Penn State Altoona students win international research paper competition

ALTOONA, Pa. - Two undergraduate students in Penn State Altoona's Integrated Social Science Research Lab (ISSRL) have won the 2025 American Society of Criminology's (ASC) Division of Feminist Criminology's (DFC) Undergraduate Student Research Paper Competition.

Seniors Riley Fegley and Yusra Haroon won the award for their study examining variables that influence college students' understanding of consent and sexual assault. They will be recognized at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Nov. 14.

The objective of the ASC, an international organization, is to foster criminological study, research and education. Membership includes practitioners, academics and students in the many fields of criminal justice and criminology.

"ASC is one of, if not the, largest criminological society in the world," said Nathan E. Kruis, associate professor of criminal justice and co-director of the ISSRL. "The DFC is one of the largest divisions in ASC. Yusra and Riley winning this competition is a big deal for our college and our lab"

Haroon and Fegley collected data from a national sample of college students using short, carefully crafted scenarios to investigate how variables such as gender, experiences with sexual assault education, and the Rape Myth Acceptance, which is the degree to which individuals believe in false and prejudiced beliefs about rape, influence students' abilities to correctly recognize consent and sexual assault. According to the data collected, the importance of sexual assault education is highlighted as one potential tool to help increase awareness and prevent the perpetration of sexual assault on college campuses.

"It is a great honor to have our work recognized by the Division of Feminist Criminology," Haroon said. "We put a lot of effort into understanding how education, awareness, and personal experiences shape attitudes toward sexual assault, so seeing that work acknowledged at a national level means a lot. It is encouraging as a student researcher to know our findings can contribute to meaningful conversations about prevention and accountability."

The students began conducting their research last year.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment. We couldn't be prouder," said Nicholas J. Rowland, distinguished professor of sociology and ISSRL co-director.

The pair were nominated for the award by Sam Gavin, associate professor of criminology at Saint Bonaventure University. Gavin, a leading expert in research related to domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and the impact of rape myth perception, collaborated with the students on this project.

Fegley and Haroon, currently enrolled at University Park, started their college careers at Penn State Altoona and became involved in the ISSRL as first-year students. They have continued as members of the ISSRL by taking independent study courses with Kruis and Rowland.

"The ISSRL at Altoona has provided me with amazing opportunities like co-authoring our paper," Fegley said. "Working closely with my peers and faculty mentors throughout my time in the lab has been a tremendous learning experience that I am grateful for."

Haroon agreed, noting that the lab is built on collaboration, learning and mentorship.

"The ISSRL team have created an environment that pushes you to grow beyond what you thought you were capable of," she said. "My experiences in the lab taught me how to make technical or data-heavy information accessible to different audiences, which is something I know will be invaluable in my future career as a forensic scientist."

The ISSRL is embedded in the criminal justice and sociology programs at Penn State Altoona. Coordinated by Kruis and Rowland, the lab is made possible by Penn State Altoona's Division of Business, Health, Humanities, and Social Sciences, headed by Nicholas L. Pyeatt.