QSIDE runs three online, collaborative research labs, each centered on a pressing justice issue: JUSTFAIR State, SToPA and STAMP. Please consider joining one or more of our labs to help drive the research agenda for justice!
JUSTFAIR State Lab
JUdicial System Transparency for Fairness through Archived Inferred Records State research lab will take the federal judiciary sentencing disparities work to each of the states. Our lab started with three – Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Virginia – and has already grown to eight states, including Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Montana, and North Carolina. Join us as we develop our methodology and model to ask and answer questions about sentencing behaviors at the state level, where the vast majority of sentencing decisions are made.
The Directors of the QSIDE JUSTFAIR State Lab are Drs. Jude Higdon and Chad Topaz. The JUSTFAIR State Lab meets bi-weekly on Fridays from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET US. Meetings are recorded and made available privately for those who cannot attend the live meeting due to conflict.
SToPA Lab
The Small Town Policing Accountability Lab focuses on developing a toolkit for procuring, structuring, and analyzing policing data in small towns that lack the resources and systems to make their own data public. The lab already serves two towns, Williamstown MA and Durham NC, and is working to expand accountability in small towns across the United States. Join the lab to help bring visibility and accountability to policing in all of our communities.
The Directors of the SToPA Lab are Drs. Anna Haensch, Manuchehr Aminian, and Ariana Mendible. The SToPA Lab meets bi-weekly on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. ET US.
STAMP Lab
With support from and in partnership with RedCompass Labs, the Stopping Trafficking And Modern-day Slavery Project (STAMP) research lab looks at the broad landscape of human trafficking, online child sex work, and modern slavery, which differentially impact women, children, and communities of color globally, and is working to build financial algorithms to identify and disrupt human trafficking activities.
Directors and Fellows of the STAMP Lab
Diana Estefanía Estrada Alamo (she/they) is a Mexican-born, Seattle-raised, and Baltimore City-based public health research professional. They have comprehensive experience evaluating program-based interventions, creating efficient and methodical monitoring tools, and translating health disparities using innovative data visualizations. They hold a Master of Public Health from the Yale School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently a Program Manager for Health Disparities Initiatives working in the public sector. However, previous roles they have held include Data Informatics Specialist with the CDC Foundation and Research Intern for Project Last Mile with the Yale Global Health Leadership Initiative. In 2014, she was awarded the David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Award as well as a Citation of Recognition from the City of Philadelphia for her commitment to LGBTQIA social justice work. Above all, her biggest passions are addressing injustice through data science and centering displaced peoples in public health. In their free time, they love taking long walks with their adopted Greyhound, reading science fiction written by BIPOC authors, and strength-training on Saturday mornings.
Geri Dimas (She/Her/Hers) is a Ph.D. candidate in Data Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining her current program, she obtained a B.A. in Actuarial Science and a B.S. in Computer Science from Roosevelt University, followed by an M.S. in Applied Statistics from Bowling Green State University. Her educational journey has been motivated by her love for data and the ways it can be used to better assist underserved and marginalized communities. Her current research focuses on seeking ways to improve processes that involve vulnerable populations such as those experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and immigration.
Victor Piercey holds a Ph.D in mathematics from the University of Arizona and is a professor of mathematics and the Director of General Education at Ferris State University in Big Rapids Michigan. He is also a former attorney, with a JD from Columbia Law School and experience practicing at Weil, Gotshal, & Manges LLP in New York, NY. His teaching interests include quantitative reasoning and actuarial science, in both of which he integrates multidisciplinary perspectives on social justice using diverse pedagogical approaches. He works with QSIDE and ICERM on social-justice data science projects, and works with Catherine Buell and Rochelle Tractenberg on ethics in mathematics.