Organizing Committee
- Veronica Ciocanel
Duke University - Nancy Rodriguez
University of Colorado at Boulder - Chad Topaz
Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
Abstract
Social justice refers to fair relations between individuals and society, including issues such as equity, diversity, and inclusion. While the study of social justice historically has been rooted in the social sciences and humanities, mathematics and computation provide complementary and powerful approaches. Tools from dynamical systems, network science, applied topology, stochastic processes, data mining, and more have been applied to issues ranging from voting to hate speech.
This Hot Topics workshop seeks to promote new areas of research on quantitative approaches to social justice. We will bring together mathematical and computational scientists who are equipped with tools and methodologies that could be applied to social justice, as well as those who already have expertise with social justice work. We aim to showcase research at the intersection of mathematics, computing, and social justice, as well as build community among scientists interested in quantitative social justice research.
This workshop is fully funded by a Simons Foundation Targeted Grant to Institutes.
Application Deadline: February 19, 2021

Confirmed Speakers & Participants
Talks will be presented virtually or in-person as indicated in the schedule below.
- Speaker
- Poster Presenter
- Attendee
- Virtual Attendee
-
Alejandro Aceves
Southern Methodist University
-
Nathan Alexander
Morehouse College
-
Elie Alhajjar
US Military Academy
-
Manuchehr Aminian
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
-
Elizabeth Arnold
James Madison University
-
James Asare
Washington State University
-
Drew Ash
Albion College
-
Jayadev Athreya
University of Washington
-
Riti Bahl
Bard College
-
Jennifer Balakrishnan
Boston University
-
Gino Biondini
State University of New York at Buffalo
-
Ofek Birnholtz
Bar-Ilan University
-
Amber Boyd
Clark Atlanta University
-
Benjamin Braun
University of Kentucky
-
Ron Buckmire
Occidental College
-
Catherine Buell
Fitchburg State University
-
Danielle Burton
University of Wisconsin, Madison
-
Nathaniel Bushek
The College of St. Scholastica
-
Nathan Cahill
Rochester Institute of Technology
-
Beth Campbell Hetrick
Gettysburg College
-
Luis Carvalho
Boston University
-
Anastasia Chavez
University of California, Davis
-
Philip Chodrow
University of California, Los Angeles
-
Veronica Ciocanel
Duke University
-
Sara Clifton
St. Olaf College
-
Giorgio Cocomello
Brown University
-
Kashyap Coimbatore Murali
UC Berkeley
-
Cyrus Cousins
Brown University
-
Charles Cowan
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
-
Elijah Cox
Brigham Young University
-
Jennifer Crodelle
Middlebury College
-
John Cullinan
Bard College
-
Christopher Curtis
San Diego State University
-
Maria D’Orsogna
California State University, Northridge
-
Diana Davis
Phillips Exeter Academy
-
Soumya Dey
The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
-
Carrie Diaz Eaton
Bates College
-
Cecilia Diniz Behn
Colorado School of Mines
-
Moon Duchin
Tufts University
-
Ranthony Edmonds
The Ohio State University
-
Nicole Eikmeier
Grinnell College
-
Bard Ermentrout
University of Pittsburgh
-
Igor Erovenko
UNC Greensboro
-
Ricardo Fariello
Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros
-
Michelle Feng
CalTech
-
Brendan Fong
Topos Institute
-
Brooke Foucault Welles
Northeastern University
-
Padi Fuster Aguilera
Tulane University
-
Hitesh Gakhar
The University of Oklahoma
-
Paola Garcia
Ernst & Young
-
Justin Garrish
Colorado School of Mines
-
Ellen Gasparovic
Union College
-
Sommer Gentry
United States Naval Academy
-
Chad Giusti
University of Delaware
-
Keshlan (Kesh) Govinder
University of KwaZulu-Natal
-
Adam Graham-Squire
High Point University
-
Andrea Grimes Parker
Georgia Tech
-
Gianluca Guadagni
University of Virginia
-
Emily Gunawan
University of Oklahoma
-
Robert Gurnee
Cornell University
-
Shahrzad Haddadan
Brown University
-
Jamie Haddock
University of California, Los Angeles
-
Anna Haensch
Tufts University
-
Maila Hallare
Norfolk State University
-
Wesley Hamilton
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
-
Amanda Harsy
Lewis University
-
Alanna Haslam
Boston University
-
Fengxiang He
The University of Sydney
-
Greg Herschlag
Duke University
-
Abbe Herzig
American Mathematical Society
-
Alexander Hoover
The University of Akron
-
Linh Huynh
Case Western Reserve University
-
Sarah Iams
Harvard University
-
Kenan Ince
Westminster College
-
Cole Irwin
University of Chicago
-
Behnaz Jafari
UofC
-
Joseph Johnson
University of Michigan
-
Carter Johnson
University of Utah
-
Christopher Jones
University of North Carolina
-
Tulin Kaman
University of Arkansas
-
Unchitta Kan
George Mason University
-
Sung Ha Kang
Georgia Institute of Technology
-
Jakini Kauba
University of North Carolina - Greensboro
-
Brendan Kelly
Harvard
-
Taylor Kessinger
University of Pennsylvania
-
Lily Khadjavi
Loyola Marymount University
-
Ruby Kim
Duke University
-
Sandra Kingan
Brooklyn College, CUNY
-
Molly Knoedler
University of Auckland
-
Boyan Kostadinov
New York City College of Technology, City University of New York
-
Kristin Kurianski
California State University, Fullerton
-
Renaud Lambiotte
University of Oxford
-
Kamila Larripa
Humboldt State University
-
Grace Li
UCLA
-
Yuke Li
Westlake Institute for Advanced Study
-
Rayanne Luke
University of Delaware (Newark, DE, US)
-
Bruce Mallory
Boston University
-
Jonathan Mattingly
Duke University
-
Mohd Salmi Md Noorani
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
-
K. Medlin
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
-
Ariana Mendible
University of Washington
-
Brittney Miller
Coe College
-
Eli Miller
Williams College
-
George Mohler
IUPUI
-
Quinn Morris
Appalachian State University
-
Cristina Mullican
Lebanon Valley College
-
Adrian Muntean
Karlstad University, Sweden
-
Gregg Musiker
University of Minnesota
-
Kellen Myers
Tusculum University
-
Ashwin Narayan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-
Leonie Neuhäuser
RWTH Aachen University
-
Yasumasa Nishiura
Hokkaido University
-
Douglas Norton
Villanova University
-
Alyssa Novelia
University of Waterloo
-
Ezinne Nwankwo
Duke Universrity
-
Andre Oliveira
Wesleyan University
-
Omayra Ortega
Sonoma State University
-
Katharine Ott
Bates College
-
Nina Otter
UCLA
-
Hadley Parum
Bard College
-
Mirjeta Pasha
Arizona State University
-
Tawana Petty
Data for Black Lives
-
Emma Pierson
Microsoft Research
-
harun pirim
Mississippi State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
-
Maia Powell
University of California, Merced
-
Zhijun (George) Qiao
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
-
Alex John Quijano
University of California Merced
-
Cameron Randle
Clark Atlanta University
-
Margaret Regan
Duke University
-
Sarah Reznikoff
Kansas State University
-
Vanessa Rivera Quiñones
Freelancer & Universidad Sagrado Corazón
-
Rachel Roca
Manhattan College
-
Nancy Rodriguez
University of Colorado at Boulder
-
Jerome Roehm
University of Delaware
-
Amanda Ruiz
University of San Diego
-
Nathan Ryan
Bucknell University
-
Matt Salomone
Bridgewater State University
-
Bjorn Sandstede
Brown University
-
Rebecca Santorella
Brown University
-
David Shmoys
Cornell University
-
Anelise Shrout
Bates College
-
Mary Silber
University of Chicago
-
Suzanne Sindi
University of California, Merced
-
Katherine Slyman
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
-
Allen (AJ) Stewart
Seattle University
-
Laura Taalman
James Madison University
-
Shannon Talbott
Moravian College
-
Joseph Tien
The Ohio State University
-
Chad Topaz
Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity
-
Madhusmita Tripathy
Andhra University
-
Kimberly Turner
Southern Illinois University
-
Victoria Uribe
Arizona State University
-
Monica VanDieren
Robert Morris University
-
Jennifer Vasquez
University of Scranton
-
Marilyn Vazquez Landrove
Ohio State University
-
Juan Pablo Vigneaux
-
-
Ritwika VPS
University of California, Merced
-
Stefanie Wang
Smith College
-
David White
Denison University
-
Kirsten Wickelgren
Duke University
-
Robin Wilson
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
-
Tian An Wong
University of Michigan-Dearborn
-
Matthew Wright
St. Olaf College
-
Weijun Xie
Virginia Tech
-
Tarun Yadav
Williams College
-
VISHAL Yadav
University of Allahabad , India
-
Masanao Yajima
Boston Universisty
-
Qing Ye
Virginia Tech
-
Senay Yitbarek
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
-
Laurie Zack
High Point University
-
Angela Zhou
Cornell University
-
Lori Ziegelmeier
Macalester College
-
Heather Zinn Brooks
Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA, US)
Workshop Schedule
Monday, March 8, 2021
-
10:00 - 10:15 am ESTWelcomeVirtual
- Brendan Hassett, ICERM/Brown University
-
10:15 - 11:15 am ESTSeeing the Watched: The People Behind the NumbersVirtual
- Speaker
- Tawana Petty, Data for Black Lives
- Session Chair
- Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado at Boulder (Virtual)
Abstract
Black residents make up approximately 80% of Detroit, Michigan's population and earned a median household income under $35K per year, pre-pandemic. Since COVID-19, nearly half of the residents in Detroit have lost their jobs and nearly 2,000 residents have loss their lives. In 1965, Dr. King urged America not to prioritize "machines and computers, profit motives and property rights," over people, and warned that if it did, "the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism were "incapable of being conquered." Detroit has invested millions of dollars in various forms of artificial intelligence and surveillance in the city since 2016. Will these investments lead to a better quality of life and safety for Detroiters, or are there other ways to think about innovation in the city? How can data and technology be leveraged to intervene in the looping cycle of injustice?
-
11:15 am - 12:15 pm ESTNetwork science social justice initiatives: the far right and covid-19Virtual
- Speaker
- Joseph Tien, The Ohio State University
- Session Chair
- Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado at Boulder (Virtual)
Abstract
The online far right ecosystem is heterogeneous, dynamic, and complex, as is the online ecosystem about covid-19. These two ecosystems are intimately intertwined. I will discuss some of the features of each together with their connections, viewed through the lens of network science and data science. In particular, I will discuss a "sentinel node" approach for examining online structure of the far right and covid ecosystems, and use this approach to examine how covid misinformation propagates within and between communities.
-
12:15 - 1:15 pm ESTLunch/Free TimeVirtual
-
1:15 - 2:15 pm ESTAnalyzing Racial Equity and Bias of Federal Judges through Inferred Sentencing RecordsVirtual
- Speaker
- Veronica Ciocanel, Duke University
- Session Chair
- Chad Topaz, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (Virtual)
Abstract
The US public has a constitutional right to access criminal trial proceedings. In practice, it is difficult to exercise this right as well as to quantitatively study federal sentencing disparities. We have assembled a public database of criminal sentence decisions made in federal district courts called JUSTFAIR: Judicial System Transparency through Federal Archive Inferred Records. This large-scale database links information about defendants with information about their federal crimes and sentences, and, crucially, with the identity of the sentencing judge. In this talk, we discuss challenges associated with assembling this database as well as preliminary work and observations from studying sentencing equity and patterns of individual judges.
-
2:15 - 4:00 pm ESTNetworking and Coffee/ Tea BreakCoffee Break - Virtual
-
4:00 - 5:00 pm ESTStarting Research in Social JusticePanel Discussion - Virtual
- Session Chairs
- Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado at Boulder (Virtual)
- Chad Topaz, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (Virtual)
- Panelists
- Manuchehr Aminian, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Virtual)
- Heather Brooks, Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA, US) (Virtual)
- Catherine Buell, Fitchburg State University (Virtual)
- Ranthony Edmonds, The Ohio State University (Virtual)
- Greg Herschlag, Duke University (Virtual)
- Kenan Ince, Westminster College (Virtual)
- Unchitta Kan, George Mason University (Virtual)
- Amanda Ruiz, University of San Diego (Virtual)
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
-
10:00 - 10:30 am ESTCoffee BreakVirtual
-
10:30 - 11:30 am ESTRevising Equity and Inclusion in ScienceVirtual
- Speakers
- Carrie Eaton, Bates College
- Anelise Shrout, Bates College
- Session Chair
- Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado at Boulder (Virtual)
Abstract
In this talk, we discuss our approach to looking at science and mathematics policy documents as public records of attitudes towards equity and inclusion in science education. In particular, we examine how such reports change over time - and what that says about how the revision process enhances or dilutes attention to equity and justice for STEM. We also invite broader collaboration to encompass a wider range of policy documents.
-
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ESTModeling the leaky pipeline in hierarchical professionsVirtual
- Speaker
- Sara Clifton, St. Olaf College
- Session Chair
- Nancy Rodriguez, University of Colorado at Boulder (Virtual)
Abstract
Women constitute approximately 50% of the population and have been an active part of the U.S. workforce for over half a century. Yet women continue to be poorly represented in leadership positions within business, government, medical, and academic hierarchies. As of 2018, less than 5% of Fortune 500 chief executive officers are female, 20% of the U.S. Congress is female, and 34% of practicing physicians are female. The decreasing representation of women at increasing levels of power within hierarchical professions has been called the “leaky pipeline” effect, but the main cause of this phenomenon remains contentious. Using a mathematical model of gender dynamics within professional hierarchies and a new database of gender fractionation over time, we quantify the impact of the two major decision-makers in the ascension of people through hierarchies: those applying for promotion and those who grant promotion. We quantify the degree of homophily (self-seeking) and gender bias in a wide range of professional hierarchies and demonstrate that intervention may be required to reach gender parity in some fields. We also preview an in-progress effort to extend the model to quantify racial bias and homophily in professional hierarchies.
-
12:30 - 1:30 pm ESTLunch/Free TimeVirtual
-
1:30 - 2:30 pm ESTComputing and the Future of the Voting Rights ActVirtual
- Speaker
- Moon Duchin, Tufts University
- Session Chair
- Veronica Ciocanel, Duke University (Virtual)
Abstract
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires that our electoral systems safeguard the opportunity for minority groups to elect candidates of choice. In over 55 years since its appearance on the scene, the VRA has been repeatedly refined and expanded, and a whole system of statistical methods has been built to support its enforcement. Today it's teetering on the edge of oblivion in the face of a turbocharged conservative Court. This might require adaptation and modernization, either to save or replace it. I'll describe two computational redistricting projects that look at futures for the VRA. Collaborators include Doug Spencer, Parker Rule, Gabe Schoenbach, Amy Becker, Dara Gold, and Sam Hirsch.
-
2:30 - 3:30 pm ESTFairness in RedistrictingVirtual
- Speaker
- Jonathan Mattingly, Duke University
- Session Chair
- Veronica Ciocanel, Duke University (Virtual)
Abstract
The US political system is built on representatives chosen by geographically localized regions. This presents the government with the problem of designing these districts. Every ten years, the US census counts the population and new political districts must be drawn. The practice of harnessing this administrative process for partisan political gain is often referred to as gerrymandering. How does one identify and understand gerrymandering? Can we really recognize gerrymandering when we see it? If one party wins over 50% of the vote, is it fair that it wins less than 50% of the seats? What do we mean by fair? How can math help illuminate these questions? How does the geopolitical geometry of the state (where which groups live and the shape of the state) inform these answers? For me, these questions began with an undergraduate research program project in 2013 and has led me to testify twice in two cases: Common Cause v. Rucho (that went to the US Supreme Court) and Common Cause v. Lewis. This work has partially resulted in the redrawing of the NC State Legislative district maps and NC congressional maps. The resulting new maps will be used in our upcoming 2020 elections. In the remedy phase of North Carolina v. Covington, Greg Herschlog from the Duke group addresses the question if attempts to satisfy the VRA alone explained the observed level political packing and cracking. This is a story of interaction between lawyer, mathematicians, and policy advocates. The legal discussion has been increasingly informed by the mathematical framework. And the mathematics has been pushed to better include to the policy. The back and forth has been important to find ways to effectively inform the policy makers and courts to the insite the analyses provide. The problem of understanding gerrymandering has also prompted the development of a number of new computational algorithms which come with new mathematical questions. The next round of redistricting analysis will necessarily need to be more refined and nuanced. There is also the opportunity to be less reactive. There are opportunities to try to influence the process by which new maps are drawn before turning to the courts. There is also the possibility to direct the conversation by showing the effect more fully considering factors such as communities of interest, incumbency or proposed procedural elements of laws. This presentation reflects joint work Gregory Herschlag and a number of other researchers including many undergraduates, graduate students, and a few high school students.
-
3:30 - 4:30 pm ESTCoffee BreakVirtual
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
-
10:00 - 10:30 am ESTCoffee BreakVirtual
-
10:30 - 11:30 am ESTData science for social equalityVirtual
- Speaker
- Emma Pierson, Microsoft Research
- Session Chair
- Chad Topaz, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (Virtual)
Abstract
Our society remains profoundly unequal. This talk presents several vignettes about how data science and machine learning can be used to reduce inequality in healthcare and public health, focusing on applications in women's health, COVID-19, policing, and pain.
-
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ESTCommunity Wellness Informatics: Designing Technology for Health EquityVirtual
- Speaker
- Andrea Parker, Georgia Tech
- Session Chair
- Chad Topaz, Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (Virtual)
Abstract
In the United States, there are serious and persistent disparities in health outcomes. For example, socioeconomic status is predictive of mortality and disease, with low-SES households disproportionately experiencing the poorest health outcomes. This inequality is due in large part to the social determinants of health—social, physical, and economic conditions that make it more challenging to achieve wellness in low-SES communities. Disruptive innovations are sorely needed to reduce health disparities. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), with their growing ubiquity and ability to provide engaging, informative, and empowering experiences for people, present exciting opportunities for health equity research. This talk will overview a set of case studies demonstrating work the Wellness Technology Lab has done to design, build, and evaluate how novel interactive computing experiences can address issues of health equity. These case studies investigate how social, mobile, and civic technology can help low-SES communities to both cope with barriers to wellness and address these barriers directly. Using findings from this research, I will articulate opportunities and challenges for community wellness informatics—research that explores how ICTs can empower collectives to collaboratively pursue health and wellness goals.
-
12:30 - 1:30 pm ESTLunch/Free TimeVirtual
-
1:30 - 2:30 pm ESTBrainstorming in Topical Interest GroupsPanel Discussion - Virtual
All event times are listed in ICERM local time in Providence, RI (Eastern Daylight Time / UTC-4).
All event times are listed in .
ICERM local time in Providence, RI is Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4). Would you like to switch back to ICERM time or choose a different custom timezone?