Meet A-CAPP Center’s 2020 Outstanding Senior, Joey Longo

April 30, 2020 - Jalen Smith, Liz Schondelmayer

As 2020 graduating seniors get ready to transition into the next phases of their academic and professional careers, many are reflecting on their list of accomplishments during their undergraduate careers. And for one particular senior, that list is quite long. 

Meet Joey Longo (pictured left), the 2020 Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP) Center's Outstanding Senior and 2019-2020 Matthew R. Maher Memorial Scholar. Longo, an International Relations major, first became involved with the ACAPP program in Spring 2019 as an intern and student researcher. His first major research project largely focused on counterfeit manufacturing in China.

“I wanted to better understand where and why markets like these were flourishing in China,” explained Longo. “People tend to group all Chinese provinces together as one, but there are distinct locations where this is happening. I wanted to understand what conditions were present in these areas to make these markets so successful.”

Joey worked closely with A-CAPP Center faculty Kari Kammel and Dr. Jay Kennedy on his research and presented at the 2019 Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs. He was also invited to present at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences this Spring as well, but was unfortunately unable to do so due to the COVID-19 crisis.  

Longo’s most recent research focuses on how intellectual property laws are interpreted and enforced in China, where over 90 percent of all counterfeit goods come from. “I've been learning how the manufacturing of counterfeit goods can support local economies, which creates incentive for agencies to weaken their enforcement efforts.” 

To Joey, this research isn’t just interesting - it’s extremely important for the public good. “Counterfeiting doesn’t just hurt large corporations,” Longo explained. “It undermines the hard work of many inventors and independent creatives, and depending on the product, it can seriously jeopardize consumers’ health and safety.” 

Longo noted his biggest takeaway from his time with A-CAPP Center is the team he has been able to brainstorm, collaborate and research with to reach new heights of innovation in the world of counterfeit and product protection. 

After graduation, Longo hopes to continue down a career path that is intellectually challenging and allows him to make an actionable difference in the field of international relations and public health. 

To learn more about the A-CAPP Center and get involved, visit http://a-capp.msu.edu/.