On Friday, August 1, 2025, the Massive Data Institute of the McCourt School of Public Policy will host the MDI Summer 2025 Student Research Showcase. MDI student and recently-graduated researchers will present their summer projects in the Healey Family Student Center Herman Room at Georgetown University from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., followed by a reception.
The Showcase opens with formal remarks by Lisa Singh, Director of the Massive Data Institute. Research teams will then deliver 60-second flash talks summarizing their research, followed by a poster session where attendees can explore each project in more detail.
The event is open to the public.
To learn more about the research projects that the MDI researchers contributed to this summer, please check out: Announcing Summer 2025 Research at MDI
Accommodations: This event is wheelchair accessible. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by July 24 to mdiresearch@georgetown.edu. A good faith effort will be made to fulfill requests made after July 24.
Transportation: Georgetown University is accessible for faculty, staff, students and visitors through many convenient transportation options, including our free university shuttle, public transportation, bicycling, carsharing and other means. Learn more about transportation options here. (new window) See also Interactive Georgetown University campus map or PDF of Georgetown University campus map.
Taxi / Ridesharing: The recommended drop-off location is at the front gates of campus. Please inform your driver that your destination is Georgetown University or use the address 3700 O St. NW, Washington, DC 20057. Additional information on taxi / ride sharing is available here. (new window)
Visitor Parking: If you decide to drive to campus, please note there is construction happening on campus on the north side of campus. Visitor parking is available at Southwest Garage (Use 3611 Canal Road as the address for directions using GPS). Additional information on visitor parking is available here (new window).
About the MDI Scholars Program: The MDI Scholars program is an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduate and Master’s students to work on interdisciplinary research projects with professors and practitioners. These projects connect new forms of data and/or large-scale computing infrastructure to different public policy questions.
About the Massive Data Institute (MDI): At Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy, the Massive Data Institute (MDI) is an interdisciplinary research institute that connects experts across computer science, data science, public health, public policy, and social science to tackle societal scale issues and impact public policy in ways that improves people’s lives through responsible evidence-based research. For more information on MDI, please visit the Massive Data Institute website.
MDI Scholar Research Showcase Poster Titles (titles subject to change; as of 31 July 2025)
Measuring and Modeling Perceived Humanness
Rebecca Ansell, Georgetown College, Master of Science in Computer Science, ’25
Advisors: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D., Leticia Bode, Ph.D., Tiago Ventura, Ph.D., Sejin Paik, Ph.D., Autumn Toney-Wails, M.S.
Mind the Gap: Evaluating How Engagement Influences Measurement Bias with Item Differential Functioning
Yuxi Shen, Georgetown College, Data Science and Analytics ’26
Advisor: Qiwei (Britt) He, Ph.D.
Research Team: David Pepper, Ph.D.
Balancing Public Health Needs and Privacy Concerns
Muhammad Saad, McCourt School of Public Policy, Master of Science in Data Science for Public Policy ’26 and Fritz Research Fellow
Advisors: Giulia Pullano, Ph.D., Shweta Bansal, Ph.D., Kobbi Nissim, Ph.D.
Research Team: Andrew Tiu, Wendy Shi
Evaluating Direct and Indirect Signals for Migration in Bangladesh
Izzy Coddington, Georgetown College, Master of Science in Mathematics and Statistics ’26
Haiqa Sarosh Fatima, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees ’25
Adrian David Frauca Georgetown College, Computer Science and Mathematics ’27
Oliver Hannagan, University of Wisconsin–Madison ’26
Advisors: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D., Katharine M. Donato, Ph.D., Ali Arab, Ph.D.
Understanding Immigration Policy through Executive Orders
Izzy Coddington, Georgetown College, Master of Science in Mathematics and Statistics ’26
Haiqa Sarosh Fatima, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Master of Arts in International Migration and Refugees ’25
Adrian David Frauca Georgetown College, Computer Science and Mathematics ’27
Oliver Hannagan, University of Wisconsin–Madison ’26
Advisors: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D., Katharine M. Donato, Ph.D., Ali Arab, Ph.D.
Partner Organizations and Collaborators: UNHCR–The UN Refugee Agency
Utilizing Machine Learning to Quantify Political Polarization in a Two Party System
Katherine Arkin, Georgetown College, Mathematics ’26
Advisors: Bogdan Raita, Ph.D., Xin Li, M.S., James Chen
Analyzing Edge Case Scenarios in Autonomous Vehicles Using Simulation
Vagdevi Sahasra Bandaru, Georgetown College, Master of Science in Computer Science ’25
Advisors: Robin L. Dillon-Merrill, Ph.D., Babak Zafari, Ph.D.
Understanding State-Level AI Readiness Policy
Saanvi Shashikiran, Georgetown College, Computer Science and Psychology ’27
Henry Deng, Georgetown College, Computer Science and Mathematics ’26
Advisors: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D., Julie Dang
Clustering Daily Routines with Image Processing: Revealing Behavioral Structures from Ecological Momentary Assessment and Time Use Data
Binhui Chen, Georgetown College, Data Science and Analytics ’25
Advisors: Qiwei (Britt) He, Ph.D., Rachel F. Barr, Ph.D.
Partner Organizations and Collaborators: The Early Learning Project at Georgetown University
Policy2Code: Guiding SNAP Policy from Rules to Runtime
Alessandra Garcia Guevara, Georgetown College, Computer Science ’26
Ann Lian, McCourt School of Public Policy, Master of Science in Data Science for Public Policy ’25
Avand Lakmazaheri, Georgetown College, Communication, Culture & Technology ’26
Sophia Dorr, Georgetown College, Computer Science ’26
Advisor: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D.
Research Team: Mohamed Ahmed, Ariel Kennan
What Determines Selective Enforcement? An Analysis of Race and Police Stops
Jasmine Jia, McCourt School of Public Policy, Master of Science in Data Science for Public Policy ’25
Advisor: Andrea M. Headley, Ph.D.
Partner Organizations and Collaborators: Georgetown Law Criminal Justice Clinic
Developing a Browser-Based Private Set Intersection Tool for Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage
Victor Chen, Georgetown College, Computer Science ’27
Advisors: Stephanie Straus, M.Ed., Vincent Dorie, Ph.D., Amy O’Hara, Ph.D.
Machine and Deep Learning Strategies for Predicting Gun Policy Stance on Social Media Platforms
Imani Allah, Swarthmore College ’26
Camden Baucom, Georgetown College, Computer Science and Government ’26
Jelani Beaugris, Rutgers University ’27
Chloe Bogen, University of Washington ’27
Rylee Brown, University of Florida ’27
John Cheek, University of Tennessee–Knoxville ’27
Kathleen Higgins, University of Delaware ’27
Erin Kendall, Transylvania University ’26
Charlie Prince, Case Western University ’27
Unzila Sakina, Duke University ’26
Riley Stacy, Barnard College of Columbia University ’27
Sultana Yeasmin, Columbia University ’27
Advisor: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D.
Research Team: Sarah Bargal, Ph.D., Shweta Bansal, Ph.D., Carole Roan Gresenz, Ph.D., Mohamed Ahmed, Rebecca Ansell, M.S.
Leveraging Data Science for Temporal and Geographic Gun Policy Analysis on Social Media Platforms
Imani Allah, Swarthmore College ’26
Camden Baucom, Georgetown College, Computer Science and Government ’26
Jelani Beaugris, Rutgers University ’27
Chloe Bogen, University of Washington ’27
Rylee Brown, University of Florida ’27
John Cheek, University of Tennessee–Knoxville ’27
Kathleen Higgins, University of Delaware ’27
Erin Kendall, Transylvania University ’26
Charlie Prince, Case Western University ’27
Unzila Sakina, Duke University ’26
Riley Stacy, Barnard College of Columbia University ’27
Sultana Yeasmin, Columbia University ’27
Advisor: Lisa O. Singh, Ph.D.
Research Team: Sarah Bargal, Ph.D., Shweta Bansal, Ph.D., Carole Roan Gresenz, Ph.D., Mohamed Ahmed, Rebecca Ansell, M.S.