The second annual School of Public Policy Research Day will highlight the cutting-edge research being conducted by policy faculty and students across a range of disciplines, including social policy, sustainability, climate change, community well-being and international policy. This event is designed to increase the visibility and impact of SPP research and promote collaboration. It offers a valuable opportunity for attendees to engage directly with researchers, learn more about their work, and enjoy lunch while networking.
The day will feature two key segments. Faculty and PhD students will present five-minute lightning talks covering a variety of current and emerging policy and management issues. Then following lunch, a master's and undergraduate student research showcase will provide an opportunity to explore student research, including work from master's project courses, undergraduate capstone projects and Thurgood Marshall fellows.
10:30-10:35 Opening Remarks: Lucy Qiu, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs
10:35-11:15 Governance, Institutions, and Political Economy
- Leaders vs. Algorithms: Driving Change in Child Online Safety Piera Celis
- Who can bargain? The legal landscape of labor rights in U.S. public higher education Isabel Shaheen O'Malley
- Artificial Intelligence in Public Budgeting: Opportunities and Challenges Salman Alam
- Understanding Power in Land-Use Regulation: A Systematic Review of Political Influence in Urban Policy Decisions Damian Maffioletti
- An Orbital Security Dilemma? A Quantitative Assessment of U.S. Space Budgetary Response to Global Satellite Proliferation Sarah Erickson
- Class and Private schooling in India Shriyam Gupta
11:15-11:50 Climate, Energy, and Sustainable Development
- Determinants of Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Financing: UN 2030 SDGs and the Paris Agreement David Talavera-Zabre
- Do Power Outages Impact Mental Health? Empirical evidence from Maryland Meng Feng
- AI Infrastructure and Energy Justice: How Data Centers Reshape Community Vulnerability to Power Outages Xiaofeng Ye
- Protecting or Harming Innovation? Evidence from U.S. Solar Tariffs Zhenle Duan
- Climate Modeling Assumptions Shape Distributive Outcomes Mel George
11:50-12:25 Well-Being, Development, and Policy Evaluation
- What is a good life - the linkages between individual and social well-being Anand Patwardhan
- SDG Indicators Need a Wellbeing Reality Check Cam Wejnert-Depue
- Female Leadership and Adolescent Transitions: Evidence from Mexico Tania Lamprea
- Jobs, Skills, or Cash? Disentangling the Crime-Reducing Mechanisms of Youth Employment Programs Pablo D. Alcala
- Can Cannabis Legalization be Evaluated? Peter Reuter
- Making State TANF Data More Comparable to Better Understand the Operations and Basic Assistance and to Facilitate Cross-State, Peer-to-Peer Learning Douglas Call
12:25-12:30 Concluding Remarks: Lucy Qiu
12:30-2:00 Lunch & Student Research Showcase
2:00 Announcement of Award Winners
Student Research Showcase Participants
Graduate Students
- Understanding Well-Being: Clarifying Distinctions for Policy Makers Connor Burke
- Educational Disruption and Resilience Among Displaced Children in North Central Nigeria: A Focus on Plateau and Benue States Grace Galumje
- Assessing the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Rapporteurship on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Trans, Bisexual, and Intersex Persons Daniela Gava Duarte
- State Remedies for Constitutional Violations by Federal Officers Yomarilis Gueits Rodriguez
- The Implications of Generative AI in K–12 Education and Labor Inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean Apurva Hari
- Advancing Women's Economic Security in Maryland: State Policy Approaches to Improve Pay Equity Kayla Joyce
- Rights Without Means Are Not Rights: Operationalizing Insurance Coverage at the Retail Counter for Over-The-Counter Contraceptives in Maryland Clara Miller
- Systemic Barriers to Sustainability and Expungement Awareness Among Black Males with Criminal Records Kimberley Osias
- Washington Urban Debate League (WUDL) and Former Minoritized Youth Participation Nafisah Scott (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Why are more child care providers participating in the Child Care Scholarship than ever before? Liz Twigg
Undergraduate Capstone
- Implementation Evaluation of the Community Approaches to Rapid Engagement Services (CARES) Project Ella Ferbert, Hannah Dilello, Catherine Harris, La’Myrah Jackson
- Historical Framework and Policy Implications of Life Without Parole in Maryland Gabriel Rosella, Austin Katz, Iman Shehadeh
- Policy Analysis on the Needs of Co-Victims of Homicide Alexis Harman, Divya Bhat, Emilia N. Guzman, Abigail Josephine Jones
- Federal Performance Management: A Tennessee and Colorado Case Study Ellie Hill, Saniya Littlejohn, Robert Marshall, Alex Tamba
- From Federal Mandates to Local Outcomes: A Comparative Analysis of SNAP E&T Programs in Maryland and Similar States Anna Moitoza, Colin Hancock, Elijah Foster, Ariana Tsegai, Michael Cheris
- Evaluating the Impact of Sasha Bruce Youthwork’s Drop-In Center in Improving Outcomes for Unhoused Youth in Washington, D.C. Eric Amaya, Lilli Gonce, Bianca Gutierrez, Kaylee Mendoza-Diaz
Undergraduate Students
- SNAP Policy Shifts, Food Security, and Mobility for Black and Brown Families Alira Abdullai (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Non-Childcare Caregiving Supports & Women in Maryland Caitlin Hassan
- Framing Effects and Student Motivation Toward College After the End of Race-Conscious Admissions Ashley Hernandez (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Childcare Scholarships and Subsidies Kaylee Mendoza-Diaz
- Unmet Health-Related Social Care Needs Among Midlife and Older Adults Living with Multimorbidity Yash Porwal (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Organizational Theory and Its Implications on Student Advocacy Efforts at Big Ten Universities Taryn Reinhart
- Political Ideology and County Level Responses to Homelessness Scott Schultz
- The Role of Legal Civil Society Organizations in Democratic Backsliding Jaina Simon (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Proof or Barrier? The SAVE Act and the Bureaucratic Disenfranchisement of Marginalized Voters Sarah St Villier (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)
- Project U-Pride – Understanding Political Events, Resilience, Identity, and Daily Experiences Torie Tran (Thurgood Marshall Fellow)