Boston Area Research Initiative

A graphic with a colorful background, layered under white squares with text on top. Text reads: Boston Cultural Council Organization Grants. Grants of up to $10,000 are available for small and mid-sized organizations for general operating support. Virtual office hours: September 15 at 4:30 p.m. and October 3 at 11 a.m. Deadline to apply: Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 5 p.m. Boston.gov/cultural council.

The Boston Cultural Council Organizational Grant application is now open! 🎉

These grants will provide small and mid-sized organizations (with budgets less than $2 million) up to $10,000 to support their general operating costs.

Learn more and apply: www.boston.gov/departments/...

Diminished Mental Well-Being in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Infection Risk, Social Disconnection, and Income Loss at the Individual and Neighborhood Levels The decline in mental well-being in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in the context of risk of infection, diminished social connecti…

What drove #mentalhealth recovery after the pandemic? A survey by BARI and UMass Boston Center for Survey Research found that Boston neighborhoods where activity rebounded more quickly after lockdown saw less decline in mental health. #CivicResearch www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Trump’s Tactics on Crime

BARI Director Dan O'Brien's research refuting the "Broken Windows Theory" was cited in a @nytimes.com piece today. Check it out in the gift article linked below. #ResearchMatters #CivicResearch #Data #Criminology
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/b...

Social media post announcing "WHAT THE TECH?" website launch. Features large black text title, yellow "WEBSITE NOW LIVE!" banner, photo of diverse group in workshop setting around conference table, image of student-created zine titled "Human Rights In Boston's Public Spaces: The Youth Take," blue decorative elements, "LINK IN BIO" text, What The Tech logo with question mark and signal waves, and bottom text reading "A COMMUNITY- AND YOUTH-LED VISION FOR AI IN BOSTON." Design uses black, white, yellow and blue color scheme.Retry

The What The Tech? Website is officially LIVE!
Now there’s a website showcasing the work of the 2024 WTT? cohort that focuses on AI, ethics, and the community. Educators can access the FREE, open-source curriculum that was created through the project.

#YouthVoices #CommunityPartners #BARI

Photo of people entering an Orange Line MBTA train with the words "Designing Mobility Equity, Thursday, September 25, 5:30-7:30 PM" written across the image and "Hideo Sasaki Foundation" on the bottom.

Image on the left side of a fingerprint with the words "Future of Collaborative Design" worked through the lines of the fingerprint and the logo of a large "H" and "Hideo Sasaki Foundation" on the right side of the image.

Our friends at the Sasaki Foundation have some very cool events coming up for the #design community! Join them on 9/25 for a conversation on how mobility equity takes shape in design and on 9/30 & 10/3rd for the Future of Collaborative Design Symposium! Go to sasakifoundation.org for more info.

September Newsletter Email from Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs Autumn Updates on the BARI Team and Opportunities and Events in the Civic Research Community September Newsletter Fall Seme

The BARI September Newsletter is full of stories, resources, and events in Greater Boston's #CivicResearch, Data, and Design community this fall. Check it out and join our email list to get the next one directly in your inbox. myemail.constantcontact.com/September-Ne...

Don’t miss the biggest 🚨Emergency Preparedness⚠️ events in #Boston on Sept 13th & September 25th! Visit Boston.gov/Fieldday to register today and get more information! #ReadyBoston

Inside an urban heat island, one street can be much hotter than its neighbor – new tech makes it easier to target cooling projects New technologies are making it easier to find these urban heat islets, opening the door to new strategies for efficiently improving community health.

Boston has another heat wave this week & some streets will be hotter than others! BARI Director Dan O'Brien's piece in @theconversation.com looks at the #heatislandeffect just blocks apart in #Roxbury. Sensors can help us ID the hottest spots for change efforts.
theconversation.com/inside-an-ur...

Photo of the clock tower at Dudley Town Common with three white farmers' market tents in the background and people walking by.

A pamphlet that says "Common Senses: A collaborative and community-led research project" and a map of the existing sensor network where folks could add their stories and suggestions for additional sensors.

Our Common SENSES Project team was excited to be at the Dudley Common Farmers' Market yesterday! We heard from residents about where to put sensors to track heat, noise, and air pollution. Join us there next Thursday to share your ideas! @boston.gov #environment #airquality #heatislandeffect

You teach about the American Revolution every year—but not every year is the 💥semiquincentennial💥

This virtual program will take place Wednesday, August 13 at 10 AM and you can register via the link in our bio.

We hope to see you this summer!

#bpl #LMEC #AmRev #MA250 #revwar #teacherpd

96 percent of Massachusetts is off limits to most apartment buildings. Some hope a new map will change that. - The Boston Globe The Massachusetts Zoning Atlas is part of a broader effort to document the zoning of every state in the United States.

We learned about the MA Zoning Atlas from @johninfranca.bsky.social on our "Re-imagining Zoning" panel with Jesse Kanson-Benanav of @abundanthousingma.org at BARI Conference 2025! We're excited to see how it can help address the housing crisis. #DemocratizeData
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/17/b...

Chelsea Named 2025 All-America City!

Congrats to Chelsea, MA for being named an All-America City by @civicleague.bsky.social! #CivicInnovation #EnvironmentalJustice www.chelseama.gov/news_detail_...

If you want to know more, follow @allisonwan.bsky.social here!

Head shot of Allison Wan, PhD student, wearing an olive shirt and sitting alongside a riverbank.

How influential are influencers, anyway? Our July newsletter profiles PhD student Allison Wan who just published a paper on new ways to model & measure behavior diffusion among social networks. You'll also find cool #civicresearch events & opps in Boston this summer. Check it out! conta.cc/3GuK9b8

A diverse group of about 25 people, both high school students and adults, standing in a library space posing for a photo together.

Congrats to Boston Latin Academy for its Research Festival today, where students' projects covered a wide array of topics! Thanks to friends from UMass Boston & Lowell, @boston.gov & BARI for being judges. Look for winners Eliana and Gianna when they share their research at BARI Conference 2026!

Integrating Data Literacy Into K–12 Education

Director Dan O'Brien and colleagues' new essay on the urgency for further integrating #dataliteracy (and AI) into K-12 education, and some strategies for doing so, is out now in the Harvard Data Science Review! @thehdsr
hdsr.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/o1nj6f46...

The pointillistic city and geographic scale in urban science - Nature Cities Cities can be organized and viewed many ways, as by neighborhoods, streets and so on. This Perspective argues for integrating multiple scales into urban science through a pointillistic approach.

LOOK: BARI Director Dan O’Brien’s new Perspective in Nature Cities! It describes the pointillistic approach to urban science, from civic research to big data explorations. A bite-size teaser for his book, The Pointillistic City!
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Greater Boston’s Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit. Your energy, ideas, and commitment to advancing data-driven research and policy made this event truly special.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Greater Boston’s Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit. Your energy, ideas, and commitment to advancing data-driven research and policy made this event truly special.

Yellow image with purple figures and photo of Boston Latin Academy

Researchers of all ages are welcome at BARI Conference 2025! AP Seminar Students from Boston Latin Academy will be joining us this Friday to learn more about the world of civic research!
#godragons

Yellow image with purple figures with and map of Roxbury Community college. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

It’s your Last chance to register for BARI Conference 2025! Registration Closes Wednesday at 5:00 pm

We are excited to be cohosting BARI Conference 2025 at
Roxbury Community College!

It’s close to the MBTA and there Is free parking on site!

Register at the link in our bio!

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Leader's Luncheon speaker, Patrick Kinner Evaluation Consultant and Vice President of the Greater Boston Evaluation Network. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures and pictures of Roxbury Community College. Containd information about the poster session More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Showcase moderator,Lawrence Weissbach, Scientific Director, Harvard Data Science Initiative. More details on this showcase can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Showcase moderators, Joshua S. Cetron Data Science Specialist & Research Methodologist, Institute for Quantitative Social Science and Danai Toursoglou Papalexandridou Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI). More details on this showcase can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

At BARI Conference, learning doesn't stop at lunch! Keep the conversations going at our popular Leaders' Luncheon or Poster Session or check out our new Showcases! Register and see the full day's schedule at the link in our bio.

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Dana Chisnell, Former Non-Resident Fellow, Technology and Public Purpose Project; Former Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, and moderator, Shin-pei Tsay, Director, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Kannan Thiruvengadam, Director, Eastie Farm, and moderator, Phil Giffee, Executive Director, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH). More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Explore new models for public administration & environmental justice at BARI Conference 2025! Discover advancements in people-powered AI for civic engagement, geothermal energy networks, & community sensor networks. April 11th (link in bio)

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Alice Brown Director of Environmental Quality, City of Boston, and moderator, Will Pfeffer Civic Technologist Metropolitan Area Planning Council. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Mary Churchill Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement, Boston University Wheelock College, and moderator,Rory Neuner Senior Learning Officer BARR Foundation. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

From community-led initiatives addressing injustices to innovative strategies for climate sustainability, our conference panels feature researchers, policymakers, and community leaders as they share insights and spark collective action! Register now (link in bio)

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Hardin Coleman, Professor & Dean Emeritus; Director, Center for Character & Social Responsibility, Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panelist Ted Landsmark, Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs; Director, Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University, panelist Anna Johannes, Paralympian and Inclusive Marketing and Design Consultant, and panelist Tre’Andre Carmel Valentine, Executive Director at Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition. More details on this keynote can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Don’t miss the chance to be part of an inspiring conversation at BARI Conference 2025 on April 11th!
Our keynote panel will bring together intergenerational thought leaders who are driving systemic change in advocacy, research, and design.
Register now via the link in our bio!

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Cynthia Orellana, President & CEO Mass Mentoring Partnership, and moderator, Aimee Sprung, Civic Engagement Manager Microsoft New England. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Rene Mardones, Director of Community Organizing at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), and moderator, Samantha Teixeira, Associate Professor Boston College School of Social Work. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Innovation and Relevance are core tenets of the BARI Conference and these panels are on the cutting edge and addressing hot topics in our community! Check out some of the creative approaches to civic research or dig into challenges facing our city every day!

Register at the link in our bio!

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Conference sponsor logos. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of Conference sponsor logos. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Did you know that BARI Conference 2025 is FREE? Thanks to our sponsors, the entire day, from Keynote to lunch and sessions to reception is free and open to ALL.

Register at the link in our bio and join the conversations!

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Darris Jordan, Asthma Prevention & Control Program Director, BPHC and Black Employee Network Leadership Committee Member, and moderator, Michael Johnson Special Assistant to the Chancellor, Professor of Public Policy and Public Affairs, UMASS Boston. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Jesse Kanson-Benanav, Executive Director Abundant Housing Massachusetts, and moderator, Kathryn Carlson Executive Director at Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston Harvard University. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Clear your calendar for April 11th so you don't miss BARI Conference's Session III panels! Two of our afternoon panels will dig into issues around housing, from zoning to indoor air quality, & how they impact our residents & communities. Register at the link in our bio! #Housing #PublicHealth #BARI

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Lizzie Torres CoFounder of Boston Artist Impact, and moderator, Loretta Lees Director of Boston University Initiative on Cities. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Latoya Gayle Senior Director of Advocacy Neighborhood Villages, and moderator, Eric Gordon Director, Center on Media Innovation for Social Impact, Boston University. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

At the BARI Conference, the post-lunch dip doesn't stand a chance against our Session II panels. Check out two of your choices here!

Register and get all the details on the day at the link in our bio!

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Alexandra Pineros Shields, Community organizer, scholar and activist-practitioner, and moderator, Jenny LaFleur Director of Research & Policy, Embrace Boston. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Yellow image with purple figures with and photos of panel provocateur, Eric Leslie Founder/Lead Organizer at Union Capital and moderator, Kelly Harrington Sr. Research Manager Boston Indicators. More details on this panel can be found at: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/bari/bari-conference-2025-greater-bostons-annual-insight-to-impact-summit/

Our morning session includes some amazing panels, so choosing which one to attend will be tough! Two of your options are: Creating our Own Structures to Thrive and Pathways to Social Mobility!

Register and learn more about all our great sessions at the link in our bio.

yellow background with images of Roxbury Community College

We want to extend a huge thank you to Roxbury Community College (RCC) and their Center for Economic and Social Justice (CESJ) for co-hosting this year's event!
Register at the link in our Bio!