AIM Introduction

The The American Institutions and Methodology (AIM) lab is a collaborative lab between the Ohio State University and Northeastern University, led by Dr. Janet Box-Steffensmeier and Dr. Sahar Abi-Hassan. The AIM lab is an expansion of its predecessor, the Open Data Insights and Narratives (ODIN) lab, and seeks to expand innovative and novel research at the intersection of computer sciences and political sciences. A recipient of the Undergraduate Research Access Innovation Seed Grant the AIM lab conducts undergraduate and graduate research in the realm of Supreme Court Amicus Curiae Briefs, and more.

Principal Investigators

Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier Janet M. Box-Steffensmeier is Vernal Riffe Professor of Political Science and Professor of Sociology by courtesy. (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1993.) She was recently selected as a member of the 2017 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She directs the Program in Statistics and Methodology (PRISM). Box-Steffensmeier served as President of the Midwest Political Science Association and the Political Methodology Society as well as Treasurer and Vice President of the American Political Science Association. She has twice received the Gosnell Award for the best work in political methodology and the Emerging Scholar Award of the Elections, Public Opinion, and Voting Behavior Section of the American Political Science Association in 2001. She was an inaugural Fellow of the Society for Political Methodology. The Box-Steffensmeier Graduate Student Award, given annually by the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) is named after her in recognition of her contributions in political methodology and her support of women in the field. She received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Political Science Department in 2013, Distinguished Undergraduate Mentor Award from Ohio State University in 2009, Warren E. Miller Award for Meritorious Service to the Social Sciences in 2013, Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar award in 2012, Political Methodology Career Achievement Award in 2013, Women’s Caucus for the Midwest Political Science Association’s Outstanding Professional Achievement for Scholarship and Mentorship in 2016, and the Political Methodology Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2016. She served as the faculty representative to the Ohio State Board of Trustees in 2013 and 2014. She currently serves as the Divisional Dean for Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Dean for Graduate Affairs for the College of Arts and Science.

Sahar Abi-Hassan Dr. Abi-Hassan recently earned her PhD in Political Science from Boston University. She has taught courses on American politics, law and society, law and courts, and political methodology. Her research focuses on the behavior of Supreme Court justices, and the groups that lobby them. She has recently finished her dissertation, which examines the influence that inter-group behavior and coalition formation have on judicial behavior. She currently has several papers under review in the Journal of Politics and the Journal of Political Analysis. Her broader interests include the behavior of U.S. political institutions, political analysis, and quantitative political methodology. In her research, she uses the tools of network analysis and maximum likelihood estimation.

Dino Pinterpe Christenson's recent work explores presidential voting behavior, campaign dynamics in primary elections, the coalition strategies of interest groups, and public opinion and the media environment of institutional outcomes. His articles have appeared in American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Political Analysis, Political Behavior, and Social Networks, among other outlets. His work has received the Editors’ Choice Article Award from Political Analysis, the Best Article Award by the Law & Courts Section of APSA, as well as the Best Article Award from Political Research Quarterly. He is coauthor of The Myth of the Imperial Presidency: How Public Opinion Checks the Unilateral Executive (University of Chicago Press, 2020) and Applied Social Science Methodology: An Introductory Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2017). His work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Hariri Institute, and the Dirksen Congressional Center.

Undergraduate Researcher

Data Science Team

Haikal Rozaidi Haikal is currently a senior studying Computer Science and Engineering at the Ohio State University. He has the privilege of being the current team lead for the wonderfully talented data team. Aside from his love of Computer Science, he also shares a passion for film and stand up comedy!

Daniel Maluszycki On the Data team, Daniel's research interests focus on the intersection between statistics, computer science, political science, and math. Outside of academics, his hobbies include weightlifting, rock climbing, and playing volleyball, and he also loves exploring nature through hiking, camping, swimming, and snorkeling.

Puvvanrao Rhamarao​ Rao is a junior at The Ohio State University pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering. He specializes in applying AI and machine learning to analyze large datasets, utilizing Python libraries like pandas and scikit-learn. He worked on projects including a Smart Agriculture Monitoring System and a Ruby implementation of the "Game of Set." At the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, he contributed to a study on preschool social networks, providing valuable insights. He brings expertise in AI, practical experience in innovative projects, and a strong commitment to community service and leadership.

Elijah Polintan Elijah is a computer science major entering his sophomre year in the fall. He works with the data team and has helped with the Guided LDA algorithm as well as a plethora of data visualization methods. Outside of school, he enjoys playing sports such as rock climbing, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.

Ian Stanton​ Ian is a Computer Science and Engineering major at The Ohio State University expecting to graduate in Fall 2026. Through support from OSU's URAP program, Ian has continued the team's work to automate collection and categorization of Supreme Court petitions using Selenium, Pandas, and GuidedLDA. This work enables analysis of a much wider dataset of all Supreme Court petitions over a period, beyond those that are granted review.

Jayaditya Chawla​ Jayaditya is a junior at The Ohio State University, majoring in Computer Science Engineering. He specializes in Python, Java, SQL, and web development, with practical experience in web development, object tracking systems, and game development. His work as a research assistant, teaching assistant, and innovation analyst intern has honed his skills in data analysis, machine learning, and problem-solving. He is dedicated to leveraging technology to tackle complex challenges and continuously advancing his expertise.

Kira Watase​ Kira is a Junior at OSU studying Theoretical Mathematics. She enjoys working out and learning new things.

Undergraduate Researcher : Data Collection and Research Team

Elan Kyser Elan is a Senior studying Political Sciences and International Relations. As the Team Lead for the Data Collection and Research Team, Elan oversees the manual data collection of Amicus Curiae Briefs and other research methods. Elan has worked as a research assistant for Professor Box-Steffensmeier for two years. Previously Elan has interned for the US Department of Transportation working maritime infrastructure and supply chains. Elan is currently the Commercial Liaison intern for the US Department of Commerce at the World Bank, alongside his role as Team Lead. n for Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Dean for Graduate Affairs for the College of Arts and Science.

Natalie Thacker Natalie is a third year Math and Statistics major with an Economics minor. This summer she is participating in URAP and am working on a time series analysis project in which she compares the frequencies of policy agenda topics across the three branches of government as well as in the media. Apart from research she also works as a data analyst for the women's volleyball team, and enjoys running, watching baseball, and spending time with friends and family.

Caroline Baker Caroline is a fourth-year student at The Ohio State University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Legal Foundations of Society. At OSU, Caroline is a member of the Undergraduate Student Government. Along with participating in research, Caroline is interning this summer at the Office of the Ohio Attorney General. After graduation in Fall 2024, Caroline plants to continue her education and enter law school. ​

Lila Kenney Lila is an upcoming junior at The Ohio State University and she is a double majoring in political science and public policy, management, and leadership. She is currently on the pre-law track, and hopes to go to law school after college. She is involved in research because she finds the process extremely rewarding and engaging. In her free time, Lila enjoys spending time outside with her friends, rock climbing, and reading.

Jacob Beaver Jacob Beaver is a driven second-year student from Centerville, Ohio, dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable future. Majoring in public policy and city and regional planning, he is passionate about combating food insecurity through innovative solutions in urban design and policy implementation. Drawing on valuable experiences working for both the Ohio House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives, Jacob strives to utilize the power of effective governance and legislative action to address systemic issues. During the school year, Jacob will continue their impactful work through an internship with the Columbus City Council, where he will apply his knowledge and skills at the local level.

Genna Sarraga Genna is a junior from Long Island, New York, majoring in both Political Science and Security & Intelligence with a focus in conflict resolution and violence. Before contributing to our Writ research, she worked as an Intern for former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. In the future Genna hopes to continue her studies by going to graduate school and traveling around the world.​

Recent Graduates and Advisors

Defne Ceyhan​​ Defne Ceyhan is a senior Stamps Eminence Scholar majoring in Data Analytics and minoring in Biology. She was a part of the lab from 2022 to 2023, where she worked on a project exploring the relationship between media coverage of lower court decisions and the likelihood a case will be granted review by the Supreme Court. Defne currently interns at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and, at Ohio State, she is the President of Artificial Intelligence Club and a Buckeye Leadership Fellow. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to combine her interests in data science and genomics by pursuing a PhD in computational biology.

Ameen Al-El-Jalil​​ Ameen is a 2024 graduate of THE Ohio State University. He used to work as a project manager for the data science team in the lab. He now volunteers as a senior advisor for the data science team. He works full-time as a Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in Northern Virginia. If you have any interest in economics, computer science, consulting, LEGO, or media and entertainment, please send him an email at ameenalejalil@gmail.com​. Feel free to check out his personal website, ​ameenalejalil.com​​

Bridget Seghy​​ Bridget graduated with a BS in Political Science from The Ohio State University in 2023. Currently, Bridget is pursuing a PhD at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, focusing on American politics and political methodology. Bridget's primary research interests include political institutions and political elite communications.

Affiliates

This project is undertaken in collaboration with the Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL) at the Hariri Institute for Computing. Participating members of SAIL include Greg Frasco, Raphael Baysa, Sreeja Keesara, Ibrahim Shaikh, Linlan Chen, Justin Chen, Frederick Jansen, and Andrei Lapets. Other affiliates, co-authors, and lab members include Sahar Abi-Hasan, Parik Arulalan, Cantay Caliskan, Jessica Chan, Alison Craig, Ethan Dubois, Andrew Duthie, Rushi Ganmuki, Matthew Hitt, Claire Leavitt, Jason Morgan, Alexander Nawar, Matthew Piatetsky, Robert Pressel, Joe Rafalak, Lauren Ratliff Santoro, Reilly Smart, Chris Sullivan, Sophia Wedeen, Emily Williams.