College of Arts and Sciences » Sociology

seminar, csde, csss, models

RSS XML iCal Seattle, WA — Pacific Time
This hCalendar-compliant page is optimized for search engines. View this calendar as published at soc.washington.edu.

CSSS 2026-2027 Graduate Course Overview | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences The CSSS Seminar Series will begin with a course overview on the first day of the quarter, Wednesday, September 30. This is a look ahead to CSSS courses offered during the 2026-27 academic year. This seminar will be in-person only.     Afterwards, there will be a CSSS reception from 1:30pm - 2:30pm for everyone to kick off the academic year. Small appetizers and refreshments will be served. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

Department of Sociology Picnic

Join us for our Annual Potluck Picnic! Main dish and beverages will be provided. Bring your family, a side dish, dessert, or something delicious you want to share with colleagues and friends. Sign up using the following link... 2026 POTLUCK PICNIC Sign up.xlsx. Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: (206) 543-6450/V, (206) 543-6452/TTY, (206) 685-7264 (FAX), or dso@u.washington.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Event sponsors: Department of Sociology. Target Audience: Sociology Faculty, Graduate Students, and family. Thursday, October 1, 2026, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

CSDE Academic Year 2026-2027 Opening Reception

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Join CSDE in celebrating the start of the 2026-2027 Academic Year and Fall Quarter! Catch up with your colleagues, meet new affiliates, staff members, fellows, and trainees, and find out what is new and upcoming at CSDE. There will be food and refreshments provided. Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: Outside Between Raitt Hall and Savery Hall. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Special Events. Lectures/Seminars. Friday, October 2, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Impact of AI Search Summaries on Website Traffic: Evidence from Google AI Overviews and Wikipedia | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Abstract: Search engines increasingly display AI-generated answers above organic links, potentially displacing traffic to upstream publishers. We estimate the impact of Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) on Wikipedia’s search traffic using AIO’s staggered geographic rollout and Wikipedia’s multilingual structure. Our difference-in-differences design compares monthly external-search referrals to English Wikipedia articles with referrals to the same articles in German and French, and finds that default AIO availability reduced English search traffic by 5.45% and 4.82% , respectively. Our results suggest that answer-producing digital intermediaries can materially reallocate attention away from informational publishers, with implications for content monetization, search platform design, and policy.   Hema Yoganarasimhan is a faculty member at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. She is recognized as one of the leading experts in quantitative marketing. Hema’s research brings together… Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Seminar - Family Planning Indicators in Global Monitoring Frameworks: The UN Population Division's experience with the MDGs and SDGs - Jamaica Corker

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Jamaica Corker, Independent Research & Technical Consultant, Abstract & Bio: Global family planning indicators play a central role in measuring progress toward universal access to sexual and reproductive health care — but deciding what and how to measure at the global level involves distinctive challenges. Global monitoring requires trade-offs between evolving concepts and priorities in family planning (and sexual and reproductive health and rights more broadly) and the need for standardized measures, comparability across countries and over time, available data, and country engagement and acceptance.   The experience of the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), as the custodian agency for family planning indicators under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), illustrates the complexity of selecting and operationalizing global indicators, as well as the practical considerations that arise in compiling… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_npA6073FQl2hhG3-w1CGmg#/registration. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, October 9, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Copula-Based Latent Variable Modeling for Asymmetric Dependence | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Latent variable models such as item response theory (IRT) models and structural equation modeling (SEM) are widely used in social science. Traditional latent variable models heavily rely on multivariate Gaussian assumptions to model dependence among multiple latent variables. However, the Gaussian dependence structures are limited to linear, symmetric, and tail-independent relationships. In this talk, I present two studies that address these limitations by incorporating asymmetric copulas to model tail dependence between latent variables in IRT and SEM. The first study introduces a copula-based joint model for speed and accuracy within the IRT framework. This approach improves the estimation accuracy of latent ability by jointly modeling item responses and response times using asymmetric copulas. The second study extends the copula-based approach to SEM with a focus on binary risk outcome prediction. While standard Gaussian models may underestimate joint risk probabilities, this study demonstrates that modeli… Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Seminar - "A More Proper Place of Refuge": Rethinking Asylum History through African American Migration to Haiti - Matthew Randolph

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Matthew Randolph, Assistant Professor of American Ethnic Studies, University of Washington. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Hans Rosling Center for Population Health (HRC). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ACie5eUgT2isrnrHOv2y-g#/registration. Campus room: 101. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, October 16, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

Join the College of Arts & Sciences Team for the Alaska Airlines Dawg Dash

Calling All Arts & Sciences Dawgs! Join fellow alumni, students, friends, artists, scientists, historians, philosophers, writers and curious minds of the College of Arts & Sciences for the Alaska Airlines Dawg Dash on Sunday, October 18! Part campus tour, part reunion, and all Dawg pride, you'll partake in a little interdisciplinary running through the heart of the UW, passing favorites like the Liberal Arts Quadrangle, Denny Hall, and the site of the future Chemical Sciences Building. Bring your Arts & Sciences spirit and we'll bring the one-of-a-kind bandanas (picture below) for everyone who signs up to join the College's team for the 10K run, 5K run/walk, or Husky Pups Run. A portion of your registration fee helps support the UW Alumni Association’s general scholarship fund. Race registration usually sells out before the event, so don't delay. Sign up to be on the College of Arts & Sciences team for the Alaska Airlines Dawg Dash here. In addition, visit the College of Arts & Sciences tent for fun,… Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: casevents@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Sunday, October 18, 2026. For more info visit runsignup.com.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Beyond Binary Mastery: Identifiability and Estimation of Partial-Mastery Cognitive Diagnostic Models | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Abstract: Cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) are widely used in educational and psychological assessment to provide fine-grained information about individuals’ mastery of specific skills or attributes. Partial-mastery cognitive diagnostic models (PM-CDMs) extend traditional CDMs by allowing latent attribute mastery to vary continuously rather than being restricted to binary mastery indicators. In PM-CDMs, each individual is characterized by a fixed continuous latent mastery vector, from which item-specific binary attribute profiles are independently generated.  This formulation provides a bridge between CDMs and continuous latent variable models.   Jun Wu is a postdoctoral fellow in the Computational Psychometrics Group, Czech Academy of Sciences. His research interests are in graphical models and latent variable models. https://washington.zoom.us/s/99784881142. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

SocSEM Speaker: Eva Rosen

Eva Rosen is a Professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. She uses ethnography, qualitative, and mixed methods to study poverty, racial inequality, and American housing policy in the urban context. Rosen received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in Sociology and Social Policy. In 2022-2023 she was a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York. She is a member of the Scholar Strategy Network. In 2018 she was recognized as one of APPAM’s outstanding early career scholars and received the 40 for 40 fellowship. Her first book, The Voucher Promise, about housing insecurity and housing vouchers was published by Princeton University Press in July 2020, and is the winner of the Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Outstanding Book Award from the American Sociological Association and the Paul Davidoff Book Award from the ACSP. Her edited volume, with Brian McCabe, called The Sociology of Housing: How Homes Shape Our Social Lives, was released in 2023 with Chicago University… Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: SAV409. Accessibility Contact: To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: (206) 543-6450/V, (206) 543-6452/TTY, (206) 685-7264 (FAX), or dso@u.washington.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Earl & Edna Stice Lecture in Social Science and UW Department of Sociology. Target Audience: Sociology Faculty and Graduate Students. Thursday, October 22, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM.

CSDE Seminar - Here We Go Again: Repeated Wildfire Smoke Exposure and Health Risks in the US - Joan Casey

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Joan Casey, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Abstract & Bio: Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity, impacting larger numbers of Americans annually, making previously once-in-a-lifetime exposures routine. What repeated exposure means for chronic disease remains largely unknown. I will present research using nationwide Medicare claims and electronic health records from Kaiser Permanente Southern California to examine repeated wildfire smoke exposure and neurological disease. Joan A. Casey is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health. She received her doctoral degree from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Casey uses large secondary spatial data sources to investigate the health impacts of a range of emerging environmental exposures,… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_if8G7LXEQPidXhRZ8usidA#/. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, October 23, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

What Do Language Models Know About the Past? Recovering Historical Perspectives Using Large-Scale Language Models | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Abstract: Historical archives preserve some of the written record, yet social scientists are interested in more than just facts. We are also interested in taken for granted cultural assumptions, such as how much prestige was accorded to certain occupations in different historical periods. In this talk I ask whether large language models, trained on vast historical text, can recover these lost "collective mentalities," and whether we can trust that recovery as faithful. Using occupational distribution and prestige as a case, I report on experiments probing LLM token probabilities in two stages. First, I validate whether base model probabilties recover historical U.S. occupational distributions against census data. Second, I probe whether these probabilities recover diffuse occupational prestige hierarchies. Asking models to generate a ranking directly fails and degenerates, but probing their probability distributions over a fixed occupation list yields rankings that match known historical classifications. I a… Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 12:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Seminar - The Dividend and the Denominator: Why Demography Matters in Public Policy - Apoorva Jadhav

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Apoorva Jadhav, Demographic Futures Lead at the William H. Gates Sr. Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Abstract & Bio: Getting population data to actually move policy requires more than good methods. It simultaneously requires creativity, an understanding of how bureaucracies and multilaterals function, strong interpersonal skills, and technical precision. Drawing on my last decade in public policy, including eight years at USAID, and subsequent work across think tanks, philanthropy, and multilateral advisory bodies, I illustrate this combination in practice through twelve examples, organized around four things this work actually demands: counting what gets measured, narrating what gets believed, strategizing what gets built, and brokering what gets resolved. Dr. Apoorva Jadhav is a demographer and policy strategist with twenty years of experience translating demographic evidence into the investments, programs, and policy… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wQdYDOdPS52ghT4BjWzCOg#/registration. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, October 30, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Facilitating Heterogeneous Effect Estimation via Statistically Efficient Categorical Modifiers | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Abstract: Categorical covariates such as race, sex, or group are ubiquitous in regression analysis. While main-only (or ANCOVA) linear models are predominant, linear models that include categorical-continuous or categorical-categorical interactions are increasingly important and allow heterogeneous, group-specific effects. However, with standard approaches, the addition of categorical interactions fundamentally alters the estimates and interpretations of the main effects, often inflates their standard errors, and introduces significant concerns about group (e.g. racial) biases. In this talk, I will advocate an alternative parametrization and estimation scheme using abundance-based constraints (ABCs). First, ABCs induce a model parametrization that is both interpretable and equitable. Second, I will show that with ABCs, the addition of categorical interactions 1) leaves main effect estimates unchanged and 2) enhances their statistical power, under reasonable conditions. This surprising result suggests that a… Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 12:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Seminar - Leveraging Metabolomics and Proteomics to Advance Our Understanding of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet: Objective Biomarkers and Potential Mediators - Hyunju Kim

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Hyunju Kim, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Abstract & Bio: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which reduced blood pressure and cholesterol in randomized, controlled feeding studies, is recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, assessing adherence to the DASH diet is challenging because self-reported diet is prone to measurement error and other systematic biases. Further, although short-term randomized feeding studies found that the DASH diet improves blood pressure and cholesterol, evidence on causal effects of the DASH diet on long-term health outcomes (e.g. incident coronary heart disease) is difficult to obtain. In this presentation, I discuss projects that used metabolomics and proteomics, technologies that allow simultaneous measurement of thousands of small molecules (metabolites) and proteins in biofluids, to discover objective biomarkers of the DASH diet. I also use plasma proteomics to support causal inference about… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZC3JPMQxQ7mbOXcQYU0hvw#/registration. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, November 6, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

Veterans Day

Holidays No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Autumn. Event Types: Academics. Wednesday, November 11, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

CSDE Seminar - The Future of “Trust & Safety”: Examining the Shift to AI in Online Safety Efforts - Rachel E. Moran

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Rachel E. Moran, Senior Research Scientist at the Center for an Informed Public & Affiliate Assistant Professor at the Information School, University of Washington, Abstract & Bio: Despite their importance, Trust and Safety (T&S) teams experienced significant downsizing between 2022 and 2025, including mass layoffs at major technology companies. Our prior research documented this contraction and identified a parallel expansion in the development and deployment of AI-enabled T&S tools designed to detect, manage, and reduce the spread of harmful and illegal content online. This project examines the shift toward AI through in-depth interviews with T&S professionals who build and use AI systems for online safety. We document the range of AI-enabled tools currently in use and assess professional attitudes toward their effectiveness. We also analyze expert perspectives on AI’s potential to address persistent industry challenges, including cost pressures, politicization of human-led moderation, and the… Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zGKBA0BcSs-g_r6gZsYn8Q#/. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, November 13, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

The Childless Society? Adult–Child Contact in an Era of Demographic Aging | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Audrey Dorélien is an associate professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Washington. Her recent work has focused on social contacts and infectious disease transmission. More recently, she has expanded this line of research to provide new insights into intergenerational interactions. https://washington.zoom.us/s/99784881142. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

SocSEM Speaker: Anjum Hajat

Dr. Hajat is an associate professor of epidemiology and a social and environmental epidemiologist. Her research examines how stressors in the social and physical environment disproportionately impact the health of disadvantaged populations. She has an interest in applying causal inference methods to her research and works to engage communities to answer questions that are most important to them. She is a faculty affiliate at the Center for Studies on Demography and Ecology, the West Coast Poverty Center, the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics, and Environment, and the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies. Prior to academia she worked in public health practice for several years. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Savery Hall (SAV). Campus room: SAV409. Accessibility Contact: To request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: (206) 543-6450/V, (206) 543-6452/TTY, (206) 685-7264 (FAX), or dso@u.washington.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Earl & Edna Stice Lecture in Social Sciences and UW Dept of Sociology. Target Audience: Sociology Faculty and Graduate Students. Thursday, November 19, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM.

CSDE Seminar - The Effects of Receiving Rental Assistance on Early Adulthood Outcomes - Raheem Chaudhry

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Raheem Chaudhry, Assistant Professor at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington, Abstract & Bio: , Raheem is an Assistant Professor at the Evans School. His research focuses on how public policy and political institutions can expand access to opportunity for all individuals, particularly those from disadvantaged or historically marginalized communities. He received his PhD from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley and his Masters in Public Affairs from the University of Texas, Austin. Prior to getting his PhD, he conducted research on a range of issues affecting low-income families at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__ocMsPduRW6tKtamvb2q7g#/registration. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, November 20, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

Thanksgiving Day

Holidays No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Autumn. Event Types: Academics. Thursday, November 26, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

Native American Heritage Day

Holidays No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm. Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Autumn. Event Types: Academics. Friday, November 27, 2026. For more info visit www.washington.edu.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Psychosocial Stress-Telomere Length Associations as a Case Study for Considering Meta-Analysis, Publication Bias, Measurement Error and Longitudinal Analysis | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Abstract: Socioeconomic disparities, psychosocial stress and discrimination contribute to ill health. Biomarkers of health have become increasingly prominent because of their promise to improve understanding of social and biological pathways that underlie health disparities. Telomere length (TL) is a particularly promising biomarker. Telomeres are repeating DNA found at the ends of chromosomes. TL shortens with cell replication and age. When TL gets too short, the cell is no longer able to replicate and biological function is thereby impaired. Correspondingly, age-adjusted shorter TL predicts shorter lifespan. Studies showing that TL is shorter in those exposed to increased psychosocial stress have spurred the hypothesis that TL can serve as an integrative measure of biological age. Unlike most other biomarkers, the fact that telomeres are DNA provides a pathway via which stress, even from decades past, might have persistent effects on TL and health. Mainly, shortened TL in stem cells is thought to be mainta… Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Seminar - Navigating the Double-Edge of Statistics: Indigenous Health, Patient Activism, and Collective Care in Chile - Paula Saravia

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Speaker: Paula Saravia, Assistant Teaching Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology, University of Washington. Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Parrington Hall (PAR). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_226bF2lLR0yghII_WVyCTA#/registration. Campus room: 360. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, December 4, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. For more info visit washington.zoom.us.

CSDE Computational Demography Working Group

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Online Meeting Link: https://csde.washington.edu/computational-demography-working-group-talks/. Campus room: 223. Accessibility Contact: csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu. Event Types: Workshops. Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. For more info visit csde.washington.edu.

Correcting Inferences in AI-Assisted Content Analysis | UW CSSS SEMINAR

Center for Statistics and Social Sciences Content analysis methods measures social categories and constructs in unstructured data. In social science, human annotators interpret and categorize communication data such as behaviors, messages, or images to build or test theories. Machine learning classifiers, increasingly in the form of language models, can help automate this process. The trouble is that machines and humans may interpret the data in different ways.  Divergence between machine and human classifiers creates problems for inference, but methods that use human and machine classifications together can reduce bias and variance. Practical trade-offs between methods will be discussed with an emphasis on suitability for causal inference estimators. https://washington.zoom.us/s/99784881142. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM. SAV 409. For more info visit csss.uw.edu.

CSDE Fall 2026 Lightning Talks & Poster Session

Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Raitt Hall (RAI). Campus room: 221. Accessibility Contact: Maddie Farris - CSDE Program Coordinator (csde-prgm-coord@uw.edu). Event Types: Lectures/Seminars. Event sponsors: Population Health Initiative. Friday, December 11, 2026, 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM.