Purdue projects accepted by State Department's Diplomacy Lab initiative

Five Purdue project bids have been accepted by the U.S. Department of State as part of its Diplomacy Lab initiative.

Purdue’s partnership with the State Department to support the Diplomacy Lab program began in fall 2021. This collaborative endeavor will see teams of Purdue students supervised and led by a faculty member to conduct research in areas of interest relevant to the State Department’s affairs. Topics cover a wide array of international issues and challenges, including climate change, sustainable development, human rights, economic policy and global health.

The Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) coordinates Purdue’s activity with the Diplomacy Lab. Purdue’s five accepted project bids are:

"Strategies for Identifying Mis-/Disinformation"
Bethany McGowan, associate professor, and Matthew Hannah, assistant professor, Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies

Mis-/disinformation provides openings for malicious acts that reduce public trust and sow confusion. To tackle this, McGowan and Hannah are developing strategies for identifying mis-/disinformation. This Diplomacy Lab project is offered as a capstone this spring and will draft a report for the State Department to identify mis-/disinformation online. The student team currently engaged in this research project will create a policy report as well as a social listening dashboard that functions as a software application. The State Department plans to integrate the Purdue team's results into the training material for its watch officers.

"Recruitment of Native Hawaiians"
"Recruitment of Hispanic/Latinx Americans in California"
Both project bids from C. Robert Kenley, professor, College of Engineering

Kenley’s studies of recruitment of Native Hawaiians and Hispanic/Latinx Americans has seen its scope expanded from two to four areas of interest due to significant student interest, adding Native Americans and African Americans. These studies are offered in Kenley’s spring course, SYS 40000, as a part of Purdue Systems Collaboratory's Undergraduate Systems Certificate Program. Student teams will create a plan to recruit members of ethnic minority groups by providing specific recommendations to increase the number of their respective applicants for positions within the State Department.

"Where are the Freely Associated States (FAS) Students?"
Anne Traynor, associate professor, College of Education

“Where are the Freely Associated States (FAS) Students?” involves an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students and a doctoral student mentor. Once the student team concludes its research training and information-gathering phase, the team will produce a report about Micronesian college students’ locations, choice processes and study majors. The team also will formulate postgraduation plans that can be used by U.S. embassies and EducationUSA to better tailor educational counseling to future U.S. postsecondary students from the island nations of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, in addition to designing outreach programs.

"Explore BIM and GIS Integration for US Embassies"
Cory Clark, associate professor, Purdue Polytechnic Institute

Clark’s research is scheduled to commence in fall 2022. More information on this project, including summary updates, will be available in due course.

The menu of projects available for fall 2022 will be available in March. General queries regarding the Diplomacy Lab initiative or the application process should be directed to Krista Kelley, operations manager at PPRI, at kokelley@purdue.edu. To learn more about Purdue’s partnership with the Diplomacy Lab program, read this earlier Purdue Today story.

Launched by the Department of State in 2013, Diplomacy Lab enables the State Department to “course-source” research related to foreign policy challenges by harnessing the efforts of students and faculty experts at colleges and universities across the United States. Diplomacy Lab underscores the department’s commitment to engage the American people in the work of the State Department and the need to broaden the department’s research base in response to a proliferation of complex global challenges. 

The Purdue Policy Research Institute catalyzes and leverages extant policy-relevant transdisciplinary research among members of the Purdue research community, facilitates enduring connections among local and global actors, and generates impact on policymaking and beyond. The institute is guided by the principle that policy development must consider the interdependencies among technological, economic, ethical and social factors. Together with collaborators in academia and the public and private sectors, PPRI inspires the development of nonpartisan policies that solve pressing global challenges.