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Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology

Bostrom publishes article on scientists’ mental models of microplastics

CSDE Affiliate Ann Bostrom and an international, interdisciplinary team of co-authors recently published  “Scientists’ mental models of microplastics: insights into expert perceptions from an exploratory comparison of research methods” in the journal, Microplastics and Nanoplastics. The article presents results from two complementary studies of the causal beliefs—that is, the “mental models”—microplastic scientists hold related to the risks of microplastics in freshwater systems, an emerging global environmental problem.  Study 1 examined core concepts in their mental models from a decision analysis perspective. In Study 2, microplastics scientists used a visual mental mapping tool (the M-Tool) to draw causal connections between core ideas about microplastics. Across both studies, scientists emphasized household consumption of plastics as a direct and indirect source of microplastics, but there were gaps in how they talked about dose–response functions. To read more, click here.

Tom publishes article on Religion and Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models

CSDE External Affiliate Joshua Tom (Seattle Pacific) and co-authors recently published an article titled, “Religion and Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models” in Socius. Tom and co-authors examine if LLMs hold implicit assumptions with regard to religious identities by prompting LLMs to generate religious sermons, specifying different combinations of race and religious tradition of the clergyperson. Evangelical Protestant pastors had easier to read AI–generated sermons, whereas Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams had more difficult to read synthetic texts. To read more, click here.

Martin co-authors opinion piece on youth prisons in The Imprint

CSDE Affiliate Karin Martin (Public Policy) and co-authors recently shared an opinion piece in The Imprint on the incarceration of youth, which overwhelming evidence shows does not work and disproportionately affects communities of color. Drawing on their article published in the American Journal of Public Health, Martin and co-authors highlight the recent trend in closure of youth prisons and call on policymakers to redirect resources and attention to community-based alternatives. To read more, click here.

Dunbar Publishes on Development and Protocols of the Brain Health Study (BHS)

CSDE Research Scientist Matthew D. Dunbar, PhD, and co-authors recently published an article in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, titled “The companion dog as a translational model for Alzheimer’s disease: Development of a longitudinal research platform and post mortem protocols.” The authors describe the objectives, infrastructure, platform development, and protocol of the Brain Health Study (BHS). The BHS aims to establish the role of privately owned companion dogs as a translational model for Alzheimer’s Disease research.

Why dogs? Companion dogs share genetic diversity, environmental exposures, and cognitive traits with humans. Their condensed lifespans and human-like aging patterns make them an ideal model for understanding cognitive decline. The study’s research infrastructure is in place for longitudinal data collection, annual biospecimen collection and postmortem sample collection, with 500 dogs enrolled and 21 postmortem specimens already collected.

Dr. Dunbar, in his role as the Data Core Director for the Dog Aging Project, helped build the operational infrastructure for the BHS to support this diverse national cohort of companion dogs for an in-depth, longitudinal analysis of brain and cognitive health over their lifespan. A complex and well-maintained research platform was critical to facilitate enrollment, retention, ongoing participant surveys, and biobanking of biofluids and postmortem tissue. Dr. Dunbar has decades of experience designing primary data collection systems, managing field data campaigns, and he currently oversees CSDE’s own REDCap instance supporting population researchers.

To arrange a consultation appointment with Matt Dunbar or any of CSDE’s scientific support staff, please use the CSDE Science Core Consultation Request form.

*New* Join the Mobility and Migration Modeling Intercomparison Project (3MIP)

The Mobility and Migration Modeling Intercomparison Project (3MIP) invites you to join a new initiative to advance the modeling of migration and mobility in the context of climate change.

Over the past decades, migration modeling capacity has expanded considerably, with diverse approaches including ABM, IAM, Gravity, Radiation, and others. Similar to how model intercomparison projects (MIPs) such as AgMIP and ISIMIP have strengthened agricultural and climate modeling, 3MIP aims to improve the robustness, comparability, and usability of migration models. By standardizing methods, characterizing uncertainties, and setting shared benchmarks, we hope to build a foundation for stronger science and policy applications.

This initiative is jointly supported by Princeton’s CPREE, Cornell University’s Department of Global Development, and the Columbia Climate School. Our long-term goal is to develop a suite of cases and benchmarks for comparison. We begin with a first case study on coastal flooding and mobility in Bangladesh.

3MIP warmly invites:

  • Modelers, model users, and users of model outputs
  • Experts in migration, mobility, and coastal flooding
  • Especially, scholars and practitioners from Bangladesh

Opportunities for participation include:

  • Regular online engagements with the 3MIP community
  • Contributions to comparative case studies
  • Participation in a planned conference session at the 2026 iEMS meeting (Dublin)
  • Contributions to a forthcoming Topical Collection in Climatic Chang

Please visit 3mip.weebly.com to learn more and register your interest, or contact ik356@cornell.edu with any questions.