The REACH Lab would like to congratulate Luke Novak on winning the College of Arts and Sciences’ Ovation Award for October. The Ovation Award recognizes students who consistently go above and beyond in their work on campus, and Luke was nominated for his reliability, the enthusiasm he brings to his work, and his willingness to help with tasks in the lab ranging from the mundane to those that require considerable personal initiative.
Luke joined the REACH Lab in 2017 following his interest in understanding opioid addiction and treatment. Originally from New Jersey, Luke was aware of the developing opioid crisis there and the corresponding efforts to respond to it and thus turned his attention to understanding the epidemic and rural drug use in his work as a USTAR student in the Department of Sociology. Through this work, he was connected with the REACH Lab and was hired as an Undergraduate Research Assistant with the Puerto Rico project.
Luke says he was very surprised and happy to win the award, and says he has enjoyed his time in the lab. Luke describes the lab as a good place to gain research experience, especially in writing and research methodology, and feels that it is a collaborative and supportive environment in which he is able to meet regularly with team members and present new ideas.