Science policy

Regulating Use of Mobile Sentry Devices by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is planning to begin using robot sentries to monitor the U.S.-Mexico border. The most relevant existing regulations for these robots, Department of Defense directive 3000.09, governs how semi-autonomous weapons may be used to engage enemy combatants — a very different application than mobile sentry duty, where the vast majority of humans that the system interacts with will be civilians. CBP should proactively issue regulations for these robots to appropriately limit use of force for interactions with civilians.

Algorithm Transparency through the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Algorithmic discrimination is difficult to identify as a consumer and therefore difficult to prosecute. The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects consumers from credit reports that the company cannot sufficiently explain. We recommend that all companies offering automated decision systems for rental and lending decisions be required to publish a data plan to increase transparency, making it easier for consumers to identify when companies are in violation of the FCRA.

Review of Racially Equitable Admissions Practices in STEM Doctoral Programs

Black, Latinx/Hispanic, and Indigenous students earn 9%, 15%, and 4% of the bachelor’s degrees in STEM in the United States, but only earn 3.5%, 4%, and 0.2% of PhDs in STEM, respectively. We review literature on admissions practices that may contribute to this drop. Some of our recommendations include not collecting GRE scores; cohort-based rather than lab-based admissions; performing holistic review by quantifying more components of an application than just GRE or GPA scores; creating bridge programs; and removing financial barriers to the applications.

Sew Face Masks Philly - Research Page

Sew Face Masks Philly (SFMP) has coordinated the pickup and distribution of more than 30,000 hand-sewed cloth face masks in Philadelphia, beginning before the CDC recommended universal masking. Sonia collected and summarized research articles pertaining to mask material, number of layers, washing protocols, social distancing, aerosols, and disinfection so that it was clear to the general public why SFMP made the recommendations that they did.