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Since taking on the role of director of IDSS this July, I have enjoyed many conversations about how best to leverage our collective strengths to grow the impact of our educational programs and research collaborations. One common theme: it’s clear that multi-disciplinary approaches bring not only new insights to complex challenges, but also renewed energy and forward momentum — all of which are needed when tackling the most urgent and intractable challenges faced by societies around the world, be it in climate, life sciences, AI, or beyond.
There are many stories to share from across IDSS this fall, not the least of which is the recent awarding of a Nobel Prize to Daron Acemoglu, who has been a core IDSS faculty member since its inception, shared with our MIT colleague Simon Johnson and Jim Robinson at the University of Chicago. I had the privilege of joining Daron for last year’s Starr Forum, where he discussed the unequal disruptions and benefits AI will bring to workers across sectors. I encourage you to watch the talk and engage with Daron’s recent work on topics like democracy, the economy, and the economics of AI.
Below, we highlight how IDSSx — our growing and evolving collection of online educational offerings — has extended our impact outside of the MIT ecosystem, enabling new connections and leading to impressive outcomes. The MicroMasters Program in Statistics and Data Science, now with nearly 1,600 credential holders across 100 countries since its launch in 2018, has recently expanded with a new course on time series and the addition of specialized tracks. The 12-week Data Science and Machine Learning (DSML) course continues to thrive because, as IDSS faculty member Devavrat Shah rightly observes, understanding the foundations of statistics and developing data skills are essential to unlocking the potential of AI.
The DSML curriculum is also offered as part of a pilot collaboration with the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP), which connects undergraduates from underrepresented backgrounds with research opportunities on campus. These students, like Simone Lang (featured below), can also join projects under the IDSS Initiative on Combatting Systemic Racism (ICSR). Recent ICSR research highlighted below includes work from SES student Shomik Jain and SDSC faculty affiliate Ashia Wilson that shows how large language models can make inconsistent decisions when flagging security footage for police intervention. ICSR also recently launched a data hub and convened leaders from MIT and beyond to reflect on these efforts and explore opportunities to expand connections with HBCUs.
Finally, the IDSS podcast Data Nation is back with a special election-focused season 3! Get your questions answered about the changing roles of data in campaigning, marketing, research, polling, vote-counting, and more. Download the first two episodes now — and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to vote!
Fotini Christia, Director, IDSS
Ford International Professor of the Social Sciences
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