1. What are you most excited about as you start your Laidlaw research summer?

As I begin my Laidlaw research summer, I am most excited to apply the public health and sociological frameworks I have learned thus far to my multi-phase data characterization process. While I believed to have had an initially very clear methodology for characterizing the ICE detainee-death-reports (DDRs) of my project, the further readings I've completed supplemented by my research advisor Dr. Alcántara have really provided me a new perspective for my approach. Now that I have solidified my research timeline and am nearing the completion of an application for IRB exemption alongside Human Subjects Training (though not entirely necessary for this project, but important for the ethos of my work and best practice in this field) I am feeling ever more confident for Phase 1 of my project. In addition to that, joining Dr. Alcántara's Sleep Mind and Health team at the Columbia School of Social Work has been such an exciting experience and I look forward to meeting more of the researchers on our team. 

2. This week, the discussions we held about research cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?

My academic and personal interests have always been interdisciplinary, and discovering that very nature in this program thus far has been such an exciting experience. My work is situated at the intersection of social justice, political science, and public health (as are my broader academic interests), so observing the variety in my peers' projects and interests has made me feel right at home. Peers working on bioethics and policy analysis, for example, are exploring methods for identifying theory sources for their work that I myself may not have thought of beforehand even though our work exists in adjacent fields. I believe in the fact that diversity is one of our most core strengths as students and human beings more broadly, so learning from one another will continue to inspire my project in the next 5 weeks and beyond.

3. As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?

Getting started, I've focused on establishing a solid theoretical framework for my actual project with theory sources and readings to supplement the lens through which my research is operating. Reading works on intersectionality theory, immigrant health, and exploring the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Framework in great detail have all allowed me to build such a foundation. In terms of challenges that will come with pursuing Phase 1 of my data characterization procedure, I am still aiming to solidify my variables of interest along which to read the DDRs for my project. I anticipate facing difficulty narrowing these down and focusing my scope for the next 5 weeks. My curiosities have only grown with my background research and the few DDRs I have already skimmed, so I am taking on the challenge of making sure the breadth of my project is not sacrificing the depth of my original research plans. Though, one of my goals is to explore this research process without being too married to a singular idea and letting the data (and my curiosity) guide my final direction. 

4. This week you moved into a new dorm room and met new friends, mentors, and research collaborators. Take a photograph of something (or someone) new and post!

The poster at the top of this journal post is the view from my new room in Broadway Hall (absolutely gorgeous!) Attached here is a photo of the view from my office in the Research Lab at the School of Social Work that I have been spending my time working in! It's a bit cloudy today but this kind of weather is one of my favorites. Until next week! 🌟