George Hope Chidziwisano is a PhD student in Information and Media at Michigan State University (MSU). Hope’s research focuses on Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD). Specifically, Hope is interested in investigating the role of sensor-based technologies for domestic activities in sub-Saharan Africa. He has conducted multiple design-oriented projects in Kenya. He has worked with local technicians to develop sensor-based systems for monitoring power-blackouts and domestic security in Kenyan households. He has also developed collaborative digital financial systems for promoting financial transparency and accountability in micro-savings groups. Hope is excited to learn new data science techniques through the Data Science for Social Good internship program this summer. He is interested in collaborating with other fellows to gain practical experience about implementing risk models to combat disinformation. Further, he looks forward to contributing to the program by sharing his personal and research experiences. Hope has a master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) from MSU. He did his undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Physics at the University of Malawi, Chancellor College and graduated in 2015.
Richa Gupta is a master’s student at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She is studying Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences with Data Science Focus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology, India. After her undergraduate studies, Richa worked for a technology consulting firm and worked as an analyst for American healthcare companies. She then joined the prestigious Teach for India fellowship and taught primary grades for two years.
Before starting graduate school, she was working as an Assistant School Leader with a low-income school in India. Her interests lie in exploring use of technology and research to develop solutions for social problems. She has strived to integrate her strong technical background with her love for impactful work through her masters and looks forward to continuing it with the DSSG program.
Kseniya’s curiosity in social policy and environmental justice movement led her to a career in solar in 2015. For over three years, she helped administer state-funded solar programs that serve disadvantaged communities across California. Wanting to fully master her policy analysis skills, she moved across the country to pursue master’s degrees in Public Policy and Information Science at the University of Michigan. In the course of her studies, Kseniya was exposed to the magic of data science, in particular the extent to which it allows for a much deeper and nuanced analysis of social problems and promotes creative solutions for addressing them. She is incredibly excited to serve as a DSSG fellow this summer precisely because of the opportunity it offers to use data science to address one of the biggest social problems of our time – online disinformation. Given that the ability of citizens to make informed decisions is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy, she finds the problem of online disinformation to be especially pressing. And as someone who aspires to a career in public service, Kseniya is very motivated to contribute to this project over the course of the fellowship.
Maya Luetke, MSPH, is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Indiana University School of Public Health Bloomington. Her research focuses on the intersection of economics, infectious disease, sexual health, and gender-based violence. She is particularly interested in global health and has worked in several countries in Africa and Latin America. She is passionate about social justice and hopes to use data science methods to develop interventions that address structural inequities in the United States and abroad as well as conduct innovative and rigorous social epidemiologic research.
The code for the project can be found on the project’s GitHub repository.
A special thanks to Maggie Engler and Lucas Wright from our partner organization the Global Disinformation Index, and the data scientists, Vaughn Iverson and Noah Benson, from the eScience Institute for their support and guidance with this project.
If you have any feedback or questions for the project please feel free to reach out to the following:
Global Disinformation Index: info@disinformationindex.org
Richa Gupta: rg3252@columbia.edu
Maya Luetke: luetke@iu.edu
George Hope Chidziwisano: chidziwi@msu.edu