Student Spotlights and News

  • Analyzing Networks, Online and Off

    Within the first few weeks of his arrival at Pardee RAND, Rouslan Karimov (cohort '15) attended two seminars that introduced him to network analysis and changed the course of his academic career. "I am very interested in the spread of information through communication networks," he said. Network analysis "really intrigued me."

    Aug 4, 2020

  • p201909_01, cohort, prgs

    Informing Decisions in Uncertain Times

    "So many people don't understand DMU," student Max Izenberg (cohort '18) says of the set of methods known collectively as decision making under uncertainty. Whether he's exploring robust decision making among large organizations, or the mental models of individual stakeholders, "DMU helps me organize my thoughts."

    Aug 3, 2020

  • p201810_11, class, prgs class, discussion, nabeel qureshi, hannah acheson-field, pau alonso garcia-bode, ashley woo

    Applying Causal Inference to Workforce and Higher Ed Research

    Although she wasn't exposed to causal inference methods until she arrived at Pardee RAND, Hannah Acheson-Field (cohort '18) says she is grateful for her coursework and her work with the Center for Causal Inference, as they have opened her eyes to research and career possibilities.

    May 29, 2020

  • Big Data + Small Stories = Better Policy

    What Max Griswold (cohort '18) likes best about big data are the small stories. He sees scalable computing "as a means to an end, to improve policy. And you need to understand the stories, what the data looks like in the lived experience, to see the big picture."

    May 27, 2020

  • Inaugural student research showcase, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation, p202002_06, showcase, posters, event, pardee rand, students, steven strongin, gabriela alvarado

    Telling Stories with Mixed Methods

    Her first course in qualitative and mixed methods didn't start out well, but by the end of the term, Gaby Alvarado (cohort '19) was a convert. A trained physician, she appreciates the chance to understand what is "going on in people's lives" so she can recommend policies that will work.

    May 27, 2020

  • Inaugural student research showcase, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation, p202002_06, showcase, posters, event, pardee rand, students, melissa dilaberti

    Students Present Research at Inaugural Showcase

    At this inaugural event sponsored by Pardee RAND Career Services, students shared their current research and proposals with more than 50 local executives and entrepreneurs, who provided feedback and critiques.

    Mar 12, 2020

  • Sitka Visit Focuses on Future Externship, Landslide Research

    Students Gabriela Alvarado (cohort '19), Max Izenberg ('18), and Sara Turner ('15) visited Sitka, Alaska, in February with the Dean and faculty members. Alvarado met with local leaders to plan a community-partnered externship, while Izenberg and Turner took part in a research workshop on landslide early warning systems.

    Mar 4, 2020

  • Students Alex Mendoza-Graf, Ashley Woo, and Sohaela Amiri hold photos of their relatives at Commencement, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation

    Three Students Create Pardee RAND Legacies

    Students Alexandra Mendoza-Graf (Cohort '16), Ashley Woo ('18), and Sohaela Amiri ('16) didn't have far to look when they decided to pursue a Ph.D. in policy analysis. While forging their own paths, they are also following in the footsteps of relatives who also happen to be Pardee RAND alumni: Marlon Graf ('12), Jonathan Wong ('12), and Sara Amiri Cohort ('05).

    Dec 10, 2019

  • CGSR director Brad Roberts talks with a postdoctoral research fellow and Pardee RAND student Pau Alonso Garcia-Bode (cohort '18), photo courtesy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

    LLNL Externships, Events Provide Experiential Learning

    Through a partnership with the Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, four students have had the chance to hold externships, conduct research, and participate in global security conferences and events.

    Dec 9, 2019

  • Noah Johnson presents some of his team's findings from the Dark Web Hackathon, photo by Todd Richmond/RAND Corporation

    Hackathon Lets Students Explore Dark Web

    Ten students worked on teams for three weeks this fall to use machine learning and analyze data from cryptomarkets — what one team called a "craigslist for illegal things" — stored on RAND's Dark Web Observatory.

    Dec 4, 2019

  • APPAM Conferences Feature Students, Alumni

    Dozens of students, alumni, faculty, and RAND colleagues are participating in the 2019 APPAM Fall Conference in Denver, and six students and alumni attended the 2019 APPAM International Conference in Barcelona this July.

    Aug 29, 2019

  • Lauren Buitta, founder of Girl Security, and RAND's Jenny Oberholtzer, Stacie Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser, and Ellie Bartels host a wargame for girls, July 2019, photo by Dori Gordon Walker/RAND Corporation

    A Wargame at RAND Puts Teen Girls in Command

    As a student, Ellie Bartels (cohort '15) worked with her fellow RAND "Dames of War Games" to develop and host an event for young women to learn firsthand about national security. The day offered a lesson in strategy, in the hard realities behind news headlines, and also in agility and resilience.

    Aug 20, 2019

  • Students, Faculty Participate in IPCC Working Conference in Nepal

    With Cazier Initiative support, students David Catt (cohort '16) and Karishma Patel ('17) traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, this summer with professors Robert Lempert and Ben Preston to attend the Second Lead Author Meeting for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II.

    Jul 31, 2019

  • Students Compete in (and Win!) Hackathons

    Sometimes described as "invention festivals," hackathons are multi-day events in which people collaborate intensively in an effort to solve a specific problem. Many hackathons involve technology — the word being a portmanteau of "hack" and "marathon" — but teams also include designers, subject-matter experts, and others. With the launch of the Tech and Narrative Lab, Pardee RAND has taken a leap into this area by hosting its own internal events and encouraging student participation in regional competitions.

    Dec 6, 2018

  • ProMeSA efforts in the Dominican Republic

    OJT Project Leads to Decade of Research Collaboration

    For more than a decade, alum Kartika Palar (cohort '06) and professor Kathryn Derose have been working together to reduce food insecurity among people with HIV. Student Gabriela Armenta ('15) recently joined them on a novel project in the Dominican Republic.

    Sep 7, 2018

  • Pardee RAND Mental Health Week 2018, p201805_05, activities, yoga, tai chi, pet therapy, crafts, music, claire ohanlan, rushil zutshi, alexandra mendoza graf, etienne rosas

    Mental Health Week Helps Students Relax — or Rock Out

    CoCom organized Pardee RAND's third annual Mental Health Awareness Week last month to help students decompress before finals. Activities included pet therapy, tai chi, massage, yoga, a picnic lunch and yes, a jam session.

    Jun 6, 2018

  • Students Shine at APPAM California Regional Conference

    Pardee RAND students had a great showing at the APPAM regional conference March 9-10, and Sara Turner (cohort '15) won 2nd prize in the poster competition.

    Mar 13, 2018

  • Students Take Time to Stop and Paint the Flowers

    CoCom hosted its second annual Mental Health Awareness Week this May to promote student and staff mental health, offer de-stressing activities, and help to strengthen Pardee RAND community ties. Activities included beach yoga, meditation, tai chi, massages, a group art project, and puppy therapy.

    May 26, 2017

  • 2017, prgs, talent show

    CoCom Hosts Second Annual RAND's Got Talent

    Last year's inaugural RAND’s Got Talent set a high bar, but the performances by Pardee RAND students and RAND staff on March 3 prove that yes, RAND continues to have significant talent, and not just in the field of research.

    Mar 7, 2017

  • Tim McCormick, Julia Pollak, Andrew Cady, and Jakub Hlavka

    Students Advise Big Blue Bus as Part of Client-Oriented Policy Analysis Course

    Julia Pollak (cohort '12), Andrew Cady and Jakub Hlavka (both cohort '14) helped to optimize local transit connectivity by developing a robust set of performance measures for first- and last-mile bus services to the seven new Expo Light Rail stations on L.A.'s Westside.

    Nov 7, 2016