CMU logo
Expand Menu
Close Menu

DEI in CS Seminar: Panel of SCS Ph.D. Student DEI Research and Activities

When
-

Where
livestream

Video
Video link

Description

 

Judeth Oden Choi, moderator

Judeth is a PhD student at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Using a mixed-methods approach, she researches social justice activism on Twitter. Drawing from her background in theatre, she applies a dramaturgical lens to investigate the relationship between on-the-ground movement processes and networked protest. Her research interests also include theatre-based design methods, and playtesting methods for game and experience design.

 

Erica Principe Cruz

Erica Principe Cruz is an ARCS Scholar and PhD Student in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studies how digital games and immersive technology experiences can be designed to empower marginalized communities. She investigates computer-mediated play as a potential tool for practicing playful resistance as personal methods of combating oppression. Erica also studies how countercultures and counterspaces within academic research can be designed to support the joy and rest of her communities.

 

Priya Donti

Priya Donti is a PhD student in Computer Science and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, and a U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellow. She is also a co-founder and chair of Climate Change AI, an initiative to catalyze impactful work in climate change and machine learning. Her work lies at the intersection of machine learning, electric power systems, and climate change mitigation. Specifically, her research explores ways to incorporate domain knowledge (such as power system physics) into machine learning models.

 

Bailey Flanigan

Bailey is a PhD student in the Computer Science Department theory group at Carnegie Mellon University. In her research, she studies social and democratic systems through lenses of fairness, equity, and social welfare. She co-founded and now leads the development of a course designed to teach STEM PhD students about privilege, bias, allyship, and inclusion. In her spare time, she likes to read novels and do experimental cooking. Her focus for this panel will be teaching anti-bias in a mandatory setting.

 

Joshua Williams

Joshua is a PhD student in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University.

His research area focuses on machine learning and its social impact. Primarily, he is interested in understanding the long-term social ramifications of data-driven decision systems, especially as they relate to the criminal justice system. Joshua is  currently funded through the Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. His focus for this panel will be on the need for community engagement in AI research.