Welcome to the LASR Lab!

Welcome to the Learning, Adversity, and Self-Regulation (LASR) Lab where we bring together perspectives drawn from educational psychology, developmental science, and child welfare research to understand intra- and inter-individual dynamic changes in development and learning as a result of early adversity. Specifically, our work focuses on the following main strands of research: (a) understanding self-regulatory processes that link early adversity, learning, and education outcomes; (b) advancing methodologies to better capture the complexities in development, learning, and prevention/intervention efforts; and (c) improving trauma-informed educational support for K-12 students with a history of early adversity.


 


Lab Director 

Dr. Carlomagno Panlilio

Dr. Panlilio is an Assistant Professor of Education in the department of Educational Psychology and a Faculty member in the The Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at The Pennsylvania State University. 

Dr. Panlilio’s research interests include early maltreatment and later student achievement, school readiness, student engagement, the role of context in shaping development, person-oriented approach in data analysis, and the application of latent variable models in the analysis of longitudinal data. Dr. Panlilio received his Ph.D in Human Development with a specialization in Developmental Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Current Graduate Students

Samantha Ellner

Samantha Ellner (her/hers) is a fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Psychology in the LASR Lab. She earned her M.S. in Educational Psychology from Penn State in 2022. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Colorado College. She spent several years working as a teacher at a language based learning disabilities school, which inspired her to return for a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Her research interests include the intersectionality of maltreatment and disabilities. Samantha’s Master’s Thesis investigated the relationship between language impairments and reading impairments in children with maltreatment histories. In her free time she likes to bake and craft.

Charles Alvarado

Charles Alvarado (he/his/el) is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the LASR lab from North Chicago, IL. He earned his M.S. in Educational Psychology from Penn State in 2022. Prior to joining Penn State, he earned his B.A. in Neuroscience (’16) and M.A.T. (’17) from Lake Forest College, and spent three years as a middle school science teacher serving students from an underserved community. His specific research interests center on the effects of adversity on students’ attentional processing and reading comprehension. He has recently been awarded a predoctoral T32 training fellowship with Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network (CMSN), where he intends to explore the intersection between neuroscience, learning, and adversity. In his spare time,  Charles enjoys anime, football, and cooking.

Lilyan Falcon

Lilyan (Lilli) Falcon (she/her/ella) is a third year in the LASR lab originally from Miami, Florida. She graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Baylor University in 2021. Her research interests center around the proximal effects of early childhood maltreatment and early trauma on the cognitive and emotional development of children. Specifically, her interests are in how parent-child and teacher-child relationship dynamics influence emotion regulation and executive functioning in children with maltreatment histories. In her spare time, Lilli enjoys watching Netflix, trying new coffee shops and traveling.

Madzy LaMonica

Madzy (Madison) LaMonica (she/her) is a first-year Ph.D. student in the LASR lab. Before coming to Penn State, she earned a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arizona. She spent five years working in early childhood learning contexts such as a Montessori elementary school, center-based care, and home environments. Her work with foster youth as a Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) inspired her research which focuses on the intersection of maltreatment, self-regulation, and behavior management in early childhood. In her spare time, Madzy enjoys watching NCAA gymnastics, bullet journaling, and playing the piano.

Current Undergraduate Students

JiHyo Kwok: Third-year Undergraduate, Neuroscience major

Originally from South Korea, this is JiHyo’s third year participating in LASR (Learning, Adversity, and Self-Regulation) Lab. She is primarily interested in brain development of childhood, adolescents within history of adversity and their cognitive, emotional development.

Lingyun Zhou: Third-year Undergraduate, Education and Public Policy major, Psychology minor

 

Lingyun is an international student from China. She is currently in her junior year, majoring in education and public policy, with a minor in psychology. As a Schreyer scholar, she is actively involved in researching trauma-informed teaching at the LASR lab. Her passion for educational psychology has been a constant since childhood and consider this field as a lifelong pursuit. To further her understanding, she has undertaken various internships in mental health centers, schools, and non-profit organizations. These experiences have increased her awareness of issues affecting youth. Her overarching goal is to ensure that every child has access to an equitable education and the opportunity to grow in a nurturing environment.

Summer Benton: Third-year Undergraduate, Criminology major, Child Maltreatment and Advocacy Studies minor

 

Summer Benton is currently a college junior majoring in criminology while obtaining a minor in child maltreatment and advocacy studies at Penn State University. After departing a year early with an expected graduation in spring 2024, she plans to build her career leading into her final goal of being accepted into a federal agency. With experience with law enforcement through working with State Troopers and Penn State Police, she’s excited to apply that knowledge to help others of all ages. She is known as being friendly and compassionate to her friends while employers recognize her as a highly organized, strong leader who appreciates constructive criticism. When she is not working, she is spending time with her family and always looking for a constructive, relaxing activity to take part in!

Lab Alumni

Dr. Amanda Ferrara

Amanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. She then completed a Master of Science at The Pennsylvania State University, and graduated with a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University in 2022, working under the supervision of Dr. Carlo Panlilio. Amanda’s research interests center around the effects of traumatic experiences on students’ self-regulation and learning processes. Specifically, her work has focused on the effects of symptoms of trauma on college students’ metacognitive monitoring during reading comprehension tasks.

Dr. Casey Mullins

Casey Mullins recently completed her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Penn State with a focus on examining important mechanisms explaining the academic performance of students who have experienced maltreatment with the goal of improving their academic and life outcomes. Currently, Casey is working as a post-doctoral associate at the University of Miami Miami-Dade IDEAS Consortium for Children, an interdisciplinary early childhood integrated data system collaborative with the goal of improving equitable access to services and implementation of evidence-based practices for young children.