CC&L Lab Director: Ashley Votruba, J.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Votruba joined the UNL psychology faculty as part of the Law-Psychology Program in Fall 2017. She received her Ph.D. in social psychology from Arizona State University and her J.D. from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in 2017. Dr. Votruba also served as a Judicial Clerk for Justice Robert M. Brutinel on the Arizona Supreme Court from 2015-2016.
Faculty Page: Dr. Ashley Votruba
Graduate Students
Logen Bartz, J.D., graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2018 with a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science. As an undergraduate, she worked in a social psychology lab studying the relationship between race and gender, stereotypes as they relate to "permission to speak" in professional settings. She completed her honors thesis on perception of women's speaking time in professional settings. She is now a JD/PhD student in the Law-Psychology program. Her research interests include restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution processes. In her free time, Logen enjoys cooking, podcasts, caring for the plants slowly taking over her apartment, and looking at adoptable dogs online.
Abigail Herzfeld, J.D., M.A., graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2017 with a B.A. in psychology and minors in philosophy and anthropology. Before coming to UNL, Abigail served as an AmeriCorps VISTA at D.C. Hunger Solutions. She is primarily interested in studying the influence of cultural psychology on conflict resolution. Her particular research emphasis is on socioeconomic status and urban-rural differences. In her free time, she enjoys watching tv, hanging out with friends, and online shopping.
Casey Tisdale, M.A., M.L.S., received her Master of Arts at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in May 2023, where her thesis focused on empathy and sympathy for people who commit need-based theft. She received her Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) from the College of Law at UNL in 2021. Originally from Ohio, she graduated from Ohio University in December 2017 with a dual-BA in Psychology and Sociology-Criminology, a minor in French, and a certificate in Law, Justice, & Culture. Before coming to UNL, she worked full-time at Athens County Municipal Court in a Diversion Program. In her free time, she enjoys baking, walking her dog, and playing strategy board games with her friends.
Research Assistants
Jessa Alspaugh is interested in the intersection of psychology and sociology, especially as it relates to policy, law, and criminal justice. Outside of her professional interests, she loves to write and crochet.
Malia Bloemker is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology and minoring in criminology & criminal justice and victimology & victim services. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school focusing on forensic psychology. She loves going to concerts, reading celebrity memoirs, and listening to self-help podcasts in her free time.
Kaleigh Costerisan is from Castroville, TX. She is a second-year undergraduate student who is majoring in psychology and minoring in criminal justice. After graduation, she hopes to attend graduate school for psychology with a focus on criminology or forensic psychology. In her free time, she enjoys baking, listening to music, reading, watching tv, and playing with her corgi.
Summer Dryden is a second-year and first-generation college student majoring in psychology and criminal justice. She would love to pursue a career that aligns with both psych and criminal justice but hasn't decided on a specific job. Some of her favorite things to do include listening to music, painting and drawing, and napping.
Alejandra Moreno Guerrero is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in Psychology. She's still figuring out what she wants to do as a career, but would love to pursue a career that aligns with psychology. Things she loves to do are play softball, painting, and playing her piano and guitar.
Ayden Topping is a first-year undergraduate student majoring in both Psychology and Criminology. She would love to pursue a career that merges the two fields in the future. Some of her favorite pastimes are reading true crime books, knitting, and hanging out with friends and family.
Lab Alumni
Sydney Aistrope
Jeanine (Alana) Bertin
Melissa DeMayo (Hall)
Dawson Eccles
Kylee (KJ) Ellison
Sarah Erdmann
Kiley Gilbert
Ian Goheen
Haley Hackbart (Storovich)
Emily Hess
Mona Javidi
Zach Kneale
Kaela Meyer
Pawsbeh Moo
Jared Noetzel
Katelyn Rossell
Brooke Rubin
Rachel Sisley
Peyton Taylor
Grace Theodor
Reed Tiwald
Hannah Uhl
Alexander Vrana