BARI Conference 2025: Greater Boston’s Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit

This panel will feature the diverse forms that cross-institutional partnerships can take.

Bridging Academia and Community with the Chelsea Research Festival 

Presenter: Sarah Elizabeth Neville, Chelsea School Committee, Brown University 

Co-Author(s): Kayla Ferro, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center & Brittany Archie, Massachusetts General Hospital

Chelsea, as the second most Latino city in Massachusetts, is an attractive site for researchers collecting data on environmental injustice, health inequities, racism, and immigration. Historically, though, researchers have done a poor job of bringing their results back to the community. At the same time, due to structural inequalities, Chelsea students are less likely to end up becoming researchers themselves.

To bridge this gap, we founded the Chelsea Research Festival, an annual poster session held at Chelsea High School where academics can share their Chelsea-related research back to the community who made it possible, and students and Chelsea community members to present their research (on any topic) alongside them.

Our presentation will explain how other communities can host their own community research festivals. We will explain how we brought community partners and academic institutions together as co-planners, secured donations, and leveraged personal relationships to outreach to the community.

(Doing Something About) Injustices in Housing and Education: The Boston-Based Participatory Action Research Network 

Presenters: Tara Gully-Hightower, Conservation Law Foundation, Massasoit Community College, UMass Boston

Co-Author(s): Tara Gully-Hightower, Massasoit Community College; Shinelle Kirk, Conservation Law Foundation; Patricia Krueger-Henney, University of Massachusetts Boston 

The Boston-based PAR Network was founded by community activists, students, and educators in direct response to the worsening realities of structural violence and social marginalization in many Boston communities. The interlinked effects of a lack of affordable housing and inequitable access to quality public education have created long-standing crises in the lives of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, single-income, and immigrant families. Housing and education inequities remain two salient sites of chronic precarity in Boston. The PAR Network thus gathers community educators, activists, artists, and researchers from public, private, non-profit, and academic spaces to exchange knowledge and lived expertise with innovative community-centered research models. This network prioritizes community-led research and action to solve community crises. Presenters will highlight selected findings and outcomes from their participatory research, including community-led research designs, cross-sector data collection, analysis, and dissemination as a direct response to a deepening social climate of injustice and violence.

Moving from “Data Dashboards” to Urban Hazard Tracking Systems – Air Quality in Chelsea as a Case Study 

Presenter: Amy Mueller, Northeastern University 

Co-Author(s): Barbara Espinosa Barrera, GreenRoots; Mónica Elias-Orellana, GreenRoots; Karl Allen, City of Chelsea; Nicolas Minutillo, Northeastern University; Yasser Aponte, Northeastern University; Mars Keesey, Northeastern University 

The reality of urban hazard hotspots is the result of complex interactions of different systems and historical decisions, e.g., siting of warehouses and freight traffic routes, creation or loss of greenspaces, zoning rules or changes, utility or other non-municipal services, deferred maintenance, historical disinvestment, etc. One major step in the direction reducing hazard hotspots is having shared data – at the hyper-local, block-by-block scale that people experience in their daily lives, however the reality is that raw “data” are insufficient to support action. A critical next step is creating “data products” providing knowledge or insight, and designing these tools and services to be relevant and actionable requires deep collaboration between research/data science teams and end users, i.e., municipal staff, community organizations, community members, etc. This presentation will provide insight into goals, tools, and iterative process our team has been following over the past 18 months and suggestions for scaling and transferability.

The Ethics and Applications of AI in Boston: “What The Tech?” One Year On 

Presenter: Gregory Zapata, Boston Area Research Initiative/Northeastern University 

Co-Author(s): Dr. Kimberly Lucas, Boston Area Research Initiative/Northeastern University; Dr. Daniel T. O’Brien, Boston Area Research Initiative/Northeastern University; Marvin Venay, Tech Goes Home 

This panel features multiple creative efforts for solving challenges around energy and the environment.

Massachusetts 2022 Textile Disposal Ban: Policy Impacts, Lifecycle Analysis, and  Public Awareness 

Presenter: Colin Ormand, University of Massachusetts Lowell 

Co-Authors: Aaron Smith-Walter, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Jasmina Burek, University of Massachusetts Lowell 

Massachusetts enacted a statewide textile disposal ban in November 2022, prohibiting textiles from landfills and incinerators. As the first policy of its kind in the U.S., it aims to reduce waste, promote recycling, and support sustainability goals. This research examines its impact on public awareness, compliance, and recycling infrastructure using surveys, stakeholder interviews, and lifecycle analysis. Collaborating with Helpsy, PlanetAid, MassDEP, and UMass Lowell’s Office of Sustainability, the study explores collection efficiency and outreach efforts. Initial findings show strong public interest but challenges in education, accessibility, and coordination. Notably, the ban imposes no financial or operational burdens on municipalities or consumers. These results suggest that similar regulations could be adopted in other states with minimal barriers. Ongoing research continues to assess the policy’s effectiveness and its potential to inform nationwide textile waste management strategies.

Cool Schools: Strategies for Cooling and Greening Urban School Environments in  Boston 

Presenter: Judith Rodriguez, Harvard University, T. H. Chan School of Public Health

Co-Authors: John B. Spengler, Harvard University, T. H. Chan School of Public Health; Ernani F. Choma, Harvard University, T. H. Chan School of Public Health; Jianxiang Huang, Department of Urban Planning and Design, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Jinglei Li, Department of Urban Planning and Design, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Patricia Fabian, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, and the Smart Surfaces Coalition 

This presentation explores the role of architectural and landscape interventions in improving thermal comfort within the Boston Public Schools (BPS) system. Drawing from two studies and stakeholder collaborations, we explore building-focused (cool, green, and solar photovoltaic roofs) and landscape-focused (tree planting, cool surfaces) strategies to mitigate urban heat. Findings indicate that PV and white roofs significantly reduce indoor temperatures and cooling energy demands, while green roofs provide mixed thermal benefits. Through GIS and i-Tree analyses, we assess the environmental benefits of existing BPS landscapes and propose design scenarios for increased greening and urban cooling. Our research highlights the synergy between built and natural solutions in fostering resilient, equitable school environments, particularly in heat-vulnerable communities. This work underscores the need for multidisciplinary collaboration among architects, planners, educators, and policymakers to create climate-adaptive educational spaces that support both student well-being and broader community health.

Nature-based Solutions and Transformational Adaptation in Coastal Massachusetts: Exploring Barriers and Opportunities through Participatory Causal Loop Diagramming 

Presenter: Carmella Uwineza M, Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: Laura Kuhl, Northeastern University; Moira Zellner, Northeastern University 

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have recently gained prominence as transformational adaptation strategies. In coastal adaptation, NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural and modified ecosystems that address societal challenges, simultaneously benefiting people and nature. They target coastal flooding, but their implementation remains hindered by multiple barriers. Due to the subjective nature of transformation, in which the goals, priorities, and means to achieve transformation depend on the positionality of different actors, understanding the potential of NbS to contribute to transformation necessitates participatory approaches. This research examines the potential and barriers to transformational adaptation planning for flooding along coastal Massachusetts from the perspective of diverse actors. We co-created causal loop diagrams to represent their understanding of the complex institutional, socio-economic and environmental system and identify barriers and opportunities for transformational adaptation. This approach fostered collaborative analysis that revealed the trade-offs, consequences, and complexities of NbS and other adaptation strategies.

Five Years of the Shared Action Plan: Evaluating a First-in-the-nation Program to  Reduce Methane Emissions from Gas Leaks

Presenter: Katherine Fisher, HEET 

Co-Authors: Eric Juma, HEET; Rebecca Brenneis, HEET; Dominic Nicholas, HEET; Robert Ackley, Gas Safety Inc.; Tamer Srouji, UMass Amherst; David Lees, HEET; Isabel Varela, HEET; Zeyneb Magavi, HEET 

This study evaluates the efficacy of the 2019 Shared Action Plan (SAP), which requires utilities in Massachusetts to repair gas leaks of Significant Environmental Impact (SEIs). After HEET’s mapping of gas leaks empowered advocacy by Mothers Out Front and Gas Leaks Allies, HEET and utilities collaboratively presented the SAP to the Department of Public Utilities. The SAP established the leak extent method: a low cost, technologically feasible process for rank ordering leaks by volume, facilitating the identification of impactful greenhouse gas emissions decoupled from explosive risk. By mapping leaks, analyzing utility reports, and independently measuring leaks, we seek to quantify the reduction in methane emissions due to the SAP. Our preliminary results based on utility reporting indicate a 46% reduction in emissions from SEIs between 2021 and 2024. Because SEIs account for approximately half of the emissions, this translates to roughly a quarter of the emissions from the whole system.

Building Bridges: Collaborative Approaches to Advancing Equity and Culturally  Tailored Care for the Latin Community 

Presenter: Melinda D’Ippolito, Casa Esperanza, Inc., Director of Research & Evaluation

Co-Authors: Diliana De Jesus, Casa Esperanza, Inc.; Therese Fitzgerald, Community-Led Solutions; Monica Gutierrez, University of Denver; Emily Stewart, Casa Esperanza, Inc.; Akeem Modeste-James, University of Denver; Jessica Mateo, Casa Esperanza, Inc. 

This presentation underscores the transformative potential of collaboration between academic institutions, local evaluators, and community-based clinics to tackle pressing social issues and promote equity. Casa Esperanza, Inc., a bilingual and bicultural behavioral health clinic, serves the Latine community in Massachusetts by addressing health disparities faced by this population. These disparities stem from multiple stressors, including cultural and linguistic barriers, and a lack of coordinated services to combat poverty, homelessness, trauma, addiction, and mental illness. Through research and evaluation in partnership with the University of Denver, Casa developed an integrated approach to treating substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders in a bilingual/bicultural, trauma-informed setting, tailored to meet the needs of the Latine community. By delivering culturally and linguistically appropriate services, Casa reduces barriers to treatment, leading to significant improvements in housing stability, employment, education, mental health, and social connectedness for most clients.

Weaving Well-being: Supporting Immigrant Community Mental Health in Boston

Presenter: Danielle Chun, Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research

Co-Authors: Jessica Santos, Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research; Courtney White, Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement; Monique Tu Nguyen, Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement 

Since 2022, the Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research (LZC) and the Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) have partnered on Weaving Well-being, a nonclinical, immigrant mental health initiative that has engaged a total of 28 community-based organizations to date. In this talk, we present mixed-methods findings from a three-year participatory evaluation of this municipal investment in immigrant community-led mental health practices in Boston. We will share results from interviews with program leaders and key informants and three rounds of participant surveys measuring social integration, cohesion, resilience, and well-being. Common strategies used across grantee organizations and programs provide a framework for other immigrant-serving organizations as well as municipalities seeking to support the well-being of immigrants in an increasingly unstable and hostile policy environment.

Healing Circles to Support an Infrastructure of Care 

Presenter: Anisha Patil, Healthy Neighborhoods Study, Conservation Law Foundation

Co-Authors: Kelsey Salmon Schreck, Healthy Neighborhoods Study, Conservation Law Foundation; Jasmina Burek, University of Massachusetts Lowell 

Communities are stronger when people care for each other; when neighbors help shovel snow, when family and friends help babysit, and when community members check-up on each other. As part of the Healthy Neighborhoods Study, a participatory action research (PAR) study exploring the relationship between neighborhood change and health in Greater Boston, we’ve found that caregivers rely on social support to help them take care of themselves and others. However, the impacts of gentrification on a neighborhood destabilize the urban infrastructure of care, making it more difficult for people to create social support structures as they and/or others in their community are displaced. Building off our research, we will share our experiences with community-led actions to build the urban infrastructure of care, focusing on healing circles as an opportunity for caregivers to connect and build relationships with others in their community.

Low Threshold Shelters Promote Racial Equity in Housing for Chronically Unsheltered People with Substance Use Disorder in Boston

Presenter: Shanyin Yang, Institute for Community Health

Co-Authors: Sumaiya Miah, Boston Public Health Commission; Ariela Braverman Bronstein, Institute for Community Health; Shoba Nair, Boston Public Health Commission; Jeffrey Desmarais, Institute for Community Health 

The City of Boston implemented seven low-threshold shelters (LTS) in 2022–2023 to provide housing for chronically unsheltered individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). While these programs may reduce racial disparities, their impact on housing equity remains unclear.

We analyzed sociodemographic and housing data on 612 LTS guests (January 2022–June 2024) from Boston Public Health Commission and the Homeless Management Information System records. 80% had matching records and were included. Descriptive and competing risk multivariate models assessed associations between sociodemographic characteristics and permanent housing.

Among 460 matched guests, 24% were Hispanic, 29% Black non-Hispanic, and 46% White non-Hispanic. Gender and age distributions differed by race/ethnicity. Black guests, those with disabilities other than SUD, and those with earned income were more likely to obtain permanent housing.

Positive trends for Black guests suggest LTS may promote housing equity in Boston. Further research is needed to enhance housing stability across diverse populations.

This panel will consist of various efforts to enhance access to opportunity, especially for disadvantaged communities.

Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Education to Unlock Social Mobility

Presenter: Chris Cook, Northeastern University 

Co-Author: Amanda Welsh, Northeastern University

The Workforce and Economic Development Unit at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, in collaboration with community colleges, industry leaders, and philanthropic institutions, presents an innovative approach to enhancing social mobility. This effort is built on extensive partnerships both within CPS and across Northeastern University, reflecting a deeply collaborative model that unites faculty, staff, and resources to support underserved populations. By emphasizing affordability, flexibility, and wrap-around support systems, these programs empower individuals—particularly those from historically underrepresented communities—to overcome barriers to educational attainment and career advancement. Through cross-institutional collaboration and alignment with Boston’s broader goals of closing equity gaps, the Workforce and Economic Development team is expanding access to opportunity and fostering sustainable economic empowerment. The presentation will highlight program strategies, key partnerships, and outcomes that contribute to improved workforce readiness and social mobility throughout the Greater Boston region.

Tienen alas, pero no las pueden usar: Stories of immigrants in search of work credentials 

Presenter: Jonathan Vega-Martinez and or Maria Athayde, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts Boston 

Co-Authors: Jonathan Vega-Martinez, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts; Maria M. Pache de Athayde Athayde, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts Boston; Fabián Torres-Ardila, Gaston Institute – Associate Director; Phillip Granberry, Gaston Institute – Data Analyst 

This report presents findings from a qualitative study funded by the Latino Equity Fund, exploring the challenges skilled immigrants face when reentering their careers in Massachusetts. Immigrants must meet state-specific occupational credentialing requirements to practice licensed professions, which often hinder their ability to fully participate in the workforce.

The study, initiated in 2024, revealed that many immigrants struggle to secure qualified jobs due to a variety of interrelated factors. Six key factors impacting their career reentry were identified: U.S. immigration policy, social and cultural capital, aspirational capital, family dynamics, adaptation to change, and the complexity of credentialing.

The report recommends a centralized credentialing information hub, professional English courses, stronger partnerships between government and nonprofits, and continued research on immigrant communities. These solutions aim to streamline immigrants’ workforce reentry and support their career advancement. Ultimately, the study emphasizes the need for policies that address the root causes of credentialing challenges.

“You’ve made it if you can, not have to live to survive, but live to live”: Beliefs about Socioeconomic Success and Mobility among Youth and Parents in Public Housing

Presenter: Lindsay Lanteri, Boston College Lynch School of Education & Human Development

Co-Authors: Jane Leer, San Diego State University; Rebekah Levine Coley; Samantha Teixeira, Boston College School of Social Work

Youths’ and parents’ voices are largely absent in the literature on social mobility and success. Prior work is mostly quantitative, using researcher-defined definitions of upward mobility that center around financial success, educational attainment, and occupational prestige. To expand this perspective, we conducted semi-structured interviews with a racially diverse sample of 25 youth and 32 parents living in a large Boston public housing development. We analyzed transcripts using Reflexive Thematic Analysis and found most youth and parents expressed traditional views of success, emphasizing educational attainment, well-paying careers, and homeownership. Close to half of participants acknowledged alternative definitions of success, emphasizing non-socioeconomic and communal values. Additionally, many youths and parents emphasized a reliance on personal characteristics, like hard work, as key to achieving success, while far fewer acknowledged structural barriers that made “getting ahead” difficult. Study findings extend prior work acknowledging how perspectives of success are nuanced and encompass both traditional and alternative views.

Uplift Salem Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program: Assessing the Impact of GBI of Salem (MA) Residents At or Below The Federal Poverty Line

Presenter: Amya Enlow, Salem State University

Co-Authors: Damon Mitchem; James Howard, Salem State University; Nathan Cantelli, Salem State University; Ryan Dufresne, Salem State University

The Uplift Salem project is a Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) pilot, launched in 2024 by the City of Salem using $685,000 in ARPA funds. It provides $500 monthly to 100 low-income residents for one year, empowering participants to allocate funds as they see fit whether for rent, healthcare, or other needs that they deem essential. Administered by UpTogether, the initiative explores GBI’s impact on financial stability and economic mobility.
Research by the North Shore Policy Lab at Salem State University will assess its effects on individual security, community well-being, economic resilience, and more. Uplift Salem looks to serve as a model for local GBI programs, offering insights into poverty reduction and income inequality. Its findings could inform future policies in Greater Boston and beyond, demonstrating how cities can strategically use resources to foster economic recovery and stability.

This panel will explore diverse strategies for building civic research partnerships, including both considerations around equity and ethics, as well as methods of multi-sector engagement.

Formalizing a Data Equity Statement: From Vision to Early Implementation 

Presenter: Kate Keller, EdVestors 

Co-Authors: Ruth Mercado-Zizzo, EdVestors; Justine Beaton, EdVestors; Heather Johnson,  EdVestors (formerly), Wheelock (currently)

Many organizations strive to balance minimizing burdens on communities while measuring impact and communicating results. EdVestors, a Boston-based education nonprofit, is addressing this challenge through embedding equity into data practices in alignment with its Data Equity Statement. This process prioritizes transparency, honors lived experiences, and provides actionable insights.
Early implementation efforts include auditing data collection strategies, creating data use guidelines, developing staff training, and establishing accountability measures. These equitable practices shift narratives from deficits to strengths, empowering communities to advocate for informed change.
This presentation will provide practical strategies for embedding equity into data practices. Attendees will learn how to identify and address inequities in data processes, engage stakeholders in decision-making, and build accountability structures. Participants will leave with concrete steps to advance data equity within their own organizations and communities.

Transparency, Authenticity, and Mutual Accountability: The Essential Building Blocks of Successful Community-Engaged Research Collaborations

Presenter: Rebecca Riccio, Northeastern University 

Co-Author: Ron Bell, Founding Director, Dunk the Vote

What are the prerequisites for an ethical, equitable, and effective collaboration between community-based nonprofit organizations and academic researchers? Boston area nonprofit leaders participating in the two-part Collaboratory for Ethical Community Engagement convened by Northeastern’s Social Impact Lab agreed that self-monitoring by university partners is not sufficient to prevent or address the unintended harms that often result from their well-intentioned community-engaged research endeavors. Drawing on collective decades’ worth of experience partnering on research projects intended to serve their communities’ needs, participants identified pitfalls and best practices that contributed to the quality of these collaborations. Transparency, authentic relationships, and mutual accountability emerged as critical elements of successful partnerships. Presenters will discuss lessons learned from the Collaboratory and an emerging toolkit to equip nonprofit organizations with resources for negotiating mutually beneficial relationships with university research partners.

Participatory Processes and their Evaluation: Local Examples and Lessons Learned

Presenter: Evan Kuras, Data+Soul Research 

Participatory processes are tools for shifting power from decision-makers with resources to constituents who stand to benefit. But a process isn’t simply participatory or not; there is a spectrum with different forms of participation and implications for how constituents are involved and why. Evaluation and research exist along the same spectrum of participation, just like the processes they investigate and support.

This session will explore two local examples of participatory processes: the City of Boston’s pilot year of Participatory Budgeting and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative. We will share the methods we used in evaluating both examples and lessons learned about what participatory processes and participatory evaluation look like in practice and what it takes to do them well. Ultimately, we hope to stimulate a conversation about how to achieve broad and meaningful participation and shift power toward building a more just and inclusive future.

Civic Data Theatre

Presenter: Michael Arnold Mages, Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: Dani Snyder-Young, Northeastern University; Rahul Bhargava, Northeastern  University; Laura Perovich, Northeastern University; Moira Zellner, Northeastern University;  Jonathan Carr, Northeastern University; Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, Northeastern University;  Angelique C-Dina, Northeastern University

Civic Data Theatre reimagines how community meetings and data-informed democracies work, making government decision-making accessible to people who might otherwise be excluded from or feel alienated by it. In our process, community members collaborate with theatre artists to translate quantitative data—a central language of government decision-making—into gestures, narratives, and moments of embodied performance that can engage and be collectively examined by a broadly constituted group of community stakeholders.
Our current project is about challenges related to greenspace and gentrification in Boston. Participatory planning for greenspace is often contentious. While greenways provide numerous benefits to public health, their development can inadvertently lead to gentrification and displacement. Public discussion on this nuanced issue often relies on quantitative data and real estate jargon that creates barriers for important stakeholders to participate in civic decision making about urban green space development. Civic Data Theatre addresses this injustice by broadening engagement and sense-making.

This panel will feature projects revealing and addressing issues that arise from or contribute to poor sanitation, including pollution and the presence of animals in our city.

“Forever Chemicals” and Children’s Health: Recent Findings from the Project Viva  Study 

Presenter: Mingyu Zhang, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are a group of persistent chemicals that resist degradation in the environment and human body. We share recent findings from Project Viva, a long-term study that enrolled pregnant women in Eastern Massachusetts between 1999 and 2002 and has followed their children for over 25 years. Our findings highlight the long-term impacts of prenatal exposure to PFAS on children’s health, including adverse birth outcomes and altered blood pressure trajectories from birth through adolescence. Another study found that certain prenatal PFAS exposures may affect children’s body mass index trajectories from birth through puberty, increasing the risk of obesity into late-adolescence. These results demonstrate the inter-generational impact of PFAS on children’s health and emphasize the urgent need to continue regulating PFAS in commercial products and water sources to reduce exposure and develop interventions to mitigate effects for the many individuals who have already been exposed. 

Charles River Discharge Monitoring Pipeline: Enhancing Water Safety and  Environmental Justice 

Presenter: Anushka Pandey, Tufts University 

Co-Authors: Alice da Fonseca, Tufts University; Julie Wood, Charles River Watershed  Association; Eric Meyer, Tufts University 

Winning the Rat Race: Data Driven Rodent Mitigation in Boston

Presenter: Sara Pasquino, Former MIT Sloan Masters student, currently a data scientist with Dynamic Ideas 

Co-Authors: Sasha Lioutikova, Former MIT Sloan Masters student, currently a data scientist  with Dynamic Ideas; John Ulrich, City of Boston Inspectional Services Department, Assistant Commissioner, Environmental Services; Gina Belmote, City of Boston Inspectional Services  Department; Hope Ruse, City of Boston Analytics Team

Boston has long grappled with a persistent rodent challenge that has recently intensified. This project, led by MIT Masters in Business Analytics Students Sara Pasquino and Sasha Lioutikova, working with the Inspectional Services Department and the Citywide Analytics Team, sought to develop a better way to systematically monitor rodent activity trends across the City and identify locations for proactive mitigation efforts and interventions.
This project experimented with two novel methods for dealing with the reality of bias in resident reports through the 311 system. The first was a carefully designed sampling methodology that systematically collected ground-truth data across Boston. The second was a census-tract level estimate of potential reporting bias leveraging the disparity between 311 reports about the need for sidewalk repair and ground truth data on sidewalk conditions.

Backyard Chicken Flocks and H5N1 Risk in Boston: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Pandemic Emergence on the Local Level

Presenter: Jessica Leibler, DrPH ScM, Boston University School of Public Health, Dept of Environmental Health

Co-Authors: Marieke Rosenbaum, DVM, MPH, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dept of Infectious Disease and Global Health

The emergence of H5N1 avian influenza in the United States underscores the growing public health implications of urban backyard chicken flocks. In the Greater Boston area, ownership and contact with live chickens is often deeply entrenched in cultural dietary preferences for immigrant communities, as well as increasingly prevalent in middle-income households. Individuals with direct contact with live chickens, including backyard chicken owners and live poultry food handlers, are at elevated risk of H5N1 exposure. Successful risk mitigation requires government, epidemiologic, veterinary, and community collaboration, with targeted engagement around small-holder chicken owners. In collaboration with community members, we conducted a study of Boston-area backyard chicken owners (n=50), which indicates that compliance with existing permitting and practice regulations and public awareness of infectious disease risks vary widely. We discuss gaps in existing research, key stakeholders, structures for collaboration, the need for targeted interventions, and suggest policy recommendations.

This panel will consist of multiple projects and tools intended to stabilize communities and counteract the pressures that lead to displacement.

Community Stabilization and Historic Preservation in Boston’s Chinatown 

Presenter: Lily Song, Assistant Professor, Northeastern University 

This presentation addresses the question of how to retool historic preservation in urban ethnic enclaves and gateway neighborhoods for working-class immigrants in ways that ensure their survival and continued development. The study focuses on a participatory action research project in Boston Chinatown in which the Chinatown Community Land Trust worked with the Anti-Displacement Studio at Northeastern University on urban planning and design research to inform historic and cultural district designation efforts as part of a community-driven organizing and development strategy. We present research findings from a visual study of spatial features and less tangible qualities that define Chinatown while accommodating changes over time; interviews with Chinatown small business operators and patrons on neighborhood-level challenges and opportunities; and case studies of precedent community preservation strategies from other Chinatowns and ethnic enclaves. The concluding analysis focuses on policy, planning, and political implications for protecting and preserving historic neighborhoods in American cities.

Developing Boston’s First Anti-Displacement Plan: Lessons in Cross-Cabinet Coordination 

Presenter: Katharine Lusk, City of Boston, Planning Advisory Council; Karina Oliver Milchman, City of Boston, Planning Advisory Council 

Co-Authors: Karina Oliver-Milchman, City of Boston, Mayor’s Office of Housing 

The City of Boston has developed its first comprehensive Anti-Displacement Action Plan. In response to community, the City is addressing residential, commercial and cultural displacement in a single plan. As both a major new initiative and an inherently cross-Cabinet effort that depends on the expertise and actions of more than twenty Departments, this effort has required new ways of working. This session will focus on how we have broken down departmental silos, and collaborated in new ways to understand community priorities and devise and deploy new anti-displacement tools. We’ll share four lessons: 1) Listen When and Where People Are Talking, 2) Look for Swiss Army Knife Solutions, 3) Communicate, Collaborate and Co-Author, and 4) Listen (Some More), Learn and Adapt.

Who Owns Massachusetts?: A New Tool for Identifying Institutional Ownership 

Presenter: Eric Robsky Huntley, Lecturer in Urban Science and Planning, MIT DUSP

Co-Authors: Asya Aizman, PhD Student, MIT DUSP; Milan Chuttani, MCP Candidate, MIT  DUSP 

Housing Stability Monitor: Tracking Massachusetts’ Housing Crisis with Imperfect Data

Presenter: Matija Jankovic, Sr. Research Analyst, MHP Center for Housing Data 

Access to robust, up-to-date data on housing stability is crucial for community members, policymakers, advocates, and the press to effectively analyze and communicate about housing issues facing Massachusetts residents. However, much of this data is hidden away and rendered inaccessible to the people who need it most. MHP’s Housing Stability Monitor is an ongoing web-based research project that aims to uncover significant housing stability trends affecting renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness. This project draws on public and private data exploring evictions, foreclosures, and homelessness and relies on R scripts which scrape and compile datasets from sources including the Massachusetts Trial Courts, foreclosure auctions and deeds, Point-in-Time homelessness counts and EA shelter reports. This project is led by Matija Jankovic, who has held prior roles as a housing case manager in the North Shore family shelter system and as a rent relief case manager at Boston’s Rental Relief Fund.

This panel will highlight multiple strategies for enabling students to thrive in classroom settings.

Building Inclusive Educational and Professional Spaces: A Community-Led Framework for Equitable Neurodiversity Access

Presenter: Anna E. Holt, Boston University

Co-Author: Amy Levin, MIT

With up to 85% of neurodivergent jobseekers experiencing unemployment or underemployment, there is a critical need for guidance and support for neurodiversity inclusion within communities. Our talk explores a groundbreaking grassroots framework designed to support neurodivergent individuals in higher education and professional settings. Our community-led approach moves beyond “masking” – the cognitively exhausting compensatory mimicking of neurotypical communicative norms – to open true shared dialogue among neurotypes.

Drawing from university-affiliated affinity groups and community coalitions across Boston, our framework emphasizes the “Nothing about us without us” principle. We’ll share practical strategies for creating inclusive spaces that allow neurodivergent individuals to participate authentically, including both simple, immediately actionable “asks” and longer-term comprehensive changes implementable by senior leaders, volunteers, and/or employee resource groups.

Participants will gain insights into ways to better center neurodivergent experiences and perspectives within diverse community events, and they will learn actionable steps for creating more equitable educational and professional environments.

Intra-Agency Collaboration and Data Sharing to Support Understanding the Relationship between Exclusionary School Discipline and Juvenile Justice Involvement in Massachusetts

Presenter: Alicia Lynch, Lynch Research Associates

Co-Author: Jennifer Rocha, Massachusetts Department of Youth Services; David Chandler, Massachusetts Department of Youth Services; Jon Zaff, Northeastern University; Katherine Perry-Lorentz, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

Facilitated by Northeastern University, this research is the result of a multi-agency collaboration among the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS), the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). In this presentation we describe the agencies’ collaborative efforts, which explore the connections among exclusionary discipline and juvenile justice (JJ) involvement in Massachusetts. This work investigates variations in exclusionary discipline patterns between JJ-involved youth and youth who have experienced exclusionary discipline but are not JJ-involved. Additionally, we explore the school contexts where disciplinary actions occur, considering whether the school disciplinary environment moderates the relationship between individual disciplinary experiences and JJ involvement.

Guided by the belief that reform is most effective when shaped by those directly affected, JDAI will use the results of the current study to host listening sessions with schools and communities to understand the factors contributing to exclusionary discipline and court referrals.

Supporting Schools and Families in Navigating Social Media and Cell Phone Use

Presenter: Lizzy Gordon, Shah Family Foundation

Since 2023, the Shah Family Foundation has worked to understand the impact of social media and cell phones on youth well-being. To support parents, we launched YourBrainOnSocialMedia.org, providing expert insights and guidance. Partnering with Dr. Stuart Ablon, we developed resources to help parents navigate conversations with their children about social media.

Recognizing school leaders’ challenges in managing devices, we collaborated with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to host a statewide event in May 2024. This led to a comprehensive toolkit, created with the AGO, featuring adaptable policies, community norm-setting guides, and digital literacy resources. In partnership with Dr. Jill Walsh and the Center for Digital Thriving, we developed evidence-based strategies for schools and families. Through these efforts, we aim to equip communities with practical solutions that balance technology’s benefits with student well-being.

This panel will feature projects that reimagine how public services are designed and delivered.

People-Powered Gen AI: Collaborating with Generative AI for Civic Engagement 

Presenter: Sarah Williams, MIT ( might have Will Jones Present He is the student who worked  on this project.)  

Co-Authors: Sara Beery, MIT; Christopher Conley, Boston University; Michael Lawrence  Evans, City of Boston; Santiago Garces, City of Boston; Eric Gordon, Emerson College;  Nigel Jacobs; Eden Medina 

Identifying Points of Intervention: A Collaboration between Boston Emergency Services Team and the Boston Police Department

Presenter: Courtney Fisher, UMASS Lowell

Co-Authors: Jenna Savage, Boston Police Department; Rachel Oblath, Boston Emergency Services Team; Melissa Morabito, UMASS Lowell

Since 2010, the Boston Police Department (BPD) and the Boston Medical Center’s Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) have been collaborating on a co-response program where Master’s-level BEST clinicians are paired with BPD officers to respond to 911 calls for service that have a behavioral health component. With strong advocacy from its City Council, the City of Boston has institutionalized co-response by making it part of the BPD’s operating budget. This investment began in 2019, when the City provided funding for 2.5 clinicians. In FY21, the City re-allocated $2 million from the BPD overtime budget to increase the number of clinicians to 15. In 2024, co-responder teams had 3,826 encounters with community members, including responding to calls for service and providing proactive follow-ups. With well over 10 years of strong collaboration, the BPD-BEST partnership continues to grow and strengthen and has fundamentally changed for the better the way the BPD responds to mental health-related calls. In collaboration with UMASS Lowell researchers, BPD and BEST are working to integrate their respective data for Boston community members who are high utilizers of emergency services. In this session, we discuss the challenges of information sharing while protecting the privacy of vulnerable community members, as well as explore some initial findings for the highest utilizers of co-response services.

What You Can’t See: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Study on Truck Blind Zones

Presenter: Kris Carter, MassDOT

Co-Authors: Alex Epstein, USDOT Volpe Center; Jaclyn Youngblood, MassDOT

Large trucks are disproportionately responsible for fatal crashes with pedestrians and cyclists, representing 4 percent of the vehicle population and 11 percent of the fatal crashes in the US. In Cambridge last summer, two cyclists were killed just a few weeks apart from impacts with large trucks. Often, drivers say they didn’t see the person before the moment of the crash. Yet direct vision remains completely unregulated at the federal level.

In the largest study of its kind in the nation, MassDOT and the USDOT Volpe Center, in collaboration with 10 cities and towns, measured over 50 different trucks to uncover what a driver can actually see. The findings are eye opening. Not only is vision poor for so many vehicles, it’s also getting worse in newer models. As this study aims to raise awareness, glimmers of hope are emerging from some vehicle manufacturers and big cities.

Investigating Barriers to Language Access in the Massachusetts Courts: A Qualitative Approach

Presenter: Miriam Berro Krugman, Research and Policy Associate, MA Appleseed Center for Law and Justice

Co-Author: Iris Coloma-Gaines, Statewide Language Access Attorney, MA Law Reform Institute

The Courts Language Access Working Group of the MA Language Access Coalition conducted a qualitative research project to investigate the state of language access in the MA Courts. We focused our research on the lived experiences of court users who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH).

Our data collection methods included focus groups with court users, a survey of advocates who work with court users, and a court watching program in which volunteers observed occurrences in court focused on language access.

Our research revealed that court users who are LEP and D/HH face serious barriers to language access. From a lack of available interpreters for proceedings to difficulty navigating the courthouse, our work underscores the intersection of injustices experienced by already marginalized groups. Our report will make actionable recommendations to the Court, with goal of creating tangible changes for the everyday court user.

This panel will explore various ways that our housing can impact our well-being.

Indoor Environmental Exposures: Clustering Within and Between Residential Boston Communities

Presenter: Caroline Sarpy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Co-Author: Gary Adamkiewicz, Associate Professor of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Adam Haber, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

This project has evaluated the role of geographic location as well as demographic / socioeconomic risk factors in risk for exposure to indoor environmental hazards in two environmental justice communities of greater Boston, Chelsea and Dorchester. Exposure was measured through binary indices and a summed index of the following indoor hazards: mold, combustion byproducts, secondhand smoke, pests, inadequate ventilation, and chemical exposure.

Preliminary analysis suggests that there are differences in risk in the Dorchester and Chelsea communities. Race was associated with increased odds of chemical exposure (pesticides, air freshener usage) and the summary index score (OR=5.2; 5.5). The secondhand smoke and summed index were found to be significantly clustered in Dorchester as compared to Chelsea, and significant within the Dorchester neighborhood.

This study provides evidence for how indoor environmental hazards are distributed in Greater Boston, which may identify groups at higher risk and therefore in greater need of targeted intervention.

Lower Indoor Humidity Associated with Greater Limitations in Activity for People with COPD in the Northeast US 

Presenter: Nicholas Nassikas, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIMDC)  

Co-Authors: Wenli Ni, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH); Andrew Synn, BIDMC; Sophia Schortmann, BIDMC; Pablo E. Morejón-Jaramillo, BIDMC; Mahmoud Elfeshawy, BIDMC; Cailey Denoncourt, BIDMC; Julia K. Munchel, BIDMC; Petros Koutrakis, HSPH; Brent A. Coull, HSPH; Choong-Min Kang, HSPH; Jack M. Wolfson, HSPH; Meghan Rebuli, UNC; Wanda Phipatanakul, Boston Children’s Hospital; Mary B. Rice, HSPH, BIDMC 

Despite people spending the majority of time indoors, little is known about the effects of indoor humidity on symptoms for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a study to determine the extent to which short-term indoor relative humidity (RH) exposure is associated with dyspnea in people with COPD in the greater Boston area. We included 159 adults recruited for a randomized controlled trial, Air Purification for Eosinophilic COPD Study, and measured indoor temperature and RH using hourly monitors in participant homes. We found that for every 10% lower RH, the OR was 1.06 (95% CI 1.01, 1.11) for limitations with moderate activity and, similarly, 1.06 (95% CI 1.01, 1.10) for limitations with strenuous activity. Lower indoor RH was associated with greater limitations in moderate and strenuous activities among people with COPD. RH in the home environment may have implications for improving exercise tolerance in people with COPD.

Indoor housing quality and mental health among public housing residents: Variation across age and neighborhood contexts

Presenter: Zhirui Chen, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College 

Co-Authors: Rebekah Levine Coley, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College; Samantha Teixeira, School of Social Work, Boston College; Yilin Wang, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College

This study examined the association between housing quality and mental health among public housing residents and how age and neighborhood contexts moderated this relationship. Data was from the baseline surveys of the HOME Project, a natural experiment that investigates the impacts of housing redevelopment on the residents of a public housing community located in South Boston. The analytic sample included 448 adults, with data collected between October 2022 and January 2024. Results showed that poor housing quality was associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress among public housing residents. Older adults who experienced lower housing quality reported worse mental health relative to their younger counterparts. Additionally, neighborhood problems further exacerbated the links between housing quality and mental health more for older adults than for younger populations. These findings have implications for the development of age-responsive mental health interventions tailored to the unique contexts of public housing communities.

Tenant Reports of Poor Housing Conditions are Associated with Neighborhood Rates of Childhood Asthma Emergency Department Visits in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Presenter: Sophia S Carryl, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Co-Authors: Zichuan Li, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Keith Acosta, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Division of General Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital; Region 1 New England Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit; Elizabeth Samuels, Department of Emergency Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; Gary Adamkiewicz, PhD, MPH; Adam L. Haber, PhD; Marissa Hauptman, MD, MPH Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Housing conditions, particularly exposure to indoor allergens, are critical drivers of childhood asthma morbidity. We sought to determine whether neighborhood-level incidence of housing-associated asthma triggers reported by tenants (n = 8230) are associated with the rate of emergency department (ED) visits for childhood asthma. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from Boston Children’s Hospital. Study population included 5291 patients ≤ 26 years old that visited the ED for asthma from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. We found that ED visits were significantly higher (incidence rate ratio, 1.048; 95% confidence interval, 1.038-1.058) in neighborhoods with greater in-home asthma trigger reports in the crude model, and after adjusting for neighborhood characteristics (adjusted IRR, 1.027; 95% CI, 1.013-1.041). Exposure to indoor environmental triggers associated with poor housing conditions continues to contribute to neighborhood variability in childhood asthma ED visit rates across Boston. Further efforts to ensure universal access to healthy housing are essential to reduce disparities and childhood respiratory disease burden.

Assessing the Impacts of Zoning Reform in Boston

Presenter: Rachel Elmkies, City of Boston 

Co-author: Jennifer Flanagan, City of Boston – DoIT Analytics Team

Recently released on Analyze Boston, the pilot version of the Zoning Reform Impact Tracker (ZRIT) is designed to help assess the impact of changes to the Zoning Code on development and to identify trends in permitting and zoning relief. The dataset includes the City’s first public tracking of by-right development, incomplete or abandoned projects, and times to permitting.

Understanding the Financial Feasibility of Zoning

Presenter: Jiwon Park, Metropolitan Area Planning Council 

Co-Author: Alexis Smith, MAPC

Developing effective zoning policies is about balancing community vision with development needs. Zoning can enhance affordability and livability through tools like affordable housing requirements and mixed-use development, but these approaches don’t always yield the desired results. A key challenge is assessing whether these policies are working as intended and exploring alternative policy options that work.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) has conducted work across Greater Boston to address these challenges. Economic Feasibility Analyses (EFA) provide an understanding of financial viability, using the pro forma tool, highlighting whether policies like inclusionary zoning or mixed-use requirements are economically feasible for developers. By updating policies based on these insights, municipalities can align zoning strategies with both market conditions and community goals. To date, MAPC has provided technical assistance to over 20 communities in Metro Boston.

Introduction to the Massachusetts Zoning Atlas

Presenter: John Infranca, Suffolk University Law School  

Co-Author: Sara Bronin, National Zoning Atlas

The Massachusetts Zoning Atlas provides an interactive map of over 4,600 zoning districts throughout every community in Massachusetts. Each district is coded for over 100 attributes that determine what can be built on each parcel. The Atlas, which is part of the National Zoning Atlas, seeks to demystify zoning for the public, inform reform efforts, and enable researchers to study zoning across municipalities (and states) and over time. The Atlas can also help to highlight trends across regions and the state and be used to improve planning related to housing production, transportation infrastructure, and climate response. Our presentation will explain what the Atlas is and how it was made, show its basic functions, and then briefly explain different ways to use the Atlas.
More information on the Atlas can be found at: https://www.zoningatlas.org/massachusetts

Unlocking Boston’s ADU Potential through Research Backed Program Design

Presenter: Marcy Ostberg, City of Boston – Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics 

Co-Authors: Elizabeth Bowie Christoforetti, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Adriana  Lasso-Harrier, City of Boston, Mayor’s Office of Housing; Charu Singh, Harvard Graduate  School of Design

Boston’s ADU program, despite high homeowner interest, faces a significant implementation gap. Furthermore, data from other regions with more mature ADU-related policy yield projects primarily benefiting high income households. To address this, the City partnered with Harvard GSD, deploying surveys, expert interviews, user research, and co-facilitation of working sessions with local banks. This research unveiled critical financial, social, and technological hurdles. We then co-designed and implemented new financial tools, directly addressing these friction points and accelerating ADU production for low-to-moderate income homeowners. This project demonstrates the power of cross-sector collaboration, merging academic rigor with municipal capacity. This innovative approach not only yields tangible policy changes but also provides a model for tackling complex urban challenges, especially in housing. We’ll share our research outcomes, real-world impacts, and collaborative methods, highlighting how this approach can ensure ADUs serve a diverse range of Bostonians.

This panel will feature multiple examples of civic research partnerships that are pursuing more equitable environments across communities.

Energy Equity, Transitions, and Futures: Photovoice Insights from Latinx Communities in Boston 

Presenter: Dr. Laura Kuhl, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and  International Affairs at Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: Johan Arango-Quiroga, PhD candidate in Public Policy; Devin MacGoy, Energy  Democracy Organizer at GreenRoots

Energy equity is a critical issue in urban areas, particularly for marginalized communities like Boston’s Latinx population. This study uses photovoice, a participatory method where participants document their experiences with photography, to explore energy equity in collaboration with GreenRoots, an environmental justice organization working in Chelsea and East Boston. The research identified inequities in energy distribution, highlighting how local infrastructure contributes to environmental burdens and fails to meet residents’ needs. Key concerns included unequal access to renewable energy, poor lighting, and outdated infrastructure. Residents expressed concerns about safety, unreliable energy, and fire risks, with frustrations over lack of input on energy decisions. Participants avoided photographing East Boston’s substation, signaling opposition. They identified six themes for a more equitable energy future: green spaces, better lighting, parity with affluent areas, reliable energy, fair pricing, and community input. These findings provide valuable insights for policy action toward equitable energy systems.

A Life Cycle Assessment of Geothermal Energy Networks (GENs)

Presenter: Mahsa Ghandi, University of Massachusetts Lowell 

Co-Author: Jasmina Burek, University of Massachusetts Lowell

This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare geothermal energy networks (GENs) and business-as-usual (BAU) conventional HVAC systems, quantifying impacts across production, operation, and disposal phases. Massachusetts has aging gas infrastructure, with leaks causing environmental, health, and monetary damage. GENs offer resilient, safe heating and cooling, especially when connecting diverse building types. Over a 25-year lifecycle, measured per 1 MJ of delivered energy, preliminary estimates from a planned GEN in Lowell, MA (by National Grid) predict a 26% overall greenhouse gas reduction for single-family homes, with operational emissions cut by 72%. Building on Lowell’s insights, future work will focus on Framingham’s second loop, using Eversource data to evaluate GEN distribution infrastructure comprehensively. This LCA approach captures cradle-to-grave impacts for each system, clarifying comparative benefits. This research aims to inform policymakers and guide Massachusetts toward an affordable, resilient, and safe thermal energy system.

This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare geothermal energy networks (GENs) and business-as-usual (BAU) conventional HVAC systems, quantifying impacts across production, operation, and disposal phases. Massachusetts has aging gas infrastructure, with leaks causing environmental, health, and monetary damage. GENs offer resilient, safe heating and cooling, especially when connecting diverse building types. Over a 25-year lifecycle, measured per 1 MJ of delivered energy, preliminary estimates from a planned GEN in Lowell, MA (by National Grid) predict a 26% overall greenhouse gas reduction for single-family homes, with operational emissions cut by 72%. Building on Lowell’s insights, future work will focus on Framingham’s second loop, using Eversource data to evaluate GEN distribution infrastructure comprehensively. This LCA approach captures cradle-to-grave impacts for each system, clarifying comparative benefits. This research aims to inform policymakers and guide Massachusetts toward an affordable, resilient, and safe thermal energy system.

B-COOL – A Multi-sector Collaborative Research Project to Measure Extreme Heat in Boston Neighborhoods

Presenter: Jonathan Lee, Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) 

Co-Authors: Isabella Gambill, A Better City; Zoe Davis, City of Boston; Yirong Yuan, BUSPH;  Ameera Saba, Boston University; Julia Howard, The Boston Foundation; M. Patricia Fabian,  BUSPH

In the summer of 2024, A Better City, Boston University School of Public Health and City of Boston’s Office of Climate Resilience launched a pilot program to address the data gaps in measuring ambient temperature across Boston’s hotspot neighborhoods. With funding from the Boston Foundation, this multi-sector (non-profit, government, academic) collaborative research project was able to not only verify results from past efforts to address extreme heat in Boston, such as the City of Boston Heat Resilience Plan (2022), which documented that some parts of the city can be 10-15 degrees warmer than other neighborhoods, but also to fill the gap in providing neighborhood-scale data on ambient temperature to guide action specifically on extreme heat emergency management. Fifteen sensors were installed across the five hotspot neighborhoods identified by the Heat Resilience Plan: Chinatown, East Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury; as well as in 2 additional neighborhoods: Allston-Brighton and Jamaica Plain. Currently, there is only one National Weather Service temperature sensor in the City of Boston, located at Logan Airport, which determines the official temperature for the entire city that is then used to predict extreme heat emergency declarations. However, our results confirmed that temperatures in some hotspot neighborhoods are reaching the threshold used to declare emergencies sooner and more frequently. The results from this research can be used by the City of Boston and other municipalities to fine-tune emergency prediction and management systems to better serve vulnerable populations, as well as city departments, local institutions, and community-based partners on how to distribute available resources to heat-vulnerable residents, workers, and neighborhoods during extreme heat emergencies. This data may also more broadly guide future policy initiatives for community heat resilience undertaken by both the public and private sectors to focus and prioritize cooling interventions where they matter most.

Common SENSES Along Blue Hill Ave: A Collaborative Path to Environmental Healing 

Presenter: Abigail Menendez, Office of Emerging Technology, City of Boston 

Co-Authors: Nicole Flynt, Project R.I.G.H.T.; Rene Mardones, Dudley Street Neighborhood  Initiative; Tu Phan, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative; Mike Pollio, Dudley Street  Neighborhood Initiative; Michelle Laboy, Northeastern University; Amy Mueller, Northeastern  University; Dan O’Brien, Northeastern University; Moira Zellner, Northeastern University;  Dean Massey, Northeastern University; Tayte Adderley, Northeastern University; Abdullahi  Bello, Northeastern University  

Blue Hill Avenue serves as the central spine of Boston, running through the historic cultural heart of the city’s communities of color. The legacy of institutional racism, including redlining and urban renewal practices, has left the corridor burdened by vacant lots and vulnerable to environmental hazards like illegal dumping, elevated air pollution, and the urban heat island effect. The Common SENSES project is community data-driven and community-led project between the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Project R.I.G.H.T., Northeastern University, and the City of Boston, funded by NSF Smart & Connected Communities to (1) deploy a sensor network measuring microspatial inequities in environmental hazards and (2) support collective engagement with the data through participatory modeling workshops to develop solutions. This project builds upon decades of grassroots efforts by local community groups to address the environmental injustices that disproportionately impact the area.

While not the first project to install environmental sensors with community, it is unique in its partnership dynamic and scale. With a distinctive integration of community-based organizations, university researchers, and the City, it leverages collective interdisciplinary expertise in architecture, urban design and planning, data analysis, participatory modeling, environmental policy, GIS, community organizing and engagement. Central to the project’s success is the development of trust among all partners, including institutions that have contributed to past and ongoing harms, and with the community itself. To ensure success in these regards, the City has created a full-time role dedicated to the project, which allows for an open, effective avenue to leverage insights gathered from the project, including the community’s lived experience, and further advance the project’s climate justice goals across other City Departments and agencies. The project’s scale is defined by the density of the sensors deployed, with approximately 50 sensors set to deploy over 3.6 square kilometers. This has required us to develop a unique process that integrates community voices with scientific standards for selecting sensors and determining their placement, ensuring that the final network not only captures community experiences but can speak to the specific concerns the community wants to be able to address.

There will be an opportunity during lunch for researchers to present their findings and collaborate with peers

How Can Engineering Contribute to Public Health? (A Dialog)
Presenter: Beth Ellinport, US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center

Co-Authors: David M. Gute, Tufts University; Christopher C. Cummings, US Army Corps of  Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center; Benjamin D. Trump, US Army  Corps of Engineers, Engineering Research and Development Center

Scientific Citizenship Initiative: Bridging Science and Society to Create Equitable Data-Driven Solutions
Presenter: Dan Pomeroy, Scientific Citizenship Initiative

Navigating Systems Change through a Racial Equity Networked Improvement Community
Presenter: Ariel Tichnor-Wagner, Boston University

Co-Author: Alia Verner, EdVestors

Policy Analysis as Service-Learning: Building Bridges Between Graduate Education and Community Impact in Greater Boston
Presenter: Cristina Stanica, Northeastern University, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs

Launching the North Shore Policy Lab at Salem State University

Presenter: Thomas Pineros Shields

Co-Author: Genesis Beltre, Salem State University North Shore Policy Lab

There will be an opportunity during lunch for researchers to feature new tools for researchers. 

Building a Statewide Trails Database for MA

Presenter: Stephen Larrick, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Digital 

Co-Authors: Cy Smith, MassGIS; David Loutzenheiser, MAPC Transportation; Guy Hydrick,  MAPC Data Services; John McKenzie, MAPC Digital 

Using Lidar Point Cloud to Identify Opportunities for Equity-Centered Cool Roof  Strategies in Greater Boston 

Presenter: Rachel Bowers, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) 

Co-Authors: Sasha Shyduroff, MAPC; Julia Nassar, MAPC

Decision Tools for K-12 Schools Using Continuous Indoor Environmental Quality Monitors: A Case Study of CO2 in Boston Public Schools 

Presenter: Beverly Ge, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public  Health (BUSPH)

Co-Authors: Koen Tieskens, Department of Environmental Health, BUSPH; Priam Vyas, Department of Environmental Health, BUSPH; M. Pilar Botana Martinez, Department of Environmental Health, BUSPH; Yirong Yuan, Department of Environmental Health, BUSPH; Katherine Walsh, Boston Public Schools; Lauren Main, Boston Public Schools; Lauren Bolton, Boston Public Schools; Masanao Yajima, Department of Math and Statistics, Boston University; M. Patricia Fabian, Department of Environmental Health, BUSPH and Institute for Global Sustainability, Boston University 

Supporting Sustainable Campus Transit: Insights from Tufts Rideshare Survey

Presenter: Zhou Zhou, Tufts University

Co-Authors: Tina Woolston, Tufts University; Jason Novsam, Tufts University; Alice Mello, Tufts University

Structural Barriers to Small Business Success in Greater Boston

Presenter: Miles Chandler, Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)

Co-Authors: Devon Yee, ICIC; Howard Wial, ICIC; Brian Pifer, Small Business Majority; Ira Gotliboym, Small Business Majority; Karen Beck, One Visual Mind; Scott Poulin, Arsenal Productions

Mass. Exodus from Civil Service: Worcester’s Proposal to Exempt Police Leaders Amidst Statewide Shifts 

Presenter: Anthony Clough, Worcester Regional Research Bureau 

Selling Somerville: Identifying home sales hot spots to organize tenants and prevent displacement 

Presenter: Becca Heilman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Erin Sheehan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Powering change: a collaborative approach to advocating for a clean energy transition 

Presenter: Natalie Baker, Harvard Medical School; Madeleine Kline, Harvard Medical School 

Co-Author: Madeleine Kline, (we are co-first authors and co-presenting if possible! please include on emails: madeleine_kline@hms.harvard.edu) Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health; Leann Canty, Mothers Out Front; Mireille Bejjani, Slingshot; Regina LaRocque, Climate Code Blue, Massachusetts General Hospital 

Estimating Good Green Jobs Created by Boston’s Green New Deal. 

Presenter: Maria Salim, Northeastern University School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs 

Co-Authors: Joan Fitzgerald, Northeastern University School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs; Alicia Modestino, Northeastern University School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs 

Understanding Modeling and Data Approaches to Hyperlocal Urban Air Pollution 

Presenter: Matthew Elia, Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: Amy Mueller, Northeastern University; Matthew Eckelman, Northeastern University 

Informing the design of nature-based solutions (NBS) to coastal flooding: Enhancing decision confidence through model alignment 

Presenter: Maqsood Mansur, Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: A Dean Massey, Northeastern University; Julia Hopkins, MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Moira Zellner, Northeastern University

Parents’ Perceptions of Neighborhood Child-Friendliness and Parenting Strategies: Community Cultural Wealth in a Public Housing Community 

Presenter: Yilin Wang, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston College 

Co-Authors: Canice Screene, Institution of Education, University College London; Jenna Strauss, School of Social Work, Boston College; Rebekah Levine Coley, Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Boston College; Samantha Teixeira, School of Social Work, Boston College; Trevor Samios, Senior Vice President, WinnCompanies and Chair, Connected Communities Foundation; Andrew Colbert, Vice President of Development, WinnCompanies

Narrative Analysis of Latino Oral Histories in Greater Salem 

Presenter: Abuk Teng, Salem State University North Shore Policy Lab 

Co-Authors: Emily Ellis; Stiven Acosta

An Analysis of the Food Environment in Roxbury: Investigating the Health and Social Identities of Low-income Black Women 

Presenter: Victoria Fuller, Boston College 

Climate resilience adaptations in Boston, MA and psychiatric emergency services utilization during extreme heat: a difference-in-differences analysis 

Presenter: Flannery Black-Ingersoll, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health 

Co-Authors: Mary D. Willis, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology; Stephanie T. Grady, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health; Kaylin Vrkljan, Boston University School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology; Alison Duncan, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine,  Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center; Kate Burrows, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago; Rachel Oblath, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine,  Department of Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center; Amruta Nori-Sarma, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 

Addressing the information asymmetry issues in the higher education procurement market  

Presenter: Youngbok Ryu, Northeastern University 

Co-Authors: Francesca Grippa, Northeastern University; Carl Zangerl, Northeastern University; Alireza Raisi, Northeastern University 

Vigorous Youth and Justice-Centered Healthy Mobilities: A Collaboration 

Presenter: Chris Zegras, MIT – Dept of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) 

Co-Authors: Shawntell Usher-Thames, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC); Jessie Tagiani, MIT DUSP; Salvador Herrera, MIT DUSP; Matthew Jarrell, MIT DUSP; Several youth from the MFFC Vigorous Youth Program