Extended Grant for Spelman Data Science Research (Participation in a Research Grant/Fellowship, Class of 2028)

 

            Following my participation in Spelman's 2025 Summer Data Science Program as an undergraduate researcher, I was selected to participate in a year-long extension of that same grant, allowing me to continue my research on racial differences in post-pandemic infant mortality across the United States. Because of my experience with this line of research, I felt comfortable crafting my research proposal that contained my methods and abstract for this project. My proposal was approved by both my mentor, associate professor of political science Dr. Robert Brown, and my program advisor, Dr. Tiffany Oliver. 

            I'm excited to explore my research question: "How have state-level abortion regulations implemented between 2020-2023 affected black infant mortality rates compared to other racial groups across the United States?" Using RStudio and the programming language R, I will write lines of code that will generate interactive maps and data visualizations for my final presentation. An additional requirement of this program is that I present my research at Research Day, so I am thrilled to begin preparing my work for this spring.

- Alyssa Amaker