Directory

Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Information Science at Cornell University and Cornell Tech. As a qualitative researcher working at the intersection of tech entrepreneurship, platform studies, and the impact of computing technologies, she explores individual, institutional, and philanthropic approaches to fostering tech entrepreneurialism within marginalized communities, noting their lack of representation in global startup culture. Her work informs and supports the development of tech-enabled, entrepreneurial infrastructures and ecosystems that facilitate restorative economic justice for structurally exploited populations. 

Daniel is a PhD student in Information Science. His primary interests lie in the areas of sociotechnical systems and their governance. In particular, he is interested in infrastructures that mediate access – and transactions – in public and private spaces.

Areas of Interest: Science and Technology Studies (STS), Data and AI Governance, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D)

Ph.D. student advised by Dr. Aditya Vashistha. Broadly, her goal is to contribute to responsible AI systems. Currently thinking about and working on: (1) developing robust methods and benchmarks for the sociotechnical evaluation of LLMs; (2) critically assessing the validity, design assumptions, and limitations of existing model evaluations; and (3) applying insights from (1) and (2) to evaluate the downstream impacts of AI systems across diverse social contexts. Previously, she was a UX researcher at Coinbase and Uber. Before that, studied HCI at the University of Washington.

Areas of Interest: Human-AI collaboration, Misinformation, Content Moderation, ICTD
 

Aspen K.B. Omapang is a PhD candidate in the Information Science department at Cornell University. Broadly, she studies the legibility of Native Peoples' to the US government and political technologies' role in Native political participation. Aspen seeks to center Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) relationality as part of her responsibility to mālama the ‘āina (care for the land). Aspen serves on the ADVANCE Resource Coordination (ARC) Network External Advisory Committee and most recently was a sociotechnical systems intern for Intel Labs. Aspen's research is supported by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship and Sloan Foundation Fellowship.

Areas of Interest: Computational Social Science, Social Media & Online Communities, Infrastructure Studies, Feminist & Queer Studies, De/Anti-Colonial Futures

Erica is a PhD student in Information Science, at Cornell University. Her advisor is Prof. Susan Fussell. Her research focuses on understanding how communication technologies can support undergraduate student development. She is exploring how the use of CMC and online social spaces impacts the strength of relationships first-years build in their initial weeks on campus.

She received a Master of Arts in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies, Higher Education specialization, from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education in 2010, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, and a minor in Economics from Bowdoin College in 2006.

Areas of Interest: How communication technologies can support undergraduate student development; formation of bonding relationships via digital communication