult one in making our final selections given the level of skill and interest that nominees showed in their interviews with us,” Orth said.
“We’re excited to offer this unique opportunity to students and guide their exploration of Pennsylvania’s justice system while also analyzing relevant data to arrive at informative conclusions that hold meaning for our state and local practitioners. In prior years, Fellows have applied their practical research skills to examine important justice topics such as crime rates, conviction outcomes, and reoffending. And the fellowship experience culminates in the students presenting their valuable research directly to senior executives at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to help inform decision-making and guide policy discussions at the state level. We’re thrilled to be able to offer such a rewarding, hands-on opportunity to upskill and benefit our students at the start of their career journey.”
In future semesters, the Administration and Leadership Studies Research and Training Center staff hopes to extend opportunities for participation to more eligible majors and develop a standing “for credit” clinical opportunity that deepens the opportunity.
Emily Schumacher, daughter of Susan Kelly, is a 2022 graduate of Abington Senior High School. A member of the Cook Honors College and the Economics Honors Program, she is a dean’s list student.
She is a member of the IUP Ambassadors Student-Alumni group, the Student Management Investment Portfolio, the Lettuce Eating Club, the Chinese Language and Culture Club, the Economics Club, and Future Business Leaders of America. She has been a volunteer for the Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana County and for the community Whites Woods cleanup event. She was a Welcome Week Leader.
“I was completely elated to hear that I was selected for the Fellowship program,” Schumacher said.
“I am really excited to work with Dr. Orth and Professor Lindsay Vaughan to analyze the crime data and be part of the work to help the Commission make decisions based on that information,” she said. “I’ve always had a desire to help people, and this fellowship is a step in that direction that can lead me to other research opportunities that assist in public policies and the allocation of resources, services, and support.”
Emily Seebold, daughter of Don and Tracy Seebold, is a 2022 graduate of Mifflinburg High School. She is a member of the Cook Honors College and a Trustee’s Scholarship recipient. She is the social chair for the Crimson Chords a cappella group, a former member of the University Chorale, and formerly worked as a resident assistant. She volunteers for the Indiana Players Theater, the IUP Department for Disability Access and Advising, and for IUP’s Mental Health Counseling master’s degree program.
“I am truly honored to have been chosen as one of the scholars for the Justice Research Fellowship,” Seebold said.
“I could not be more excited to begin this research for the Commission alongside Symia Taimuty-Loomis and Emily Schumacher and fully immerse myself in the educational opportunities and experiences that follow. The results reached through research are powerful and essential tools for a functioning and growing community and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to positively contribute to this community.”
Symia Taimuty-Loomis, a member of the Cook Honors College, is a 2021 graduate of Mars Area Senior High School. She participated in the 2024 Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applied Research program, expanding her research on the effect of psilocybin and ketamine for mental health disorder symptoms, and was selected for additional funding for her work by the IUP Libraries. She was selected as the top research poster presenter during the 2024 IUP-Indiana Regional Medical Center’s third annual Pennsylvania Mountains Rural Health Conference. She is the vice president of Collegiate Women in Progress and a member of the IUP Ambassadors Student-Alumni Association, Psi Chi National Honors Society in Psychology, Psychology Honors Program, a Department of Biology research assistant, an Applied Research Lab research assistant, a peer educator for the Haven Project, a Welcome Week volunteer, and a Welcome Week Head Leader.
“I am deeply appreciative to have been considered and chosen for the Justice Research Fellowship,” Taimuty-Loomis said. “I am passionate about understanding and improving the lives of others through research and I am excited to expand that passion through this opportunity. Not only will I get to work alongside and learn from some incredible professionals, but I will also get to have an impact on the community by exercising my skill set in research. I am thankful to have this position, and I congratulate Emily Schumacher and Emily Seebold who will be sharing this opportunity with me.”