Clara Pool presenting her poster
Author: Clara Pool | Major: Biology | Semester: Spring 2025
My name is Clara Pool, and I am a biology major with minors in business and Spanish. I conduct research in psychology, specifically in the field of addiction. My current focus is on adolescent substance use, specifically how to prevent and reduce it when it begins. I have been examining protective behavioral strategies, such as parental monitoring and parental disapproval, and how these factors influence adolescent drinking habits. In my future research, I hope to build on this foundation by exploring the role of peer influences in shaping adolescents’ choices around alcohol. This research is incredibly important because adolescent drinking can disrupt brain development and can increase the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
This April, I had the opportunity to attend the Collaborative Perspectives on Addiction (CPA) conference in Providence, Rhode Island. This national conference, hosted annually by APA Division 50, brings together professionals, researchers, and students from across the country who are all focused on addiction science. It was exciting and surreal to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate about the same issues I care about. I was able to present a poster on my current research project, and the experience was both challenging and rewarding. Presenting at the CPA conference helped move my research forward in several ways. Not only did I get the chance to share my findings, but I also received thoughtful feedback and suggestions from experts in the field. These conversations sparked new ideas for how to frame future studies, especially around incorporating peer influence as a variable in my research on adolescent alcohol use. The feedback I received was encouraging and constructive. It was validating to see that there is real interest in the work I am doing. Attending CPA also helped me grow professionally. It gave me the chance to practice presenting complex ideas in a clear and engaging way, which is a skill I know I’ll use throughout my career. I also had opportunities to network with graduate students, researchers, and professionals whose work I’ve read and admired. One of the most eye-opening moments for me was attending a session on cannabis use during pregnancy. This isn’t a topic I’ve worked on directly, since my focus is primarily on alcohol, but the session opened my eyes to how pervasive cannabis use is during pregnancy and how often it’s misunderstood as harmless or even beneficial. I left that talk with a new area of interest and some ideas I’d love to explore in future projects. Another major highlight of the trip was spending more time with my research team and my honors thesis mentor. Building personal and professional relationships with the people you work with is so important, and this trip gave us a chance to do that. We bonded over shared experiences, discussed our research ideas more deeply, and supported each other throughout the conference. It reminded me that research is not just about data and results, it’s about collaboration, growth, and shared passion.
If I had one piece of advice for other students thinking about attending a conference like this, it would be to stay open-minded and take it all in. You’ll learn so much just by showing up, listening, and being curious. Talk to as many people as you can, go to talks even if they’re outside your exact field, and challenge yourself to stay engaged throughout the event. The connections you make and the ideas you gather can shape your research and your path forward in surprising ways. Now and in the future, I am continuing with my honors research, focusing on how we can better protect adolescents from alcohol use. I also plan to develop more poster presentations and, hopefully, return to CPA next year to share even more of my work. I’m so grateful to the Honors College for supporting my trip to this conference. Their support has made it possible for me to grow as a researcher, a student, and a future professional.