My name is Ember Milstead, and since my junior year, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr. Jeffrey Ulmer and Dr. Gary Zajac as a paid research assistant for Penn State’s CJRC. Presently, I am assisting them with a study on the demographic and prosecutorial factors which may influence homicide prosecution in the great state of Pennsylvania. This experience has been quite enlightening as I am not only interested in the subject matter, but it has also allowed me to develop my skills in Microsoft Excel and legalese. Additionally, Dr. Ulmer and Dr. Zajac have expressed confidence in my research and open-source intelligence abilities, challenging me with the new task of locating victims’ demographic data online.

With all this said, I highly recommend that 3rd and 4th year criminology students consider working with Penn State’s Criminal Justice Research Center. Whether you’re looking to build your resumé or simply familiarize yourself with the field & the academic process, it is an excellent opportunity that should not be passed up.